Overpopulation

(This is in News, but could be moved to Politics if need be. Depending. Ha.)


This is one of my soapboxes. Overpopulation. I am actually quite concerned about it. We've seen what happens on a small scale - in history - when a local area is depleted. Entire cultures have vanished.

We are at almost 7.5 billion and counting in the world.

world population clock

I've read everything from 4 billion to 16 billion as the max human population of Earth. Another scholar says 10 billion for what food the earth can actually supply. I think that both the high numbers are a bit too generous. Especially at the consumption rate of western culture.

And most people just seem to stick their head in the sand about this - thinking that it will be an issue after they are dead. I'm thinking one, max two, generations before it's going to be a real problem. In my lifetime alone, the population of the planet has more than doubled. I was born in 1970.

To be honest, I'm getting to the point that when I see a baby... I don't always have the kindest of thoughts. Especially when I see the islands of plastic in the ocean and the mountains of refuse all over the globe. I'm having a great deal of trouble seeing human beings as precious, important - or, god help us (pun intended), "godlike" when we breed and eat ourselves and our ecosystems to the point of destruction.

We have gone forth and populated the earth. I say it's time to pull back a bit and be a bit more thoughtful with this breeding thing. I read somewhere that a little over 1 in 2 births are unintentional. I think we can do better than that.

Definitely a huge issue. We already have regions who suffer epidemic hunger and starvation, so what more so as the population continues to exponentially multiply and as the equatorial region becomes uninhabitable due to climate change? Unfortunately famine and disease that will undoubtedly result from such a scenario may very well end up being the primary means of population reduction by default, as much of western culture will continue to ignore it until then and leave it up to Bono and Matt Damon to conveniently tackle the issue for them.

I'm going to sound like a stuck up b**** but to me it seems like all the people who bring their kids up on benefits are having lots of kids, who then go on to start having their own at about 15 16 , they in turn rely on benefits, also certain religious groups who don't believe in contraception, think it's up to god, are having about 10 or more. so what kind of population are we going to end up with?
both me and my husband had quite decent jobs, but we still could only comfortably afford two, that goes for most people I know who have morgages and don't get everything free. to me the wrong sort of people are out breeding the rest of us.

I know I sound like an old curmudgeon, but I do see it all the time, maybe we should all have a chip implanted at birth so you can't breed until you prove you can be a good parent, pass some sort of test.

We need a heard thinking....aka Zombie Apocalypse.

Heard thinking? Is that a 'chaskism'?

I believe he meant "herd thinning".

And if we don't take care of it, Ma Nature will.

Balance will be found. Regardless of our desires.

I wish I could blame spell check for that one.

Heard Thinking does have some potential.



Yes, yes, yes and yes.

Yes I was just messing with chaski.

I believe good old Mother Nature will handle everything just fine. She's been taking care of us for centuries. I honesty believe that's why there are epidemics, weather catastrophes etc.

Law of physics if nothing else - for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

It just fries my a** though that we can't get our collective you know whats together to minimize the pain involved. Like those idiots that are against birth control and abortion - apparently they would prefer Ma Nature take care of it. In the absolutely most painful way possible.

Instead of us taking responsible, thoughtful and intelligent steps to actually handle the problem... we argue about banning plastic bags and telling women that abortion causes cancer.

To be quite honest, I don't have much faith in people and I certainly don't believe that humanity was made in the "image of god" - what the hell that even is. We just seem completely committed to the most insane, most illogical and most painful path available.

What really confuses me is when they show and talk about regions under duress for 3 years, 5 years, whatever, and there are children 2 years, 1 year old and less...

Allepo/Syria, African drought regions, etc.

Yes, I have some compassion for the children, but I "hate" the parents (culture) more so.

If resource distribution were improved and waste reduced, we could easily support a lot more people globally - but at what cost to the environment?
It would also take a lot of cooperation

However, as hinted to in various other threads, mankind / humans can't be trusted, are greedy, and just bastards in general.

Just think - By the time you are 60, chances are probably amazingly high that you have consumed bits of plastic that was at one time a part your disposable diaper!

And as another cold-hearted thought ...

The medical system is only contributing to the weakness of the population.

People with genetic problems are having children with medical help and passing along weak genes.

Maybe there is a reason some people cannot have children...

Truly a disgusting but very realistic thought.

Mother Jones - History of the Disposable Diaper

500 years for them to biodegrade. As of 2006, over 2% of municipal waste.

I mean I understand how people in less than ideal conditions have sex. It's a comfort and if you don't have a lot, it's a pleasure always there.

It seems that all the more reason birth control and family planning should be available. Viewing kids as a punishment for enjoying sex doesn't hurt the parents it hurts society.