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I'm Concerned About Population Control

When I hear about issues regarding the environment etc, I instantly think about supply and demand. I view the earth as a house that can supply its own food for X number of people. I believe we are currently well above the value of X. All the issues with pollution can be mostly resolved by having fewer people on the planet. Instead of all the rediculous carbon schemes and political nonsense, wouldn't it be better to lower the population by natural methods and 1 child policies? Less people = less resources consumed etc.
ArthurP · 80-89, M
Your logic was first formally put forward by Thomas Malthus in 1798 who argued that while production rose arithmetically, population tended to rise geometrically, and therefore we would soon run out of resources.

Paul Erhlich tried the same thing in the 1970s, forecasting that Britain would be a wasteland by 1990.

Yet the reality is that, with a population that has doubled in 40 years, the world has never been so well fed: other than for political reasons, famine no longer exists. Distribution of the enormous food supply is faulty, but surpluses are the hallmark of most staple food products.

So you are falling for the malthusian fallacy.

And if increasing population concerns you, note that much of the doubling of the population is ascribed to huge improvements in public health, with neonatal deaths massively reduced, and with average life span increasing from around 46 years to 72 years in the last half century.

So it can be argued on the basis of hard statistics that the massive growth in world population had been of massive benefit to that population.

Final note: wealth and abundance hugely reduce the reproduction rate - many countries now have negative net reproduction rates, and many demographers are forecasting that world population will peak at around 11 billion in 2100, stabilise, and even marginally reduce after that.

Last bit of good news. When I was born, around 40% of the world lived in dreadful poverty and hunger. When you were born the figure was around 23%.

This year, the percentage of people living in abject poverty is 9%.

Human ingenuity, human progress, human innovation are factors all doomsayers forget.
MethDozer · M
@ArthurP Famine in this day and age is a matter of logistics.
Laughman · 46-50, M
@ArthurP interesting overview. Thanks for your input and discussion. I can see your points in relation to increase of population can result in increased health services etc. That is a valid note. I just think if fewer resources are consumed, it may benefit our sustainability.
TeirdalinFirefall · 31-35, M
Tell that to India.

Laughman · 46-50, M
@TeirdalinFirefall yep there are a few countries that are skewing the data.
acpguy · C
I can go along with that...........since liberals / democrats / socialists spend most of their time with their mouths open expelling tons of hot air and bullshit we need to eliminate them. Then we would have much less emissions and noise pollution along with it.
Not at all.
Less than 2 children per couple will cause negative population growth , which is the main reason why Europe is slowly becoming Muslim.
Laughman · 46-50, M
@BridgeOvertroubledWaters yes 1 child per couple is negative grown which is good. How on earth did you get Muslim into your comment?
Look at the refugee/immigrant problem in Europe.
In 30 years Europe won't be European anymore and that is due to the negative birth rate.
Also in the USA the birth rate is negative. In Japan as well.
Negative birth rate is not good.
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/total-fertility-rate/

As far as food goes ,Nowadays there is how to "engineer" foods and water, how to store foods , unlike the past when these methods didn't exist and humanity has less known he food resources.

The answer is less exploition and more sharing.
FreestyleArt · 31-35, M
like China? No
Laughman · 46-50, M
@FreestyleArt why not?
MethDozer · M
That's why I am against vaccinations. Him and need a natural population control. Viruses are the only thing that does that.
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Laughman · 46-50, M
@SW-User why don't you go play somewhere else?
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