Andy wrote:
> pretty much every industrial nation is overpolulated, especially Canada,
> where I live, since we are only able to survive by importing food and
> other resources from an extended hinterland.
The Odums described cities (or "technoecosystems") as parasites on the
surrounding landscape. I suppose we can consider heavily
urbanized/industrialized countries as dense concentrations of parasites that
have feeding tentacles stretching all over the world.
But the analogy isn't entirely apt anymore. Almost all Americans are
parasitic, no matter how rural their living environment. They eat bananas, use
petroleum products, wear clothes made in China, etc. It's hard to draw
boundaries around the parasites anymore.
Joe
