Is population explosion the last great taboo?!?

Question

Seems to me that most of our problems have to do with overuse of resources. Everyone is talking green this, green that. Now we have a new water crisis (in England?!?). Every event gets busier and busier year on year. Traffic gets busier year on year. There is a clear sense the world is overflowing with people. Remember too that population rise is exponential. The more it grows, the FASTER it grows. Now governments have an agenda. More children=More homes..more cars...more Macdonalds. Keeps the economy moving see! Economically more people equals a thriving economy. But here's the thing. Why is there this enormous blind spot/taboo around the fact that central to our problem is over-population? Surely anyone can see that more people = more resources used= more pollution, more cars etc. I'm not suggesting people should stop having children, but I am suggesting that there be more awareness so that people are aware that having eight kids is not helping! Just seems no one ever discusses!?

Answer 1

Yes, in this day and age, more than two starts to look greedy. Particularly, if state hand outs' are part of the deal.

Answer 2

Wow - a sensible question at last! I think you are right to a degree. Obviously more people in the world use more reasources and create further pollution, overcrowding and so on. However, recent studies in certain areas of the world, such as metropolitan UK, show that women (for various different reasons, such as career, cost of housing, salary levels, personal choice and so on) are having children later in life, and having fewer children than in the past. For example, my mum started a family at the age of 25 (actually quite late in those days - she's now 60), and had 3 children. Not sure how this all impacts, but your question is certainly thought-provoking. I do think however, that you are right, in that people are loathe to suggest any curbs on the amount of children a woman can/should have. And quite rightly so I think - we really have to keep things in perspective and not infringe on people's human rights to do what they want. And anyway, at an individual level, although we can and should all do our bit to help, until countries such as the US (and even the UK), and big corporations such as Shell, BP, McDonald's and so on start addressing the pollution they belch into the atmosphere on a daily basis, we will struggle to see any improvement. In the UK there are 4 or 5 companies, each of whose yearly emissions of Carbon Dioxide is more than that produced by all of the car drivers in the UK. Makes you think!

Answer 3

The problem is as dramatic as you think but not for the reasons that you think.

First up, the natural increase ratio, globally, stood at around 2.15 (fluctuating only slightly) for a great part of the last century -- except for the last ten years, in the 1990s. That's when the reverse trend became officially recognized.

That 2.15 figure was necessary to ensure that the population actually increased globally. I think it was in 2002 or 2003 that the UN released its global projections to 2050 and showed that, by that date, the world population will stabilize at 9 billion or so, and then go into decline.

That decline has been predicted by the fall in the natural increase ratio to below 2.0 (for the first time since records have been tallied) -- which means that deaths are now exceeding births on a global basis.

It is true that population is increasing in most third world countries, but in most other countries the rate is dropping and is even a cause for alarm with many governments. Remember, governments need taxes from workers to keep industry moving; so any drop in the likley number of workers in twenty/thirty years is a problem. Now!

The obvious solution, of course, is to allow greater freedom of movement of third world people to other, more advanced countries. Equally obviously, big business around the world doesn't want to see any reduction in near slave labour in the third world -- that would cause massive cost increases to production and hence higher prices for consumer goods all over, with a consequent reduction in corporate profits.

Hence, over population will continue to get worse in the poorest countries, while diminishing populations will eventually cause massive problems in developed and mature economies.

Hence, there is a potential for global collapse, if nothing changes. So, if I were you, I'd campaign vigorously in your developed country for much more immigration into your society and economy. Support politicians who are far-sighted enough to advocate sensible immigation policies. Denounce those who sling racist and xenophobic slurs upon those who want to come to your shores to improve their own life and... save yours in the process.

Answer 4

Population of the world, especially in Indian continent and some of other countries, is growing at a fast rate, which needs attention.
Especially, in India, the population is growing at such a faster rate, that within next 20 years it could over take China. This has resulted in, as you said, the natural resources being over utilised. The ground water is depleting and the available free land and forests are shrinking. The UN should ponder about this and take a decision to advise such countries to take care to limit the growth of population.

Answer 5

dont worry about it - nature comes up with many a plan to rid the world of excess people (no doubt aided by western governments) such as the TB increase, HIV etc. Something will give and it will probably be disease but equally agriculture as the food production and population levels are no longer viable - in about 50 years there will not be enough food to feed everyone, then a few wars and the inevitable diseases. Learn to grow plants and cook from scratch now..........

Answer 6

I totally agree that humans are over-populating the Earth. The more people there are the more resources that have to be secured in order to support everyone's standards of living. The more people there are the more problems they'll be in the world: poverty, crime, greed, and wars over religion and the allocation of ever-dwindling supply of resources. It's a downhill dead end road. Most people don't appear to notice, they're too busy "living it up" to care about Mankind's welfare or the effect this all has on Earth's ecosystem. Others tend to pass responsibility on to governments and corporations and say they're the ones that have created the problems therefore it's their responsibility to solve them. In actuality we ALL have contributed to the current world condition, either directly or indirectly. Every single adult on the planet bears responsibility.

The planet is currently supporting about 6.4 billion humans and counting. I propose that humans stop reproducing for a while. It's not like we NEED any more humans. We are not procreating to sustain our species, in fact we're over-doing it. Over-popluation and the complex set of problems that it will create may make it even harder for us to survive in the future.

Answer 7

I think it comes up from time to time...Where i live everybody especially young teenagers are having babies and I wonder if it fits in with the trend of celebrities also having babies. I enjoyed having my two, but the last seven years have been a struggle and my body is not working very well at the moment because of having kids. Perhaps they should do something about it, but for some reason they never do.
I think China was the exception and I also think they have targeted India as well.

Answer 8

i agree with wot u are saying there are too amny ppl on the earth and something has to b done or we will b the end of our own species( that might not b such a bad thing ), sooner or later something will happen with disasterous affects and we will only have ourselves to blame for it.
i believe in china couples are only allowed one or 2 kids per family , we will b seeing more of this type of thing in other countries

Answer 9

Are you talking about this country? If so I agree, but obviously you are not listening to the news if you are speaking globally. Japan is now paying women to get pregnant. These days women are finally getting smarter and enjoy a steady paycheck coming in and their own independence. Less and less women want to have babies, and its about time!

Answer 10

i believ in the existence of a paradise and actualy
the universe is set up
so if things get too messy here on earth ppl will hav an incentiv
not to incarnate here anymore,,,,,,
this is really freedom,since if it gets too comfortabl here ppl
woudnt desire to go to heaven and given
so many eons of incarnation on earth it woud get
xcruciatinly boring