The Planet Master

By Joseph George Caldwell

Synopsis. This radio play addresses the issues of human overpopulation and global nuclear war. The play describes the reasons why global nuclear war is likely to happen and considers a scenario in which Russia prevails after the war. Scene 1 describes the destruction to the biosphere that is being caused by large human numbers and industrial production. Scene 2 is a meeting with the Russian President, Prime Minister, and ministers of three portfolios – economic development, natural resources and environmental protection, and defense – in preparation for an annual presentation to Russia’s Duma. Scene 3 describes the state of Russia’s economy, and Scene 4 describes the state of its natural resources and environment. Scene 5 describes the nature and likelihood of nuclear war. Scene 6 describes goals, decision criteria, and strategy related to nuclear war. Scene 7 describes tactics for waging nuclear war. Scene 8 describes possibilities that might arise when access to important situational information is lost during nuclear war. Scene 9 describes implications of Russian goals and decision criteria, including discussion of how a small nuclear conflict could escalate to a large-scale one, and how Russia might prevail in such a war and establish a long-term-sustainable planetary management system. Scene 10 discusses long-term-sustainable population levels. Scene 11 discusses the state of the world twenty years after global nuclear war and Scene 12 describes an evening somewhere on the North American Great Plains, 500 years after the war.

Production Notes. Scenes 3 and 4 may be omitted for an abbreviated version of the play. Scenes 6 and 7 may be omitted for a further abbreviation. The play includes four sets: Scene 1 takes place in a radio studio, located anywhere in the world. Scenes 2-10 take place in a meeting room in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia; Scene 11 takes place in the office of a human-resource officer in the Office of Planetary Management in Astoria, Oregon, 20 years after the occurrence of a global nuclear war; Scene 12 takes place outside a tepee on the North American Great planes, 500 years after this war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joseph George Caldwell
• Release date: Jul 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9780944848319

Joseph George Caldwell

Joseph George Caldwell is a mathematical statistician and systems and software engineer. He is author of articles and books on divers topics (e.g., population, environment, statistics, economics, politics, defense and music, including The Late Great United States (2008); Can America Survive? (1999); How to Stop the IRS and Solve the Deficit Problem (The Value-Added Tax: A New Tax System for the United States) (1987); How to Play the Guitar by Ear (for mathematicians and physicists) (2000). See Internet website http://www.foundationwebsite.org to view these and other articles. He holds a BS degree in Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a PhD degree in Statistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Book preview

THE PLANET MASTER

A Radio Play

Joseph George Caldwell

Copyright 2018 Joseph George Caldwell. All rights reserved.

Updated July 29, 2018

Synopsis. This radio play addresses the issues of human overpopulation and global nuclear war. The play describes the reasons why global nuclear war is likely to happen and considers a scenario in which Russia prevails after the war. Scene 1 describes the destruction to the biosphere that is being caused by large human numbers and industrial production. Scene 2 is a meeting with the Russian President, Prime Minister, and ministers of three portfolios – economic development, natural resources and environmental protection, and defense – in preparation for an annual presentation to Russia’s Duma. Scene 3 describes the state of Russia’s economy, and Scene 4 describes the state of its natural resources and environment. Scene 5 describes the nature and likelihood of nuclear war. Scene 6 describes goals, decision criteria, and strategy related to nuclear war. Scene 7 describes tactics for waging nuclear war. Scene 8 describes possibilities that might arise when access to important situational information is lost during nuclear war. Scene 9 describes implications of Russian goals and decision criteria, including discussion of how a small nuclear conflict could escalate to a large-scale one, and how Russia might prevail in such a war and establish a long-term-sustainable planetary management system. Scene 10 discusses long-term-sustainable population levels. Scene 11 discusses the state of the world twenty years after global nuclear war and Scene 12 describes an evening somewhere on the North American Great Plains, 500 years after the war.

Production Notes. Scenes 3 and 4 may be omitted for an abbreviated version of the play. Scenes 6 and 7 may be omitted for a further abbreviation. The play includes four sets: Scene 1 takes place in a radio studio, located anywhere in the world. Scenes 2-10 take place in a meeting room in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia; Scene 11 takes place in the office of a human-resource officer in the Office of Planetary Management in Astoria, Oregon, 20 years after the occurrence of a global nuclear war; Scene 12 takes place outside a tepee on the North American Great planes, 500 years after this war.

Contents

Scene 1. Trashing the Planet, Trashing Humankind

Scene 2. Preparing for the Duma

Scene 3. The Russian Economy

Scene 4. Russian Natural Resources

Scene 5. The Nature and Risk of Nuclear War

Scene 6. Goals, Decision Criteria, and Strategy Related to Nuclear War

Scene 7. Tactics for Waging Nuclear War

Scene 8. Decisions Under Uncertainty

Scene 9. Some Implications of Russian Goals and Decision Criteria

Scene 10. Some Discussion of Sustainable Population Levels

Scene 11. In the Office of Planetary Management

Scene 12. Empire of the Summer Moon Redux

Scene 1. Trashing the Planet, Trashing Humankind

SCENE. The time is the near future. The location is a radio studio anywhere in the world. A panel of five radio/television announcers is seated behind a large desk, facing the audience. In front of them on the desk are sets of papers from which they are reading. As they speak, they look directly toward the audience, as if it were a television camera.

ANNOUNCER 1. A new report was released this week, summarizing the state of the planet and humankind. The report covers a lot of ground, and we are going to summarize just the major sections, dealing with the environment, social and economic issues, and health.

The main factor underlying all of these issues is the size and growth of the human population. The current size of the human population is about eight billion people. The planet’s human population increases by about one percent a year, or about 80 million people per year. The rate of increase is slowing, but global population is expected to rise to at least ten billion people.

In what follows, we will be focusing on absolute numbers, rather than percentages, since percentages often mask the magnitudes of conditions.

ANNOUNCER 2. First, the environment. This past year, large human numbers and industrial production resulted in the following activity and events.

Plastic waste.Production of almost three trillion pounds of waste plastic, much of which is floating in the world’s oceans.

Toxic chemicals.Production of almost five million tons of toxic chemicals, most of which is contaminating the land and eventually ending up in lakes and oceans.

Fossil fuels.Consumption of almost 100 million barrels of oil, seven billion tons of coal and three trillion cubic meters of natural gas, leading to the emission of ten billion tons of carbon products into the atmosphere.

Nuclear waste.Production of 12 thousand tons of high-level nuclear waste.

Natural habitat destruction.Destruction of tens of millions of hectares of natural habitat, leading to the endangerment or extinction of countless plant and animal species.

Deforestation.Deforestation of seven million hectares.

Topsoil loss.Destruction of almost two percent of the planet’s remaining topsoil, from erosion and use of chemicals.

In summary, the destruction of the Earth’s biosphere by large human numbers and industrial activity is massive today, and it will continue as long as human population remains at high levels.

To date, large human numbers and industrial activity have caused the following changes to the Earth’s environment.

Natural habitat destruction.Conversion of more than half of the world’s natural land to human habitat, resulting in the endangerment and extinction of countless species.

Deforestation.Destruction of over half of the world’s forests.

Topsoil loss.Because of industrial agriculture, loss of half of the planet’s topsoil.

Pollution.Serious pollution of the planet’s land, water and air.

Fishery collapse.Because of industrial fishing, overfishing, pollution and climate change, the collapse of fish stocks for many species in many places. It is predicted that all species of wild-caught seafood will collapse, worldwide, by 2050.

Destruction of coral reefs.Large-scale destruction of coral reefs, which are essential to fish, by water pollution, sedimentation, and poison and dynamite fishing.

Destruction of wild rivers.Destruction of thousands of miles of wild rivers from dams and industrial pollution.

In summary, large human numbers and industrial activity have caused substantial changes to the biosphere.

ANNOUNCER 3. In the economic area, the situation is as follows.

Poverty.Approximately 80 percent of the human population, or six billion people, live in dismal poverty, with no hope of a better life for themselves or their children. Most people are not just poor, but they are living in extreme deprivation and desperation. As long as human population levels remain high, most of the people born each year are doomed to a life of poverty, with little or no access to a high or even modest quality of life. Each year, the world’s human population increases by about 80 million people, and each year, the number of people born to a life of poverty and deprivation increases by this amount.

Extreme poverty.The report points out that the number of people in extreme poverty, living on about US$1.25 per day, has been decreasing. The report points out that this indicator has been criticized as an invalid measure of poverty. That amount – US$1.25 a day – is absurdly low. It is less than what many people in the US spend on pet food. It is not a reasonable poverty level for human beings. At higher poverty levels, such as US$5 or US$10 per day, which are still severe, the number of people living in poverty is extremely large – many billions – and increasing by large amounts – tens of millions – every year.

Wealth.The wealthiest one percent of the populations owns half of the world’s wealth. The Gini coefficient, which is a measure of the distribution of wealth, continues to increase, showing high and increasing disparity.

Economic activity and growth.The policy of all nations is increased economic activity and growth. The level of economic activity is estimated at 80 trillion US dollars, and economic production grew by three percent. In the past, as economic activity increased, the rate of destruction of natural habitat and species always increased.

Disdain for animal life.Production of animal food for human consumption resulted in the slaughter of 1.5 billion cattle, 1.5 billion sheep and goats, .9 billion pigs, and 15 billion poultry. An estimated 100 million tons of fish and seafood were harvested. Each head of cattle produces about 100 kilograms of methane each year, which is released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.

Access to resources.As a direct result of large human numbers, most people on the planet have limited or no access to the planet’s natural resources, such as arable land. They are severely constrained, by limits on natural ability, knowledge, skills and access to resources, to control their lives or to achieve meaningful life accomplishments.

Ignorance.An estimated one billion people are living in ignorance, either functionally illiterate or innumerate. These people have limited ability to acquire knowledge or skills, and thereby benefit from past human experience and accomplishments.

Desperation, meaningless lives, hopelessness, unhappiness.The numbers of children engaged in labor is estimated to be 200 million, of whom 10 million are engaged in forced labor. The number of women forced into prostitution is estimated to be five million. The number of suicides is estimated at 800 thousand per year. Because of large human numbers and crowding, most people alive today will never realize happiness, the ability to achieve meaningful life accomplishment, or even accomplish modest goals. As population and overcrowding continue, human misery will continue. As population and overcrowding increase, human misery will increase.

ANNOUNCER 4. In the area of crime and violence, the following is reported.

Crime.Most of the human population now lives in cities, in deplorable conditions – poverty, crowding, unemployment, meaningless work, hunger, disease, stress, violence and crime. As human numbers continue to increase, crowding will increase. Crime and violence are rampant. Gang violence continues at a high level. The global number of murders is estimated at about half a million per year. Political corruption continues at a high level in many countries. Barring a substantial decrease in human numbers, for most people there is little to no hope for a better future for themselves or their children.

Drug abuse.The number of people misusing drugs is estimated to be 30 million. The economic cost of drug abuse is estimated to be about one trillion dollars per year.

Family dysfunction.In many countries, family dysfunction is severe, resulting in many broken homes, child abuse, juvenile delinquency and domestic violence.

Incarceration.The estimated number of people incarcerated is estimated to be nine million. In the United States, the number is about two million,