Is there a correlation between overpopulation and Global Warming?

Question

Over the last 50 years there has been a population explosion, mainly in developing countries with Global population basically doubled since 1960.

Within the first world there has been an effort to curb pollution, to the point even former pollution capitals such as Los Angeles now have very clean air. However no such efforts have been made in the 3rd world, meaning that the average person open pit buring trees and driving a 2 stroke trike in Africa has a larger carbon footprint that does Bill Gates flying in his private Jet.

Also, no matter the steps taken here, is not all the effort for naught as 1st world populations are in decline while the gross polluters in the 3rd world are expected to make up 2/3 of the population by 2050? Is not the only viable long term solution simply limiting the population?

Discuss.;)

Answer 1

As of yet, there has been found no DIRECTconnection to humans and climate change.
One may be found, but as of yet, it hasn't been.

Answer 2

When you look at the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per person you find that in the developed nations it's far greater than in the developing nations.

The average person in Africa doesn't drive, they have very few consumer goods, virtually no-one has central heating (they dont' need it), most don't have hot water (which they also don't need), most countries don't have a gas supply, many people don't have electric.

In fact, one average American produces the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions as 73 Kenyans, 47 Nigerians, 198 Tanzanians or almost 2000 Chadians. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita

Europe and America combined produce nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions as the whole of the rest of the world put together. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/emissions.html and Texas alone produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the combined total of most African countries combined http://www.texasep.org/html/air/air_4iss_txco2.html

In the main the developing countries have very limited finite resources. Increasing populations don't mean a similar increase in energy demands and the like, they just mean that the existing resources have to be stretched further. Population increase does ultimately increase greenhouse gas emissions but by very small amounts.

Growing economies are a different issue and the countries with the fastest growing economies are contributing significantly more greenhouse gas emissions - most notably China and India. Based on current trends it will only be a few years before China is the world's biggest polluter (India is some way behind yet). Even then, the emissions per head of the Chinese population will only be a fraction of those per head of the European or American population.

Answer 3

If would be foolish to say that there was no relationship. limiting the populations is a viable longterm solution, but in this age of "freedom" and individual rights, even the largest proponents of pollution restrictions will cry foul at population control.

Also, correlation does not equal causation.

Answer 4

people use and need land,so more and more is being changed to accomodate human growth and devellopment

the necessary flora ,which permits life as we know it, is disappearing.

Eco-systems are being exchanged for desserts , concrete or roads.

An environmentally destructive wave is in motion, caused by expanding populations,and expanding agriculture

an increase in desserts definately affects the global climate and is for a large part responsible for the climate change we are experiencing now

World population has doubled in the last 50 years exceeding the growth of 4 million years (since we became homo sapiens).
To satisfy the growing demand farmers are cultivating unstable lands , too steep or dry to be sustainable.


Mono cultures ,aided by chemicals Exhaust and pollutes the soil .
Adding to this the effects of overgrazing has resulted in large scale desertification.

Each year billions of tons of topsoil are blown or washed away by storms.

Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.

Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people,

are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.

This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.

Africa and Asia are loosing millions of people to AIDS , many of whom were food producers.

The farmers that are left have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil.

Over the last half century,
Population growth & rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million

In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise. .

SUGESTED SOLUTIONS
at a meeting in Kopenhagen in 1998 it was suggested to bring the world population down by 60%,one cannot help but wonder at how this would be archieved

population control in the past and present

War (past .present and future)
Natures way disease(today,past and future)
Manufactured disease(suspected today)
cures that kill(suspected today)
poisoned consumer goods (suspected today)
making children infertile or gay,by raising the PH level in drinking water or even drinks (suspected today)
birth control,(in the past the Olmecs women ate yams to make them infertile,today we have several methods but most reach only the educated ,i handed out condoms to an native Mazatecca comunity in oaxaca ,and the church retrieved them all )
education on birth control(not enough,again the poor regions are excluded )
human sacrifice,may be the best option (Mayas ,Aztecs,druids)
laws that limit childbirth per family(China)

DEFORESTATION
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiQURWMlo3h8Bzwdftg21ITsy6IX?qid=20070403154202AAaC3dI&show=7#profile-info-KV7fkp1qaa

HUMAN PLAGUE
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AudUcbXa8KUuxJUTTKbKlmDsy6IX?qid=20070404090957AAhC9t2&show=7#profile-info-3GNGAvEGaa
CLIMATE CHANGE
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Av9OssuwUCGpRjc6g9yJxnHty6IX?qid=20070329211641AADhU9Q&show=7#profile-info-J2rQdYSOaa

Answer 5

Yes, but don't worry, we have other planets to populate and destroy....
Mars.
Alpha Centuri's planets
Proximia's plantes
....

Answer 6

Yupily doodily