Can the planet handle 9.2 Billion people ?

Question

Wed Mar 14, 12:50 AM

The world's population is expected to soar to 9.2 billion by 2050, largely because AIDS is not expected to kill as many people as initially feared in the developing world, according to a new United Nations report.

The world's population is now at 6.7 billion.


The UN, which released its report Tuesday, expects Canada's population will jump to 43 million by 2050. According to the most recent census figures, released Tuesday, it's at 32 million.

Answer 1

The answer is that it depends on how humans choose to act. If we start acting more sensibly re envvironmental and ecological issues--then yes.

But--at our current rate of activitty that is degrading the environment--particularly causing global warming--the planet can't support the current population.

It is up to us--but if we don't clean up our act, Mother Nature is going to do it for us--the hard way.

Answer 2

You raise an interesting question -- not so much what our world will be like with 9.2 billion neighbours, but what our optimum population would be. There's little doubt that Earth will have 9.2 billion people. Sadly, there's also little doubt that even our present 6.7 billion isn't sustainable.

We clearly need to improve environmental practices. We need to keep reducing our violence to each other. We need to help our billionaires get it that investing in Earth's grandchildren pays off better than the stock market.

But yes, our planet can handle 9.2 billion and more if we keep working on those linked problems. Places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the Netherlands clearly show that high population density can be done in a fairly civilized way.

Answer 3

Many ecologists in the past predicted that the earth's "carrying capacity" was around six billion. If I remember some economics
(where I maintained a solid C - !), Thomas Malthus in his essay on Social Darwinism ,said that the earth's population would never go much beyond six billion due to; 1) Famine 2)disease
and 3) Wars. We seem to be right on schedule!

Answer 4

There's some study that says max population 10 billion.

Answer 5

Too many people have already been killed by AIDS, and cancers, heart disease, etc. before their time. War and terrorism has killed millions more people. How many people die from starvation and exposure I don't even know--but it's a lot.

There are still a lot of undeveloped places in this world. I"m sure another couple of billion will fit in comfortably.

Answer 6

If it happens, it happens. Either 9 billion people is feasible or it is not. There is not really much that can be done about it.

As the population grows the infrastructure required to support it will either meet their needs or the population won't grow that fast.

Worrying about enigmatic problems is pointless.

Answer 7

Yes

Answer 8

No. We should enact child bearing controls to keep the population in check.

Of course, third world countries and China and India would be exempt.

wait a minute...that sounds like the Kyoto Protocol....

Answer 9

Rutherford became no longer a prophet. it rather is a low-fee shot. and can I remind you, that CocaCola as quickly as placed cocaine of their product, and vehicles have been as quickly as synthetic with out seat belts. might you care to get on your severe horse and marketing campaign against that, besides? Do you have something to assert that doesn't bypass lower back to 1928?

Answer 10

No, I don't think it can handle such a high population.