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Originally Posted by SenorPez
Does GURPS Space consider Earth to be an Affinity 10 planet? It's obvious it's Habitability 8, but in order to have a sufficient carrying capacity to account for the world's population (10 B) it would have to have Very Abundant resources to get to Affinity 10.
Or am I missing something in the Carrying Capacity calculation?
Base Carrying Capacity, TL8: 10 M
Affinity Modifier, Affinity 10: 1000
Affinity Modifier, Affinity 9: 500
Diameter: 1
10 M * 1000 * 1^2 = 10 B (Enough!)
10 M * 500 * 1^2 = 5 B (2.5 B short!)
If that's the case, I need to reconsider my "Average" resource planet. I modeled its mining activity based on Earth, tweaked for lower tectonics and volcanic activity. But if Earth is Very Abundant, that Average planet would be far less rich in minerals than I've envisioned.
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You assume the Earth can support its current population (7.53 B) indefinitely. The jury is out as to whether or not that is possible. Furthermore, SPACE, p. 92, states :
Quote:
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Originally Posted by GURPS Space, p. 92
On the other hand, a high-tech society can also exceed the carrying capacity, but only by using world resources in a way that can’t be sustained indefinitely. Such a society will be in trouble within a few generations, unless it can improve the carrying capacity of its world.
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At TL5 and above, a homeworld’s population can vary widely from its carrying capacity. Select a population as needed, or roll 2d. Multiply the carrying capacity by 10, and divide the result by the die roll to get the world’s population.
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Finally, GURPS Space was written twelve years ago. Science has come a long way since then. It'd be understandable if the ideas in GURPS Space are out of date. That's actually why Jon F. Zeigler has been writing a new star system generation system called
Architect of Worlds based on more modern planetary science research.
So with all of that said, I'd be more likely to believe that Earth hass Average Resources...like most other planets in existence...and expect either a population crash, mass emigration, or the plane to be stripped of all resources and
then a massive population crash/extinction.