Earth's Population

[C1ay]

How many people can the Earth support? Is population control an inevitable requirement to prolong our own existance? Are the world's shrinking resources like rainforests shrinking that magic number that the Earth can support? How fast are we approaching that number?

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by C1ay

How many people can the Earth support? Is population control an inevitable requirement to prolong our own existance? Are the world's shrinking resources like rainforests shrinking that magic number that the Earth can support? How fast are we approaching that number?

Exponentially Fast!!
Earth clocked 6.5 Billion hungry mouths just a week or so ago.

Consider we've added 1.5 Billion minds and bodies since 1987.
It took from 1650 AD pop. ~ 500 million
to 1930 AD pop. ~ 2 Billion to grow the population by 1.5 big ones

Projected Population for 2050 is at least 9.3 Billion!
Some experts believe the Earth can support up to 12 Billion, with a reasonable standard of living for many

I don't think the Earth can sustain the population at the rate we are using Resources past 7 Billion. if that?

My Quote of the day was Ben Franklin's
"Its not until the well runs dry that we know the worth of water"

If Desalinization, and Solar power can be widely implemented cost effectively
+ Deforestation ceases
then the world can still hold promise!

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by C1ay

How many people can the Earth support?

Depends on how we treat it, and how efficiently we utilize our limited resources.

Originally Posted by C1ay

Is population control an inevitable requirement to prolong our own existance?

Unless we find another space into which we can spread, then I'd have to say yes. However, population control may be less of a choice and more of mother nature reattaining balance (i.e. an unplanned mass extinction event)

Originally Posted by C1ay

Are the world's shrinking resources like rainforests shrinking that magic number that the Earth can support?

Yes, definitely. The amount of available resources, as well as how we use them as mentioned above, is probably the key determining factor to this equation.

Originally Posted by C1ay

How fast are we approaching that number?

Too fast... our population is like a meth-head on fourteen cups of espresso trying to outrun a police officer on a motorcycle with turbochargers.


Stupid analogy... sorry. Watched formula 1 racing this weekend...


Thing is, not too many people (at least with whom I've interacted) would be willing to take steps to assist. How many people you know w/lower SES are going to stop popping out kids for the good of the planet?

The balloon which is our environment is only so elastic, and if we put enough air into it, it's gonna pop sooner or later...

[orbsycli]

Overpopulation is inevitable seeing as how it's already occured.

My only wonder now is what the earth is going to do to wipe us out?

Or will it be Us, this time? Product of the earth destroying self massively FOR EARTH.
Solve et coagula?
I think so.
I know so.

Just, How?
Is all I'm curious about.

And when, but meh
I don't really care about when.

[Cedars]

I dont know what the estimated numbers are for population support. I think with increasing/new technologies being implemented in many regions, the estimates of a maximum population support will have to be adjusted upwards again and again. Unless other factors prohibit the advantage of these new or imported technologies. Sometimes its the simple changes that impact the ability of a country to feed itself, such as drought resistant corns, shorter growing seasons for various types of food, hybrids that allow a country to produce much more of that crop on its own, etc.

I think some countries will have to implement some kinds of population controls. Maybe not as China has, but something along that line. But what measures should a government take to implement such controls? If I remember right, there was outrage on many levels over Chinas mandate regarding children. I am sure in the USA there would be alot of resistance to such a measure being discussed, let alone implemented.

I also think different countries are going to have to look at what extremes should technology be used to prolong life. I am not sure the birthrate is as much of a problem as the life expectancy rate increasing world wide. For some of these countries with really high birth rates, I dont know that the survival rate of these children is great enough to tip the balance, so to speak. Resources do not become exhausted by being born. They become exhausted by longer lifetimes.

[InfiniteNow]

Can you imagine the birth of your beautiful baby daughter, and the government forcing you to kill her? Yeah... that'd go over well.


It's a serious question that C1ay has posed, and a simple answer seems elusive.

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by Cedars

I think some countries will have to implement some kinds of population controls. Maybe not as China has, but something along that line. But what measures should a government take to implement such controls? If I remember right, there was outrage on many levels over Chinas mandate regarding children. I am sure in the USA there would be alot of resistance to such a measure being discussed, let alone implemented.

That's all true but, the population is growing exponentially and the planet is not. It seems that there will come a time when population control becomes necessary for our survival.

[Cedars]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

Can you imagine the birth of your beautiful baby daughter, and the government forcing you to kill her? Yeah... that'd go over well.


It's a serious question that C1ay has posed, and a simple answer seems elusive.

Easy to google history of population control in china:

http://www.columbia.edu/~bcp26/web-pages/policy.html

[Racoon]

Humans may populate themselves out of existence by environment or war or both...

But there will remain other 'Populations'...

Ant's, roaches, viruses, bacteria, etc.....

[C1ay]

Then again, the next eruption of a super volcanoe is inevitable. At some point in time it will cause a significant population reduction, if not our extinction....