Population is a Problem!

[mfluder]

The population of the planet, and the amount of resources available in the world are not, and will not be the problem. For one, there are the logistics of distribution, and how you excise greed from the equation. How do we make sure that what more prosperous nations give is taken by the right people? The political mess of some third-world nations is such that any and all help from industrialized countries end up in the hands of people who use it to further their own dictatorships, and that doesn't ever seem to change. I also fear that the corporations that run much of the world will continue doing business as usual right up until the last resource is exploited for profit. People can be thoughtful and compassionate, it seems to me that dictators and corporate pirates cannot.

[Guest Br Cornelius]

]

Prof. Bartlett (may he rest in peace) is wrong. He is using a 2% population growth rate, and in one place he uses a 5% growth rate. That is incorrect. And the scaremongers love it.

The current world population growth rate is 1.14% and falling. When women are educated, they have fewer babies. That's a fact.

https://www.census.g...orldgrgraph.php

Demographics means that the population will still peak out at 10-11 billion even with low growth rates. On top of this consumption of resources is steadily increasing (due to the growth of the middle class) so the impacts of population are increasing rather than declining.

As I have pointed out we did nearly half of the total damage to the planet in the period from the 1980's when population rose from 4 billion to 7 billion, that needs restating we did as much damage in the last 45 years as we did in the whole history of humanity before that.

No one is using scare tactics here - they are simply stating some basic empirical facts.

Br Cornelius

[Guest Br Cornelius]

It's not like government agency's wouldn't use scare tactics. Sometimes I border on conspiracy theories on all this stuff. The planets heating up (exiting the ice age), the worlds over populated, and there is always some new threat. Be it physical, mental (sharing ideas), or viral. Run for the hills, there is mass chaos in the street.

Indeed you have entered the realm of CT. I suppose theres plenty of company though.

PS - post glacial temperatures bounced to their highest 8 thousand years ago and have been on a steady decline until about a 100 years ago.

Br Cornelius

Edited June 29, 2015 by Br Cornelius

[+DieChecker]

The current world population growth rate is 1.14% and falling. When women are educated, they have fewer babies. That's a fact.

I think more accurately when women are not FORCED to have more children (By their husband/extended family) then they will have less babies. I think education really doesn't come into as much as allowing the women to have a very real say in it.

From my personal experience (limited as it is), it seems to me that almost all women want to stop at two kids. Few really, really, really, really want more then that.

[+DieChecker]

One thing I just thought of and thought was interesting was that it is the same people who say we Should Not Police the world... Enforce international law... Say over population is not a problem if you just Feed the world. So, keep out of foreign countries' business, except..... When they ask for handouts. We need to give that to them.

So why should we get involved and feed them, but stay the heck out of their internal issues?? Didn't we already experience this in Somalia and Ethiopia? We sent mega tons of food over there and the warlords and the government took it and didn't give it to those who needed it.

I think if we're going to Feed the world, we need to Oversee the distribution of the food also. At which point we may as well take over the administration of said nation since it obviously is a failure. Thus forging a trail for a world government. Which I don't think it necessarily bad..... (As long as the USA is at the head?)

Edited June 30, 2015 by DieChecker

[Myles]

I think more accurately when women are not FORCED to have more children (By their husband/extended family) then they will have less babies. I think education really doesn't come into as much as allowing the women to have a very real say in it.

From my personal experience (limited as it is), it seems to me that almost all women want to stop at two kids. Few really, really, really, really want more then that.

What you state is true, but I think education plays a big part especially in the USA. Go to any trailer park which houses people with mostly very low education and you will find more children than a typical middle class housing addition. I don't think being an ace in trigonometry means you will have less children but you are a dummy if you make $15,000 a year and have 5 kids.

[XenoFish]

Sweet I'm a conspiracy nut now. Made progress lol

[+DieChecker]

What you state is true, but I think education plays a big part especially in the USA. Go to any trailer park which houses people with mostly very low education and you will find more children than a typical middle class housing addition. I don't think being an ace in trigonometry means you will have less children but you are a dummy if you make $15,000 a year and have 5 kids.

Yeah, but if that were legitimately true, then wouldn't the percentage of superstitious, religious and outright ignorant people be increasing, rather then decreasing? I think education is part of it, but I think we're seeing correlation there, not causation.

[Indiogene]

While the world's average fertility rate has declined in half a century, the world continues to have a population boom most concentrated in developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America. The Earth cannot sustain 9-10 billion people in another half century from now, there has to be drastic measures and sacrifices to continue our species and our planet's eco-system from collapse. I strongly believe children have to be wanted by the individual (Women should be given the lead instead of most societies remain patriarchal) and better family planning can reduce birth rates of unwanted children born to difficult situations like poverty.

[Ashotep]

My father in law is 89 and this topic has been a focus of his for several years. He financially supports an organization called NPG (negative population growth) He preaches the dangers of over population and explains what we in the west MUST do to keep the planet from going down the tubes. I point out to him regularly that it is not the west that is the issue. India, China and Indonesia are far worse offenders

You should include Africa, Nigerias population is expected to double by 2040.

[Ashotep]

I don't think there is any way this planet can support 10 billion people. We are already running out of natural resources, people are already starving. The aquifers are already being drained at today's population. There will be no more productive farm land to feed everyone, what can be farmed is being farmed and at some point that will no longer be farmed because of lack of water. Aquifers are being drained irrigating. So at some point that is going to come to an end. The west won't be able to keep feeding people. What will happen if the population keeps going up is war over natural resouces.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Ashotep