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Modern agriculture is good enough to feed all the people on earth. The problem is most people won't give up meat. To sustain cattle rearing, massive amounts of land, water and feed are needed. So the more wealthy countries get to enjoy their beef at the expense of poorer ones. We use their land, water and feed to raise the cattle we need to meet beef demand. Yes, nature has a way to control population, but for modern society this rule no longer applies. Advances in technology and medicine have made it possible for us to trump nature.
I believe the real problem in our society is the greed for money. If we actually used our resources to better the world and the human race, over population would be more manageable.
There is a documentary called "Cowspiracy" you guys should watch
There used to be ample room fir cattle, then more people came along...
I don't think it's being overlooked, but there certainly isn't a way to stop it unless we get some disease that kills off millions of people.
Modern medicine is great, but it's also fooling with nature. I think nature will win eventually with some super bug or another plague type disease.
What do you think think AIDS, HIV, and the common cold are, science just laughs in natures face. the common cold actually reconstucts itself, pretty often- for simplicities sake; you catch a cold, a doctor looks at it, and there are tiny squares in the microscope, he figures out a way to make it pass, a week later, you catch it again, and he's like, htf you catch it again, looks under the microscope- same disease, but is now there are obtuse triangles, and the same method won't kill it. People used to die from the common cold. IIRC; aids is starting to get like that too.
I think those people who claim we have plenty of room for everyone should be the ones forced to live in these uninhabitable geographical areas.
agreed. Look at cities of SE Asia, large cities in Africa, etc. There literally are no services for most people, and their lack of public education or education at all means they learn no skills other than street living. Too many people. Too many people to care for or educate. Too few dollars to pay for it all. We aren't at that point in these United States, but it's a close call.
China actually had the right idea way back when, they initiated a 1 child per couple law. That will never happen anywhere else that it needs to happen at, like India, Uganda, etc....
Also, interesting that the opinion on this forum is that there are too many humans, yet most of the world outside of C-D doesn't see this the same way. Our most basic instinct is to breed. Like any animal. The act of copulation is what's causing this, duh. But we have no natural predators, and we are smart enough to outsmart a lot of the diseases that would do us in.
Morbid thought here, so please for forgive me, but I wonder what our world population would be if HIV and AIDS had not been somewhat understood and contained?
Morbid thought here, so please for forgive me, but I wonder what our world population would be if HIV and AIDS had not been somewhat understood and contained?
Life expectancies in sub-Saharan Africa are falling, have been since 2000 or so. Mostly due to HIV/AIDS, but also poor soil, aquifer depletion, rising temps, lessening snowpack, insufficient literacy/education, etc. There aren't enough adults/workers left, to raise crops/livestock & steer the next generation. See
Plan B : rescuing a planet under stress and a civilization in trouble / Lester R. Brown, c2003, W. W. Norton.
A planet under stress -- Emerging water shortages -- Eroding soils and shrinking cropland -- Rising temperatures and rising seas -- Our socially divided world -- Plan A : Business as usual -- Raising water productivity -- Raising land productivity -- Cutting carbon emissions in half -- Responding to the social challenge -- Plan B : Rising to the challenge.
In 1350 there were about 370 million people on the planet and since then we have been steadily growing, now there are 135 million births annually. In the 1920's we hit 2 billion people and it took over 120 years to get to that from the 1 billion mark. In 1960 we hit 3 billion and in 2011 to 2012 we tipped the scales at 7.3 billion people and growing. Now to feeding all of those people, in the early 1800's nearly ¾ of the population lived on and operated farms, in the early 1930's about 32% lived on farms and now about 2 % of the population lives on and operate farms. If more people grew some of their own food at home, there would be less demand for more mass agriculture to feed a growing population. This growing population will put more demands on our resources for lumber, fuel, food and jobs. All of this is at the expense of the planet and its biota, all over the world the bird population alone as fallen, in the US about 50% drop over the past four decades. At the rate we are going the only animal companions we will have in 100 years will be our domestic co habitants; cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats etc. In 1350 our population was growing after the black death and has never been below that count of 370,000,000, the population of North America, the US, Mexico and Canada combined is almost 530,000,000, the US is 320 million itself.
agreed. Look at cities of SE Asia, large cities in Africa, etc. There literally are no services for most people, and their lack of public education or education at all means they learn no skills other than street living. Too many people. Too many people to care for or educate. Too few dollars to pay for it all. We aren't at that point in these United States, but it's a close call.
China actually had the right idea way back when, they initiated a 1 child per couple law. That will never happen anywhere else that it needs to happen at, like India, Uganda, etc....
There is a story in the NY Times about Japan's falling population...losing nearly 1 million in 5 years. By the end of the century, Japan is projected to have lost 40% of its peak population, declining to 83 million.
I think I've read similar news about South Korea.
Some are sounding the alarm, claiming it will cause many social and economic problems. But is it really so bad in the long run?
In 1350 there were about 370 million people on the planet and since then we have been steadily growing, now there are 135 million births annually. In the 1920's we hit 2 billion people and it took over 120 years to get to that from the 1 billion mark. In 1960 we hit 3 billion and in 2011 to 2012 we tipped the scales at 7.3 billion people and growing. Now to feeding all of those people, in the early 1800's nearly ¾ of the population lived on and operated farms, in the early 1930's about 32% lived on farms and now about 2 % of the population lives on and operate farms. If more people grew some of their own food at home, there would be less demand for more mass agriculture to feed a growing population. This growing population will put more demands on our resources for lumber, fuel, food and jobs. All of this is at the expense of the planet and its biota, all over the world the bird population alone as fallen, in the US about 50% drop over the past four decades. At the rate we are going the only animal companions we will have in 100 years will be our domestic co habitants; cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats etc. In 1350 our population was growing after the black death and has never been below that count of 370,000,000, the population of North America, the US, Mexico and Canada combined is almost 530,000,000, the US is 320 million itself.
Yep, population will grow, plateau, and then go down. As countries become technologically advanced the birth rate will fall. We know that Europeans and Japanese do not reproduce and may become extinct if they do not have more children. In Germany they pay women to have kids.
Overpopulation is only an issue in the 3rd world and even there the birthrate is falling. Please google the fertility rate in India since the 1950s and see how it is coming down big time.
Folks that live in developed countries accomplish NOTHING by not having children.
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Nature's answer to overpopulation is brutal
