The God Consciousness Project: The Warning: everybody wants a piece of my pie

Yum, yum. How about another piece of the pie?

The Warning: How do you NOT stop murdering nature?
Let's have another piece of the pie.

(Scroll down to find links to all the reports.)

Humanity, our species, lives off of nature. That is how we get to live the life that we live. We are in nature. It is what gives us all the stuff that makes life so bleeping comfortable.

Yes, humans have figured out how to use nature and make stuff from nature. But without nature having robust and diverse freedom, nature rolls back the stuff that we need to survive.

Our species is of nature. And we have natural senses. And we are killing that part of ourselves that keeps us supplied with fresh air, clean water, soil and dirt and all that stuff.

And what about the oceans and the seas? At one time, not so long ago, the salt waters of our planet fed us. And it was abundant with critters we could eat.

From the earth, we extract substances that we use to make stuff.

We use a lot of water to make stuff.

All the stuff we take from nature that we use to make stuff that we use.

The stuff that we get from nature is what we live off of.

That stuff is what we use to make the pies that we consume.

Not just pies that we eat. No.

Think of it this way: Everybody wants a piece of the pie.

And what is in that piece of the pie?

All the stuff you want and need.

Everything.

The clothes you wear, the car you drive. The roads you drive on and the cities you live in.

The little things you use, like your cell phone.

Geez, the food you eat. The water you drink.

Wow, even the tech stuff, all of it, even what is now called "the cloud", yeah, even the microwaves that you use to do all the fancy stuff you can now do.

The entire caboodle.

I asked my robot for some estimates of how much stuff we are currently making.

Overall Estimate:

Summing up all categories, it’s safe to estimate that there are likely well over 10 million distinct products currently being made by humans globally. This includes:

Consumer products (clothing, food, electronics, etc.)
Industrial goods (machinery, components, chemicals)
Intermediate goods and raw materials (building materials, packaging, parts)
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

If we include variations, formulations, and product updates, the total could easily exceed 50 million distinct products.

That is a lot of stuff to be using to make pies.

(For the entire estimate, please scroll down to the end of this report.)

And what is the pie made of?

All the stuff that we need to make the pie.

And where do we get the stuff to make the pie?

From...nature.

And how much stuff is there to use to make the pie?

Is it unlimited? Is it...limitless?

No. It is not.

There is only so much stuff to use to make the pie.

And we've been making a lot of pies...especially in the last hundred years or so.

I asked my robot to make some projections about how many more pies we can make before there is no more stuff left to make pies.

Here is what my robot told me:

"Robert, my conclusion is this: Without significant changes in how we use and manage resources, we could face shortages of key resources like freshwater, fossil fuels, and critical minerals within a few decades. The strain on ecosystems and biodiversity could reach irreversible tipping points. To avoid this, global cooperation, innovation, and a shift to sustainable consumption are imperative."

A single piece of pie made up of human-made items like cars, gadgets, clothing, and more.

What the robot told me:

Timeline for resource depletion

The timeline for running out of natural resources depends on several factors, including the specific resource, the rate of consumption, population growth, technological advancements, and changes in environmental policies. Here’s a general look at some key resources and their depletion timelines under current consumption patterns:

1. Fossil Fuels

Oil: Estimates suggest we have about 40–50 years of recoverable oil left at current rates of consumption. While new reserves are sometimes discovered, these are increasingly difficult and costly to extract.
Natural Gas: At current rates, we may have about 50–60 years of natural gas left, though this could be extended with new discoveries and technologies like fracking.
Coal: Coal reserves are estimated to last about 100–150 years, but environmental policies and the global shift to cleaner energy may reduce coal consumption before reserves are exhausted.

2. Minerals and Metals

Rare Earth Elements (REEs): Critical for electronics, green technology (wind turbines, solar panels), and military applications. Many REEs could face serious shortages within 20–30 years unless alternative sources or recycling methods improve.
Copper: Estimated to run out within 40–60 years, though demand continues to increase due to its widespread use in infrastructure, electronics, and electric vehicles.
Lithium: A key resource for batteries, particularly in electric vehicles, lithium is expected to face shortages in the next 30–40 years as demand surges. Efforts to recycle and find new deposits are ongoing but may not meet the rapidly increasing demand.

3. Freshwater

Freshwater supplies are under serious threat, particularly due to overuse in agriculture, industry, and urban areas. By 2030, some estimates predict that nearly half the global population could face water shortages. Water scarcity is exacerbated by pollution, climate change, and inefficient water management practices.

4. Forests

Deforestation continues at an alarming rate, especially in tropical regions like the Amazon. If current trends persist, a significant portion of the world’s rainforests could be gone within 100 years, along with the critical biodiversity and ecosystem services they provide. Reforestation and conservation efforts are essential to slowing this trend.
NOTE: Hi there. This is Robert, not the robot. I think that the timeline for "bye-bye to forests" will be a lot sooner. And I have my reasons, too.

5. Fish Stocks

Overfishing is leading to the depletion of many species, with estimates suggesting that many commercial fish stocks could collapse within 30 years if current practices continue. Sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices are crucial to reversing this trend.

6. Arable Land

Soil degradation, erosion, and the expansion of urban areas are reducing the availability of arable land. If current rates of degradation continue, we may see severe limitations in global food production within 50–60 years. Desertification and loss of fertile soil due to climate change are also accelerating these trends.

7. Biodiversity

The rapid loss of biodiversity, driven by habitat destruction, pollution, overexploitation, and climate change, suggests that many species could go extinct within this century. The loss of biodiversity threatens ecosystems' ability to function, which in turn affects resources like food, water, and air quality.

How Long Can We Sustain This?

If humanity continues to use natural resources at current rates, some resources could become scarce or unusable within the next few decades. However, technological advances, policy changes, and shifts toward sustainability could extend this timeline. The critical challenge lies in balancing consumption with the ability of ecosystems to regenerate.

Key factors affecting how long we can continue:

Innovation in renewable energy (solar, wind, and nuclear) to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
Increased recycling of metals and minerals to prolong the availability of critical materials.
Water conservation and management to address freshwater scarcity.
Shifts in agriculture toward more sustainable and regenerative practices to protect arable land.
Sustainable forestry and conservation efforts to slow deforestation.

Conclusion:

Without significant changes in how we use and manage resources, we could face shortages of key resources like freshwater, fossil fuels, and critical minerals within a few decades. The strain on ecosystems and biodiversity could reach irreversible tipping points. To avoid this, global cooperation, innovation, and a shift to sustainable consumption are imperative.

Estimate of number of products made by humans

Estimating the total number of different products made by humans, including raw materials, intermediate goods, and final consumer products, is a complex task due to the vast range of industries and supply chains. However, I can provide a rough estimate by considering major categories and some industry-specific data:

1. Chemicals

Industrial chemicals: Over 100,000 different chemicals are used worldwide in various industries, from agriculture (pesticides, fertilizers) to manufacturing (plastics, solvents, dyes).
Pharmaceuticals: There are an estimated 20,000-30,000 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), plus numerous formulations and variations of each drug.

Total chemical products (raw and intermediate): 100,000–150,000+

2. Food and Agriculture

Processed foods: The food industry offers a vast variety of products, from basic staples to highly processed convenience items. Globally, there are likely tens of thousands of distinct food products in supermarkets alone.
Agricultural inputs: Fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, plus a wide array of crops and seeds, amount to an estimated 5,000–10,000 distinct products.

Total food-related products: 50,000–100,000+

3. Consumer Goods (Clothing, Furniture, Electronics, Etc.)

Clothing and textiles: The global fashion industry produces millions of different clothing items, but considering major types of fabric, garments, and accessories, there are likely 1 million+ distinct products available at any given time.
Furniture: There are probably hundreds of thousands of furniture designs and models across different materials and styles.
Consumer electronics: Phones, computers, televisions, and countless gadgets. There are likely hundreds of thousands of distinct electronic products.

Total consumer goods: 2 million+

4. Machinery and Industrial Goods

Machinery (industrial and household): From agricultural equipment to kitchen appliances, automobiles, airplanes, and construction machines, there are millions of distinct machine types in the global market.
Intermediate products (components, parts): These include the raw materials and sub-assemblies that go into making other products. In sectors like automotive, aerospace, and electronics, there are millions of different components (e.g., circuit boards, bolts, engines, chips).

Total machinery and industrial products: 5 million+

5. Packaging and Materials

Packaging: Thousands of different packaging materials are used globally, from plastics and glass to metals and paper.
Building materials: Everything from cement, steel, and bricks to advanced materials like composites and polymers adds up to hundreds of thousands of different products.

Total packaging and building materials: 1 million+

6. Other Categories

Transportation (vehicles, planes, ships): Tens of thousands of different models across various categories, including all the components.
Tools and hardware: Hundreds of thousands of different tools for home, industrial, and specialized uses.
Software and digital products: There are millions of software products, applications, and digital services.

Overall Estimate:

Summing up all categories, it’s safe to estimate that there are likely well over 10 million distinct products currently being made by humans globally. This includes:

Consumer products (clothing, food, electronics, etc.)
Industrial goods (machinery, components, chemicals)
Intermediate goods and raw materials (building materials, packaging, parts)
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

If we include variations, formulations, and product updates, the total could easily exceed 50 million distinct products.

This estimate is a generalization and could be higher depending on specific industries and how we define “distinct products” (e.g., variations of the same product). The complexity of global supply chains and the innovation in product development means the actual number of distinct items humans produce is vast and constantly growing.