Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not sure this is the right category for my topic, but at least it is not on Trump for a change
I am having a little discussion with an acquaintance about the topic of overpopulation and our views are basically opposing:
She seems to think that it is better for people in the West not to have kids because the world is already overpopulated and heading for an abyss. I totally agree that our world is in trouble and we need to change, but to me overpopulation is an arbitrary term because there is no exact number of humans our planet can take. If we lower our standard of living, the planet can take billions more. So, the carrying capacity is virtually impossible to define in the case of humans, and accordingly scientists vastly disagree on the numbers. Think of food for instance. Americans throw away a considerable percentage of their food, while in other countries people eat every last crumb. So, if we all behaved like the latter, at the end of the day the world could take a few additional billions.
Plus, what is the point of my not having a kid in the West when I live in a country whose population is already declining, with all the societal, financial and other problems that brings? I even think it is a bit egoistic to deliberately not have kids. I am talking about 1 or 2 kids (statistically about 2 kids per woman is what it takes to maintain a society), mind you, not half a dozen like in many developing countries. Does sending a developed country into a downward spiral of overaging and ultimately even extinction really mitigate the problems excess fertility in developing countries brings?
There is also a certain racist element. Many people think of brown and Asian people when they hear the word overpopulation. Like, there are too many Africans and Asians.
Complicated question. Some parts are, some aren't.
In general, the Old World tends to be crowded, while the New World isn't.
And how do you determine that? Population density does not say much. In Europe most people live in cities while rural areas are sparsely populated.
I suppose if a country could close its borders for 5 years without collapsing in the absence of any imports and exports, one might say that the country is not overpopulated, meaning it can feed and employ the population it has.
..............
She seems to think that it is better for people in the West not to have kids because the world is already overpopulated and heading for an abyss...........
She is behind times. We are not headed for an over populated planet. In fact there is a demographic time bomb coming that will decrease the population. We are just about at peak population now.
China, with the largest population will suffer greatly in decades to come. The damage is already done, and cannot be reversed.
In 150 years there will be far fewer humans than today. The UN insists that there is a population growth crisis. But actual demographers know better.
She is behind times. We are not headed for an over populated planet. In fact there is a demographic time bomb coming that will decrease the population. We are just about at peak population now.
China, with the largest population will suffer greatly in decades to come. The damage is already done, and cannot be reversed.
In 150 years there will be far fewer humans than today. The UN insists that there is a population growth crisis. But actual demographers know better.
China is a very specific case because of their 1-child policy. Their preference for male children made things even worse.
Generally speaking, while we live longer and longer, we cannot really work longer and longer. So, if we maintain the size of our population, it automatically means fewer children. I.e. what we see in Europe. The classic population pyramid is more like a cylinder, and it is hard to maintain economically. Or we have more kids in order to compensate for the aging population, effectively growing the population, which can't go on forever.
Seems like squaring the circle.
Yes it is overpopulated, most of our problems are sheer numbers. Deforestation for farming, lack of water resources, destruction of marine life and food chain, sewage disposal to support current population.
Some very poor choices out of desperation add to the problem.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
