isn't it inevitable that one day we will run out of resources and some of us will die out?

Question

Our population is rising rapidly. The estimated projection for 2050 is 10 billion people. Surely soon our natural resources will not be able to support such a vast population. Surely soon many people will have to be wiped out or many will face huge adjustments to their lives.

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its not just america. in fact america will probabely come out allright. its india and china im more worried about.

Answer 1

Actually it's inevitable that one day we will run out of energy and everybody and everything will die out. The heat death of the universe is the ultimate victory of the second law of thermodynamics.

In a more practical sense (shorter time span) it is only inevitable so long as we continue to reproduce and consume at the same rates. If the rates at which we have babies, grow food, or generate waste increase or decrease then all bets are off. Suppose in ten years we solved cold fusion, and had it cheaply available 5 years later. Energy for all, cheaply and efficiently! I don't think it's inevitable, so long as man can fully apply his mind to the problems facing us then solutions can be found.

Answer 2

I think your question is a matter of timing. It is inevitable that we will all individually die. A better question might be, "Will I live long enough to die from lack of natural resources?" Hardly an magnificent objective, is it?

To ask "When will the human species die from lack of natural resources" is another matter, a bit more subject to number-crunching. There is still a lot of tillable land out there- Canada, Australia, even Mongolia and Africa have lots of acres that are under-utilized. So it's a matter of "At what level of lifestyle can the earth sustain a larger population?" And that has subjective elements. Can the entire world live at the energy- and resource-consuming level that the advanced countries live now? I doubt it. Our current consumption of energy is based on petroleum, a limited resource. But if we mine every last drop of fossil fuel, we can keep going awhile longer. Remember, the USA has vast coal resources.

However, if we burn every last drop of fossil fuel, what will that do to the greenhouse effect? And what will the consequences of a full-blown greenhouse effect be on the world and its ability to sustain the human population?

The immediate future (10-20 years) will be a boon for alternative energy companies who will improve technologies and reduce consumer prices. Solar, wind, and geothermal, while today not quite an economic must-do, seem the best alternatives at this point. But finding ways to reduce consumption, a separate set of technologies, is also a growth industry. Do we really need 1500 watts to iron a shirt or microwave some food or heat some bath water? How about those small 23-watt flourescent bulbs? Can we put 1500 square feet of solar panels on our house(s) and essentially stop using power-company kilowatts that are generated by burning coal?

Eating less animal protein is another way to conserve. It takes a lot of grain to feed a cow so we can have macfood for dinner. During WWII, lots of people had Victory Gardens, where they grew their own vegetables, reducing consumption of resources otherwise headed for the war.

Thanks for this question. Sorry the specific aspects are so complicated.

Answer 3

I think there are people right now dying from lack of resources. And these deaths are totally avoidable as are any future deaths in modernized countries. We have the skill and resources now to tackle this problem before it becomes a major problem (including the use of population control by means of education and free services). The huge adjustments we must face can be minimized and there is hope in that we humans are highly adaptable. The problem is getting the powers that be to stop focusing on making a profit in the here and now and sacrifice wealth and funds toward securing a smooth transition to the future.

Answer 4

Well, finally, someone asks an intelligent question. Yes, yes, and more yeses! The USA population will hit 400 million by 2050 if we keep the current level of immigration. Where are we going to get the energy, water, and other necessities for another 100 million people? Think about it Americans.

God told Noah to go and replenish the earth. Isn't over 6 billion people enough to satisfy God and the religious fundamentalists all over the world?

We must seriously consider stopping any foreign aid to developing countries unless they do something to stop their uncontrolled and suicidal population growth rate. Look at Mexico. They are sending millions of their overpopulation to the USA because they don't have enough resources for them. Read columns by Frosty Wooldridge about overpopulation and the problems that it is causing.

Answer 5

There has been 5 times in the history of this planet that the vast majority of the population was exterminated. It would be dubious at best to say we are any different than the other 5 different extenctions. at the bare minimum when the sun turns to a white dwarf star we will freeze to death but that is billlions of years from now. the fact is the only thing that could have caused those other extinctions has to be the environment when the earth goes through natual changes. I has to happen again sooner or later.

Answer 6

I have heard that our population is actually beginning to top off and will balance out but i forget where i heard it so don't expect it to be true. We will have to figure out ways to be more efficient and lower our consumption. we will have to find alternatives to fossil fuels not because of global warming but because we won't be able to supply enought fossil fuels for the demand. One person brought up a good point animal products do take a considerable amount of energy to produce so we will have to phase those out if our population continues to explode. Hell maybe someday in the future we will be able to colonize other worlds.

The number probably won't get to 10 billion in 2050 since there is a chance we won't be able to support that number.

Answer 7

The world population went from 2 billion to 6 billion in the last century - almost all of the population growth was in third world countries.

Answer 8

Agreed.

Population control should be on the agenda of every conscientious politician. (If that is not an oxymoron).

Wars are predicted over natural resources. Why do think countries are squabbling over the North and South polar regions? Antarctica would be physically easier to exploit since there is already land there.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

the only reason we are in danger of that (and yes it is a real danger) is because we continue to blindly feed capitalism and ravenouse consumerism. we all eat 4 times more than we need to and our throwaway culture is using up the worlds resorces at a frightening rate. there was a time when furniture stayed in a family and was proudly handed down and treasured. nowadays a three piece suit lasts on average about three years and it gets dumped. and we wonder why the rain forrests (the earths lungs) are being chopped down. sadly we wont wake up until the problem is biting us in the @ss.