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Overpopulation and Economy

Is the world becoming overpopulated? Should we do something about it?

  • The world is becoming overpopulated; we should take action, by imposing birth limits

    Votes: 1 4.8%

  • The world is becoming overpopulated; we should impose birth limits and not allow immigrants

    Votes: 1 4.8%

  • The world is becoming overpopulated, but we should not take action; let things work themselves out

    Votes: 7 33.3%

  • I do not think the world is becoming overpopulated; this is just a myth

    Votes: 12 57.1%
  • Total voters
    21
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MusicAdventurer

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Is the world becoming overpopulated? Should we do something about it? Is overpopulation affecting the economy? Please choose the option that is most similar to your opinion.
 
Most of Europe has negative population growth, aside from some Eastern nations; those that don't have a negative PG, its only because of immigration. The USA isn't far from having a birthrate that falls below replacement value; we would if it were not for immigrants having more children.

The trend seems pretty well established; more developed nations experience lower birthrates, often falling below ZPG levels into the negative.

The only places really in danger of serious overpopulation are the ones that are already poor and underdeveloped, pretty much.

I can remember when the world's population was much lower than it is now; at that time, some people were saying that when it hit seven billion, we were screwed. We're there... and we're still here.

Overhyped.
 
MusicAdventurer said:
Is the world becoming overpopulated? Should we do something about it? Is overpopulation affecting the economy? Please choose the option that is most similar to your opinion.
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This is a very touchy subject, but one that I believe needs to be addressed at some point, preferably before it is too late. I realize many are preoccupied with other political debates, but I thought this might offer a nice diversion. I do believe that the world is overpopulated and that something needs to be done. I also believe that because there are limited resources on this earth, overpopulation is and will continue to cause lots of suffering around the world. While we cannot control other countries, we can certainly try to affect change here in the U.S. The U.S. is the third most populated country and is currently fighting against a recession. For industrialized countries, it also has the highest population growth at around 1% (which is a lot considering we have around 311,779,000 residents; Demographics of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). I have thought this problem repeatedly and I am think we are forced to choose between imposing a birth limit or limiting the amount of immigrants we allow in. However, I am open to other opinions as often times in these situations we are choosing between the greater of many evils.
 
we have the opposite of an overpopulation problem - as Goshin notes.


Everyone who thinks the world has a problem with overpopulation needs to purchase and read PJ O'Rourkes' "All the Trouble in the World". He will tell you to your face how wrong you are, but at least he will make you laugh while doing it.
 
I think we do have an population problem.... id go for a world birth-limit instead of just our country.
 
These threads always depress me. :(
 
celticwar17 said:
I think we do have an population problem.... id go for a world birth-limit instead of just our country.
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I don't see the U.S. being able to force that issue (would definitely be harder than trying to push it here). Why the whole world, but not just our back yard?
 
cpwill said:
we have the opposite of an overpopulation problem - as Goshin notes.


Everyone who thinks the world has a problem with overpopulation needs to purchase and read PJ O'Rourkes' "All the Trouble in the World". He will tell you to your face how wrong you are, but at least he will make you laugh while doing it.
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what is that quote I am thinking of .... I think it goes "what begins in laughter, ends in tears". You should look at the link I posted above
 
Goshin said:
Most of Europe has negative population growth, aside from some Eastern nations; those that don't have a negative PG, its only because of immigration. The USA isn't far from having a birthrate that falls below replacement value; we would if it were not for immigrants having more children.

The trend seems pretty well established; more developed nations experience lower birthrates, often falling below ZPG levels into the negative.

The only places really in danger of serious overpopulation are the ones that are already poor and underdeveloped, pretty much.

I can remember when the world's population was much lower than it is now; at that time, some people were saying that when it hit seven billion, we were screwed. We're there... and we're still here.

Overhyped.
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Not according to what I read, can you post your source please?
 
Depends on how you look at it. In terms of supporting our current speed, we have an underpopulation problem. In terms of exhausting the world's resources, we're already overpopulated.
 
We don't have a population problem to mean we are literally running out of space, what we do have is a FOOD problem. That problem being our current levels of food production cannot support the entire world's population on a decent diet, of course its not a problem that affects everyone for example us fat bodies here in the US. But places where the earth is naturally very unforgiving have a "population problem" in the sense that their food production and imports can't support their population, which leds to all sorts of social stagnation and backwards development. Kids for example don't go to school because they have to spend all day hunting, stealing, or managing what few food sources they have, adults don't get the education they need and don't have the time to seek "high employment" beyond finding food day by day.

So no we don't have a population problem we have a food problem, and the despite many people's claims(although I haven't heard any on this forum) that the "food production sciences" are a "mad science." I fully support the development through scientific methods including gene manipulation to make plants that grow bigger, produce more food, need less water, repeal insects, etc
 
Most places are overpopulated with the exception of the first world nations. Unfortunately, prosperity and child bearing are uniquely linked. I say let things work themselves out on their own.
 
Well, if they had a graph of the US population for every five years, I'm sure it tends to generally go up so yes, I think we are going to have an overpopulation problem if we don't have one now. I'm not sure if immigration is a factor since I don't know the percentage of immigrants to citizens in the country.
 
usprojgrowth.jpg


We're getting there.
 
Morality Games said:
Depends on how you look at it. In terms of supporting our current speed, we have an underpopulation problem. In terms of exhausting the world's resources, we're already overpopulated.
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Please provide your source to underpopulation.

So if we are already overpopulated (with which I agree) what do we do about it?
 
makkam said:
Well, if they had a graph of the US population for every five years, I'm sure it tends to generally go up so yes, I think we are going to have an overpopulation problem if we don't have one now. I'm not sure if immigration is a factor since I don't know the percentage of immigrants to citizens in the country.
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Immigrants are the reason why the US still has a positive population growth.
 
evanescence said:
Immigrants are the reason why the US still has a positive population growth.
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What is a negative population growth; more people die than are born on average? Have we really ever been at that stage?
 
Certain areas are overpopulated, and certain areas don't have the technology and infrastructure to support their population. The world as a whole, though, is not becoming overpopulated, and it won't for a while.
 
makkam said:
What is a negative population growth; more people die than are born on average? Have we really ever been at that stage?
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Yes. In Europe, for example, more people die than are born because they have such a low birth rate. This happens because of prosperity and education. People breed more in societies where there is perceived instability. Also, the cost and burden of raising children these days causes poverty in certain societies. In the US, people who wait to have children later in life, and those who have fewer children, are often more prosperous than those who do not.
 
evanescence said:
Yes. In Europe, for example, more people die than are born because they have such a low birth rate. This happens because of prosperity and education. People breed more in societies where there is perceived instability. Also, the cost and burden of raising children these days causes poverty in certain societies. In the US, people who wait to have children later in life, and those who have fewer children, are often more prosperous than those who do not.
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Hmmm...I hate looking for information. If I look for something showing an increase in population, I will find it. f I look for something showing a decrease in population, I will find it. All of it claims to be official. I might as well spin in circles.
 
The world is not overpopulated; the average human lives a far better lifestyle today than at any time in the past, despite the fact that there are 7 billion of us now. This is because technology has improved much, much faster than population has increased...and there is good reason to believe that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

With that said, there are certain PARTS of the world that are overpopulated...Sub-Saharan Africa and (especially) South Asia. Draconian approaches like setting birth limits will not work, as China has demonstrated. Birth limits will lead to grotesque gender imbalances, human trafficking, and social instability. A better approach would be to help poorer countries improve their standard of living. Birth rates tend to decline as people become richer, because children become a financial liability rather than a financial asset.
 
MusicAdventurer said:
Not according to what I read, can you post your source please?
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Negative Population Growth

Population decline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to 2002 reports by the United Nations Population Division[5] and the US Census Bureau,[6] population decline is occurring today in some regions. According to the UN, below-replacement fertility is expected in 75% of the developed world by the year 2050. The US Census Bureau notes that the 74 million people added to the world's population in 2002 were fewer than the high of 87 million people added in 1989–1990. The annual growth rate was 1.2 percent, down from the high of 2.2 percent in 1963-64.

"Census Bureau projections show this slowdown in population growth continuing into the foreseeable future," stated the Bureau's brief on the findings. "Census Bureau projections suggest that the level of fertility in many countries will drop below replacement level before 2050... In 1990 the world's women, on average, were giving birth to 3.3 children over their lifetimes. By 2002 the average was 2.6, and by 2009, 2.5. This is marginally above the global replacement fertility of 2.33. This fall has been accompanied by a decline in the world's population growth rate and in the actual annual population increase.
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No Babies? - Declining Population in Europe - NYTimes.com

Population decline - The Boston Globe

With all the attention given to continuing strong growth in the world population, one thing might come as a surprise: Forty-three of the 193 nations around the world will register a decline in population by 2050.
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Howcome 1st world countries are having problems w/ underpopulation and 3rd world countries w/ overpopulation? « Bangladesh Problems « Digital bangladesh



It would appear that technological advances and increasing general prosperity result in fewer babies being born. The problem should self-correct.... drastic measures are not needed.
 
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Kandahar said:
The world is not overpopulated; the average human lives a far better lifestyle today than at any time in the past, despite the fact that there are 7 billion of us now. This is because technology has improved much, much faster than population has increased...and there is good reason to believe that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.

With that said, there are certain PARTS of the world that are overpopulated...Sub-Saharan Africa and (especially) South Asia. Draconian approaches like setting birth limits will not work, as China has demonstrated. Birth limits will lead to grotesque gender imbalances, human trafficking, and social instability. A better approach would be to help poorer countries improve their standard of living. Birth rates tend to decline as people become richer, because children become a financial liability rather than a financial asset.
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I disagree. The average human lives in poverty that those of us in first world nations can scarcely even imagine.
 
The world is becoming overpopulated; we should impose birth limits and not allow immigrants
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How does banning immigration solve the alleged problem of global overpopulation, anyway? Are the immigrants coming from Mars?
 
evanescence said:
I disagree. The average human lives in poverty that those of us in first world nations can scarcely even imagine.
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The median global household income is about $7,000 (adjusted for purchasing power parity). That's poor by American standards, but it's hardly destitute. Besides, this line of thinking overlooks the fact that there has ALWAYS been poverty...but until recently, it was virtually universal. The average African lives better today than the average American/Briton did 200 years ago.
 
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