Revolution Watch ------Egypt and the Facts

I am a fan of statistics in that many times they tell a story that is not seen in public discourse. I collect them from the CIA Factbook, Worldwatch, The UN, Pew, and multitude of other sources. Sometimes information is just laid out there and it is impossible not to be stunned. Yesterday, I read that we just crossed the 400 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere. We have been told repeatedly that if we can not hold the count to 350 we will not be able to keep the temperature increase below a 2 degree C gain--this is a point at which life as we know it can not be maintained---so it is said. Oops.

Then I stumbled on this from Chris Martensen an economist with a penchant for looking at conditions outside of economics. This is the situation in Egypt as seen in statistics.

The relentless math:
Population 1960: 27.8 million
Population 2008: 81.7 million
Current population growth rate: 2% per annum (a 35-year doubling rate)
Population in 2046 after another doubling: 164 million
Rainfall average over whole country: ~ 2 inches per year
Highest rainfall region: Alexandria, 7.9 inches per year
Arable land (almost entirely in the Nile Valley): 3%
Arable land per capita: 0.04 Ha (400 m2)
Arable land per capita in 2043: 0.02 Ha
Food imports: 40% of requirements
Grain imports: 60% of requirements
Net oil exports: Began falling in 1997, went negative in 2007
Oil production peaked in 1996
Cost of oil rising steeply
Cost of oil and food tightly linked
-Chris Martenson

Strange thing about these statistics is that Egypt is not alone. Many of the countries in the region are no better off. Yes, some are still exporting oil which can be used to purchase things like food---and many like to buy guns. Almost all of them have declining oil production.

I have also noticed that the USA and a few other big powers are willing to jump into the fray of these unstable countries if they are still exporting oil---Libya for example, but if they are not we just let them kill each other---Syria. So what might be in store for Egypt, a country thought to be very unstable? Not pretty.

The really sad part of it is the Egyptians themselves are clueless as to what the problems are and armed with the internet and its broadcasting of the ways of the wealthy, like us, they want it all. Hardly blame them. But really, there appears no way to get from there to here. Egypt is not alone.  Double population in 35 years, right!