8 billion people: how evolution has made our species so successful

[UM-Bot]

Humans have dominated the planet in a way no other life form has ever done - but for how long is this sustainable ?

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/362081/8-billion-people-how-evolution-has-made-our-species-so-successful

[Hawken]

When I was born in the early 1960s. The world population was estimated just over 3 billion.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Hawken

[jethrofloyd]

If every single human being currently alive on Planet Earth piled on top of each other in the Grand Canyon, it would barely fill a fraction of it.

[Steve761]

It’s not about space, it’s about resources and the lack of them as we move into the future. Search and read about the population “Test tube” theory by David Suzuki. Interesting and scary. The earth will be overpopulated in the not so distant future, hence why so many countries are looking for other planetary masses (planets, moons) to build colonies as they are fully aware of what is ahead of this planet. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Steve761

[zep73]

Every single one of those 8 billions need a heated house, a car, a refrigerator, a variety of shops to get food and stuff, powerplants to supply electricity and maybe heat, a computer or 10, clothes, a washing machine.
When they all got it (gonna take a while), we are 80 billion people who need a heated house, a car....

The Earth can maybe sustain half a billion with those needs, so we are already way beyond salvation. Luckily I will die before it all collapses in a political-ecological horror show (that already begun).

Merry xmas.

[psyche101]

We are at a peak.

Population is expected to start dropping.

[Berwen]

The governments of the world will have to figure out a solution to reducing and then maintaining the population and this will lead to some very difficult decision like birth control, religious rethinking etc. It will be difficult but has to be done or else humans will destroy it all. We cull and limit some animals why not include humans as well. 

[+DieChecker]

On 11/22/2022 at 8:56 PM, psyche101 said:

We are at a peak.

Population is expected to start dropping.

That's what I read also. Africa is expected to keep growing population well past 2050, but the rest of the world is expected to contract in population. Especially as people get older. But that has its own problems... I also heard India will soon surpass China as the most populous nation.

HAPPY 8 BILLION Mother Earth!! 

[Hawken]

Here in the US. Couples are having smaller families than 80 years ago since both spouse's work.

The average is 2 children today where it used to be about 4.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Hawken

[+DieChecker]

Looks like it will get up to 10 billion and then taper off in the following century.

https://ourworldindata.org/future-population-growth#:~:text=low fertility rates.-,The past and future of the global age structure,population of around 10.4 billion.