What can we do about overpopulation of the planet?

Question

It seems like everything in global warming, over fishing, burning rain forests, ecological damage, is all related to over population. Without controlling over population explosion, is there any real hope to saving life on this planet? Yet, I hear no real push towards controlling the population growth, especially from the countries where it is growing the fastest. Can you think of any good ways to convince the population to stop growing so fast?

Answer 1

I agree that all of our environmental problems stem from overpopulation of humans. Its funny to me when people (like one who posted here) base their opinion that the world is not overpopulated by the fact that there are still a handful of places that are not inhabited by humans. Overpopulation does not begin when the last tree covered with concrete. It is obvious that the earth's resources are being severely strained by our expanding growth.

Population control is possible. A few countries (such as Sweden as some other European countries) have already started reversing growth just by having fewer children. Growth can be controlled, but it is a VERY controversial subject. That is why the task is so difficult. People don't want to be told how many offspring they can have. Another problem which "fuels the fire" is that most of the human population is highly under-educated on the subject.

Answer 2

When I was in middle school in the mid 70's we were told that overpopulation would destroy us by the turn of the century. We would also told that the climate was cooling and a future ice age was coming. I didn't believe them then and I don't believe them now.
The world is far from being overpopulated. There are urban areas that have high population densities, but that can be cheaply corrected. Shift the economic benefit of living in a city to less dense areas. One cheap solution is to eliminate all govt subsidies from enticing business and individuals from settling in cities. There is very little reason for a company to have a city address. And there is absolutely no reason why people are subsidize by the taxpayer to live in expensive urban areas. The other best way to manage population growth is to modernize third world countries. The most advanced nations have the lowest population growth, some have negative growth. How we live in America should be copied throughout the world. America is the best hope man's future existence.

Answer 3

Education.

Realistically, it's going to be hard to convince people in Third-World countries to start using birth-control (a sterotype, I'm sorry...). At the same time though, even though Western Countries have smaller populations, a Western person causes more ecological damage per capita than someone from a Third-World country.

We just need to educate people about the damage they're causing, and that their individual actions can make a difference. Don't depress them with the facts....give them hope for change...

Answer 4

for years already people have been saying that overpopultalion is the root of all evil

in 1998 Kissinger said at a closed bilderberg meeting that their Agenda demanded a decrease in the world population by 60%

the mind boggles at how this can be achieved
and many strange things are happening
many babies are born infertile .or gay,because of a raise in the acidic levels of drinking water
many new diseases,cures that kill,possibly toxic consumer goods
many ¨natural ¨disasters,an posible impending nuclear war,
so there probably are some cures on the way ,if not already active

In the last 50 years world population has doubled a faster growth ever since we became homo sapian.
the effects on the environment are
,erosian,over pumping of carbon aquifiers(deep wells)
desertification,rising seas,land loss,deforrestation,watershortage
excess carbon emissions,mass extinction of species and global warming.

farmers are forced to cultivate highly erodable lands, to keep up with the growing demand for food for an extra 70 million people each year and this is increasing

each year these extra millions are washing and consuming water but this is ,but a small part of what agriculture uses.

the first thing we should do is go to town on education and birth control
most teenage pregnancies and families with many children is in very poor and uneducated regions .

may be we should bring back human sacrifice ,that would keep the gods happy and we could fertilize some of the millions of hectares that modern agriculture has destroyed with its chemicals.and with all the full moons we got during the year it would have a marked effect on the population.It would be more dignified than bombing countries

Answer 5

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!!

The simplest solution but one which seems to be the hardest at the same time!

Every person on this planet is doing damage. It doesn't matter HOW much of a good little environmentalist they are or have the potential to become because every single individual is a consumer.

I decided 20 years ago that this planet was in too much of a mess for me to consider having a child. I coudn't, in all consciousness, be responsible for another consumer who was going to live and eat their way through something in the order of $250 000 worth of resources in the first 18 years of their lives.

As well as that, it's all very well and good to say that my child, if given the proper education, may be the next great environmentalist or Nobel prize winner. But most (not all) children tend to do the opposite to their parents, don't they? I decided that scenario was too risky.

Do an ecological footprint calculation on yourself, then double it for every child you have. Is that "no effect"? I think not!!!

THE most intensely responsible and ethical act ANY caring citizen on the planet can achieve right now is to stop procreating. We humans are the cause of ALL the environmental problems which this planet faces as you so rightly point out in your question. ALL of them, bar none. More children will simply exacerbate the problem and it's only through educating ourselves to this truth that the planet has any hope of long - term viability in my humble opinion.

Love and Light,


Jarrah
btw. to the person who said Alaska doesn't have much of a problem population wise - that may be the case, BUT...try visiting, or living in, South East Asia. Or China. Or Europe. Or India. Or the lower 48. Just because your state doesn't have many people doesn't mean there's no problem!!!!

Answer 6

The earth isn't overpopulated, no longer even close. there have been a lot of civilizations in the distant previous which had a lot more advantageous numbers than in the present. as a count of fact many countries in the present are way underpopulated and are actively advertising immigration from different countries. as an celebration Canada is attempting to attraction to human beings from Mexico. the united states social protection is crumbling because they do no longer have adequate workers contributing to the plan. Imo, and it really is been suggested earlier many circumstances, human beings see the international one hundred% in the incorrect course. To me it sounds like a wide poker recreation the position all and sundry with huge stacks are consistently bluffing. Cheers!

Answer 7

Compared to 50 years ago, we are already making significant strides in population control. Birthrates are down enough that we can forsee world population peaking somewhere in the 12 billion range, then slowly declining. We need to keep aware of the problem but at the moment we are ahead of it.

No matter what we do, though, the planet is going to have to support in excess of 5 billion people for the foreseeable future. The sooner we start thinking in terms of doing that sustainably, the more pleasant that future will be. With the advances just now beginning in medical science, this is not our grandkids' problem. We're still going to be around to be held accountable for screwing it up.

Answer 8

Wasted Resources the real problem

All the ill effects of overpopulation can also be attributed to wasted resources from industrialized nations.

Th majority of Earth's 4 billion people live in 3rd world countries. Meaning they produce very little CO2 emissions, grow and tend their own food, and live environmentally friendly lives albeit unintentional. Industrialized nations however emit vast amounts of CO2 from transportation and manufacturing and consume and waste more food than they should.

Instead of focusing on limiting the population, a less daunting task is to better manage what we already have.

Answer 9

Safe sex or abstainance would help. It would also help if people who want families could adopt some of the children instead of bringing new ones into a world where there are so many parentless kids already. I'm not bashing having your own kids, but its nice to do a combination. Over time this could make a difference.

But the reason you don't hear as much about overpopulation as you do about other things is because it just isn't as big of a problem.

Answer 10

China has a population problem, and has used draconian measures to try and control it. The USA found a solution in zero population growth, until the mexicans got overpopulated and jumped the borders. It shows there are solutions if people will work at it, and the worst countries will pay for it severely if they don't start working on it.