Do you think we are over-populating the planet with humans?

Question

Should there be laws in place to limit the number of children we are allowed to have? Are there any other solutions?

I don't want to be squeezed any more closer to other humans than I already am.

That bible verse about being fruitful and multiplying is part of the problem. I wish they would take the bible literally and rather sit down and "do math" instead!

Answer 1

Yes we are. I'm a strong supporter of a group called ZPG -- Zero Population Growth. While I personally do not advocate for laws limiting the number of offspring, I do support programs that support public awareness of overpopulation as well as government supported incentives to keep family sized small with preferably one, but no more than two children born into a family. If a family wishes to grow, adoptions could be considered, but a) the process will have to be streamlined and b) the benefits of non-newborn children will have to be better publicized.

I am especially an advocate of this in industrialized nations where the per capita consumption levels are highest.

Answer 2

Well, China has the one child law although it is somewhat draconian.

That said, we do need to look at alternatives to the population problem, we simply can't handle much more. The funny thing is, people in general don't realize that overpopulation is responsible for much more than just less food or more pollution. It also causes stress upon the human psyche. Be it more cars on the road, less privacy, more work; all of these are directly caused by population growth.

We are like a herd that is so out of control that nature itself has taken to culling the herd. The famines, weather changes, all of it is natures attempt and culling and correcting the imbalance.

As for solutions, well, the Chinese have theirs and it may one day become a necessity elsewhere. For now, education and possible re-settlement (The Moon or Mars) need to be looked at, seriously, not just lip service.

I have already lived half my life expectancy so I can only imagine what the world will be like in 50 years when I leave this mortal coil, will it be the utopia we wish for or will it be a cluttered, crowded, infestation of the human animal? We best be at it soon, lest we doom ourselves.

Answer 3

There's no question that there is an overpopulation problem in some regions of the world. The fact is, only 20% of the continental U.S. has been developed thus far.

That being said, it doesn't give license to just start pumping out babies and tearing down forests and building on any open space available. Just as there is land management, we need to learn population management. As far as enacting laws..hmm..let's ask all the innocent female babies killed in China about population laws.

Answer 4

Some people say that we're not producing enough children...crazy isn't it? I don't know if we have a problem, but I do think that some people have too many children. I'm not sure why poor people seem to have many children without consideration of how they will feed, clothe, and house them while others with the means have none or limit the number to 2.

Answer 5

well, Italy, in spite of being a catholic nation is having less births than deaths - so the bible excuse is not great.
I think education and financial opportunity will curb over population. In the western nations, big families are big expenses so people are reluctant to reproduce- in the developing world, more hands = more workers. The gap must be bridged somehow...

Answer 6

Although I pretty much hate humans. I have to say that this is just a myth.

If you took every human being on the planet and squeezed them in close together they would only take up the space of Texas.

Answer 7

You're a funny man but you have a point. The town I moved into almost 3 years ago had a population of 30 thousand, now we have 109 thousand people.

Answer 8

Yes, I think we are becoming overpopulated, but I don't think there should be any laws allowing how many children we can have. I just think more people should use common sense and birth control. The information is out there and so are contraceptives, but people don't seem to take heed.

Answer 9

That sounds like something that an Asian country already does, either Japan or China. I don't think anyone should dictate how big anyone's family should be. I don't think that the planet is overpopulated with humans, either.

Answer 10

The humans are not over-populating the earth. If you believe in natural selection and the survival of the fittest then nature won't let that happen.