The Daily Valet. - 9/12/22, Monday

✔️ No Vacancy?

September 12, 2022

Monday, September 12th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I sure hope your weekend felt longer than mine did.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

No Vacancy?

How many humans can Earth sustain? And what does it mean if (and when) we pass it?

Towards the end of 2022, the United Nations predicts the human population on Earth will reach 8 billion. You might not have known, but people are popping up faster and faster it seems—more than 97 million people this year alone. In the time it's taken to read this sentence (about five seconds), 24 people have just been born. If you make it to the end of this newsletter (about five minutes), more than 1,400 people will have been brought into the world.

But how many is too many? A team of scientists recently concluded that the Earth can sustain, at most, only 7 billion people at “subsistence levels of consumption.” Of course, we passed that a while ago. Which is why the Global Footprint Network estimates that we currently use as much ecological resources as if we lived on 1.75 Earths.

Every year, they calculate when we will have used up all the resources that the planet’s natural systems can provide and replace in a year—it’s called the Earth Overshoot Day. And in 2022, it was back on July 28. Another way to think of it is like this: Let’s say we’ve got a certain amount of food that has to last us all year. Then we eat it all by the end of July. Everything we’re eating after that, we’re taking from next year’s supply, and the year after and so on.

So as we reach this 8 billion milestone, BBC Future is taking a look at one of the most controversial issues of our time. Are there too many of us? They quote natural historian David Attenborough, who labeled our swarming masses a “plague on the Earth.” In his view, nearly every environmental problem we’re currently facing—from climate change to biodiversity loss, water stresses and conflicts over land—can be traced back to our rampant reproduction over the last few centuries.

It’s somewhat of a bleak, yet realistic, take. And while the numbers keep going up, no one knows for sure when (and how) they will plateau. The U.N. says the world population will peak at 10.9 billion by the end of the century. The other groups forecast earlier and smaller boosts, with global population reaching 9.7 billion by 2070 and then slowly declining. The difference, according to Nature, poses a conundrum for governments and companies trying to plan for everything from investment in infrastructure and future tax income, to setting goals for international development and greenhouse-gas reductions.

But as LiveScience points out, the number of people Earth can support is not an exact, fixed figure. “When it comes to carrying capacity, it’s a matter of mode of production, mode of consumption, who has access to what and how,” says Patrick Gerland of the United Nations Population Division. For instance, if more people adopt a plant-based diet, the land used to grow crops for humans rather than animal feed for meat production could feed hundreds of millions more people. And as more women get access to education, birth rates in middle- and low-income countries drop. Put another way, there may be a limit on how many humans Earth can support, but it will always vary based on how we produce, consume and manage our resources.

↦ Think Bigger: In 2018, Jeff Bezos predicted a future in which our population will reach a trillion humans (they just won’t all live on Earth).

Ukraine Gains Ground

Russia acknowledged that it had lost nearly all of the northern region of Kharkiv

A surprise two-pronged offensive by Ukrainian forces over the weekend is reshaping the battlefield and forcing the Russians to scramble for reinforcements.

Russia on Sunday acknowledged that it had lost nearly all of the northern region of Kharkiv (and a key military hub) after a blitzkrieg thrust that cast doubt on a premise, according to the New York Times, that Ukraine could never defeat Russia.

Russia's military also removed troops from the regions of Balakleya and Izyum, and Ukrainian forces reached the major railway city of Kupiansk, potentially cutting supplies for Russian forces. Retreating Russian forces left behind significant amounts of munitions and weapons as Ukraine's military advanced, Axios reports.

Victory for Ukraine is still far from certain. Russia retaliated Sunday by attacking power stations and other infrastructure, causing widespread outages across the region. The bombardment ignited a massive fire at a power station and killed at least one person. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the “deliberate and cynical missile strikes” against civilian targets as acts of terrorism. Even key Putin allies agreed, saying that when no military facilities were hit, the goal is simply to deprive people of light and heat.

↦ Meanwhile: The Washington Post reports that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will announce $2 billion more in “security assistance” to bolster Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO allies and regional partners.

Countries May Cut Ties With the British Monarchy

Pro-republican campaigns in Australia, New Zealand and Canada are expected to gain momentum

Britain's King Charles III is now the official head of state in 14 countries outside of the United Kingdom. They include Australia, New Zealand and Canada, along with several Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

But there's talk now that this transition to a less-popular monarch could jumpstart efforts by some countries to reassess their relationship with the British Crown. Activists have long argued that their nations shouldn't have a foreign ruler as head of state.

Even before the queen's death, some countries had signaled that their time with the monarchy, a relationship that originated with colonialism, should end. Last year, Barbados became the first country in about 30 years to ditch the monarchy. Several other Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, are preparing to sever ties as well.

In some countries, anti-monarchist sentiment has grown in tandem with racial justice movements, bringing anti-colonialist thinking and conversations on Indigenous rights into the mainstream, reports TIME. Already, there have been calls for change. Adam Bandt, the leader of Australia's Greens Party, posted condolences to Twitter, while adding “Now Australia must move forward .. we need [a] Treaty with First Nations people, and we need to become a Republic.”

↦ Meanwhile: King Charles doesn’t have to pay inheritance tax on the Queen’s private estate worth more than $750 million.

Kellogg’s Wants You to Add Water to Your Cereal

New on-the-go bowls make their own milk

I once heard that younger generations weren't eating cereal as much because it supposedly took too much effort—perhaps they'll be swayed by Kellogg's new line of ready-made cereal bowls. Just add water and you're done.

You read that correctly. But it's not as gross as it sounds. The new “Instabowls” look like traditional single-serve bowls, but these little tubs also contain milk powder. When you add cold water and stir, the milk rehydrates and voila: instant milk and cereal.

Currently, the bowls come in four nostalgic varieties: Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, my personal adolescent favorite Apple Jacks and the outlier, Raisin Bran Crunch. They'll cost about two bucks, first rolling out in Walmart and then will soon go national.

It's being billed by the brand as “revolutionary,” but powdered milk has been around for decades. The innovation was developing a powder that rehydrated quickly enough so that the cereal didn't get soggy. According to early testers, they succeeded, with a milk that tasted sweet and fresh. Call me crazy, but I'm craving some sugary, satisfying Apple Jacks right about now.

In Other News

↦ Carlos Alcaraz Becomes the Youngest No. 1 Men’s Tennis Player With His U.S. Open Win

↦ Here’s How the 9/11 Memorial’s ‘Tribute in Light’ Gets Made

↦ Before Watching the Emmy Awards, Consider Which TV Stars Win the DEGGYS

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Flannel shirts

Burning Man

This concrete desk

Start Fear-Setting

This could be the exercise that will break you out of a funk

Stoicism is an ancient philosophy. And one that's been relied on for centuries to determine things you can control and those you cannot, then focusing on the former through guided exercises. The goal is to increase our happiness and wisdom, while building up a resilience to the adversity that life throws at us.

It might sound outdated, but Tim Ferriss, the best-selling author, entrepreneur and productivity guru, likened Stoicism to an “operating system for thriving in a high-stress environment.” And we've all got plenty of stress these days, right? He has developed an exercise based on the philosophy of stoicism, that's designed to help us take action when we're afraid to ask, do or say something.

It's called “fear-setting” and Ferriss outlined it in a now-famous TED Talk. He says he's been doing it religiously for nearly a decade, and calls it the most powerful exercise he does. It all started when one of his companies appeared to be on the verge of failure.

So he decided to do things differently. Instead of focusing on the usual goals of what he wanted to accomplish, he instead focused on his fears and all the things that could wrong. The idea being that once you identify them, you can usually find solutions or realize that they're not as big of a roadblock as we imagine. If you've been feeling a bit stuck lately, failing to make the progress you've been hoping for, this might be the exercise to break you out of your funk. And Ferriss offers up a fairly straightforward four-part plan to help you start.

↦ Read: How to start fear-setting to ensure things go your way.

What We’re Eyeing

Fall and fire just go together. But you don't need a big backyard to enjoy the benefits of a good fire pit. Solo Stove, makers of a cult-favorite stainless steel smokeless fire pit, recently shrunk down their signature model for a much more portable tabletop version ($119.99 / $79.99). A stand is included, so no need to worry about where you place it. It burns both traditional firewood and easy wood pellets, plus you've got a choice of several colors—but I'm partial to the classic stainless steel. Use it for s'mores, use it for romantic ambiance, or bring it to your next tailgate. You'll be surprised how often this comes in handy.

↦ Want more? 5 stylish items to buy this week