Is Overpopulation a Myth?
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Can there ever be too many people?
When I was born, back in 1970, the world population was 3.7 billion people. By the time I was in kindergarten that number had risen to 4 billion. By the time I graduated from high school we'd added another billion human beings to the world population, bringing us to 5 billion human residents of earth. By the dawn of the new millennium we pushed over the 6 billion mark. Less than ten years later we are fast approaching a world population of 7 billion people.
There can be no doubt that the world population has grown and continues to grow. Scientists have been coming to the same conclusion for decades. We are headed toward a dire lack of resources, environmental collapse, and a plummet in the average quality of life.
However, many people believe that there is no such thing as overpopulation, that either the earth will accommodate an unlimited human population because it always has or that God has decreed that we must "go forth and multiply" without limitation. Some even argue that the idea of only having a few children rather than having as many as possible represents a liberal agenda to kill off the white race. They call overpopulation a myth.
Personally, I think the world has enough people already and that reproduction on anything more than a replacement level is an unsustainable plan for the future. I believe resources are finite and that the world population can and probably will overgrow the earth's capacity to support it. Or it's possible that, like any other overpopulated species, we will suffer extreme losses to contagious diseases and plague will solve the overpopulation problem before we get a chance to do something less drastic ourselves.
Is Overpopulation a Myth or a Real Danger?
No one can really dispute that the earth's human population is growing. What is in contention is whether or not a growing population is leading to overpopulation or an unsustainable drain on the planet's resources.
Weigh in with your opinion as to whether or not our growing population could create an overpopulation problem.
Is Overpopulation a Real Danger?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, you're right, if the human population continues to grow at its current rate we are in for trouble!
gys visser says:
Overpopulation is a VERY real threat and the cause of almost every problem we have, from unemployment to world hunger. The Myths that XX% of the earths land surface is not populated and thus there is plenty of room for more people are horribly flawed, those are places like the Sahara, Gobi and others places that are simply NOT capable of supporting human life. The system, cultural, economic and social, that we currently live by is short sighted and extremely fragile. It is based on selfishness and greed.
The Joke in all this is that Overpopulation is easy to fix, I'd rant about how but honestly I have just about given up that anyone will ever listen, if anyone -is- interested in finding out how to cure overpopulation email me at gysbert_visser@yahoo.co.uk
"When all the world is overcharged with inhabitants, then the last remedy of all is war, which provideth for every man, by victory or death."
Thomas Hobbs-1651
Posted January 07, 2012
PTurner56 says:
We are already in trouble. Too many starving, too many unemployed, too many criminals relying on the wealth of others, too many murders, too many divorces, too many homeless, too many living in poverty, and too many broken people. That's just in THIS Country! And all the Republicans are concerned about is outlawing abortion and birth control. I think that speaks volumes.
Posted October 26, 2011
andrew says:
yo i didnt even need to think about this but one of the leaders in my youth group said it was a myth i just think hes a stub-earn dumbass.
Posted October 06, 2011
Cinnamonbite says:
Not only are we overpopulated (remember life before subdivisions covered every square inch of undeveloped land and people had these things called, "yards?") we're becoming the movie, "Idiocracy." People shouldn't be allowed to breed unless they pass competency tests.
Posted June 20, 2011
Annie says:
We are already way over the carrying capacity of Earth. The only reason we've been able to continue adding people is by destroying the natural environment with fertilizers and pollution. I only hope that cheap oil collapses before we completely compromise our planet to the point where humans can't survive at all. Earth and some inhabitants will continue but it remains to be seen whether we will be among them - and frankly we have not earned a place.
Posted March 29, 2011
WHPFord says:
From my understanding if we become overpopulated there will be mass die offs till we reach a sustainable level (or all die due to the repercussions from problems associated with overpopulation). So, yes...it's a problem and a danger. It's not so much as a land to live on problem as it is a we can't make the land produce more food than it is able problem.
Posted February 25, 2011
Chadrew says:
If I recall correctly, a catastrophic "demographic boom" was a popular theory what, 30 - 40 years ago? It never came, in fact, population is declining in many developed countries nowadays. In some countries it's growing slowly only thanks to immigration (take that away and it would be declining as well). So we're not in any immediate danger, that's for sure.
However, that doesn't mean overpopulation can't be a real problem. It's obvious that Earth has limited resources and can only support a certain number of humans. I'd say a much bigger problem these days is distribution of those resources. Earth is capable of supporting many more billions of people, if proper amounts of land were allocated for food crops etc., and if the gap between third world and developed countries was reduced.
Posted January 08, 2011
neuralconcepts says:
As Al Bartlett said, the most pressing threat to the world is the failure to understand exponential growth. The issue isn't about how bad the problem is, it's about how quickly things can go from bad to worse.
Posted October 05, 2010
ZazzleEnchante says:
Overpopulation is a reality in so many countries of the world, a stark, harsh reality, with no easy, no quick solution.
And its the root of so many of the problems.
Its a slow disease that needs to be diagnosed early and needs to be treated on a long term basis with regular monitoring just like cancer or diabetes, no pun intended.
Posted September 30, 2010
csnyder says:
Overpopulation IS the cause of the problems we have today. Global warming is from the abuse of resources of the population consuming and growing out of control. You can say the same thing about pollution, wars (need for resources), I could go on and on...
Posted August 05, 2010
Nah says:
STOP MAKING BABIES, THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES
Posted March 29, 2010
paperfacets says:
No, it is not overrated and not a myth. Only more disease and discontent will result with more growth.
Posted December 27, 2009
Flynn_the_Cat says:
The number of children had by a woman decreases with increasing levels of education. So those areas where people know about birth control, have freedom to choose another path than 'marry. have kids. lose half your kids before the age of ten. die' , and to go into higher levels of study and career and therefore put off raising families, plus have higher expectations of living quality (which is often negatively impacted on by children)... these areas have a decreasing population.
Those areas lacking these advantages are increasing. People increase exponentially, and there are more of the latter than the former. OVerpopulation would not be a problem if all thw world was equal, but it is a problem. And I think half the answers in the 'no' column are either not serious, or sabatoging their own arguments.
Posted November 29, 2009
Don says:
Overpopulation of humans is a danger to all other living things. Of course nature will eventually lower the human population and the environment itself will change to the point that humans go extinct. Hopefully.
Posted October 29, 2009
GraemeN says:
Phew! Big topic! But I think you are right. I think little will change though. The stong will survive, the weak will perish and the unscruplous will exploit it.
Posted October 20, 2009
jjj1 says:
I believe there are too many people and that global warning is a real danger for our children. Unfortunately, I can't stomach China's approach - I've read that they throw unwanted babies from mountain tops and that, with multiple births, the poor parents must choose which baby can live. As a parent of twins, that is inhumane.
Posted September 26, 2009
Ramkitten says:
I agree with you, Kylyssa--everything you said in your last paragraph of the introduction, which you said so well. I think overpopulation is a very real, very serious problem and a thread to humankind's overall standard of living and the health of the whole population.
Posted September 15, 2009
skiesgreen says:
Its inevitable that humans are killing the world and everything in it. The earth is a living organism which humans are dissecting, masticating and spitting all over the remains. All that we will have left is the bare bones and no one can live on that.
Posted September 15, 2009
susannaduffy says:
Perhaps you should ask the people who live - and die - in the areas with the heaviest populations
Posted September 15, 2009
Bob says:
OVERPOPULATION IS A DANGER TO ALL MANKIND! Think about it more critically here.. More people translates to less land to grow crops on because people need land to live on. You can not grow food on just any land mass; it has to be arable land suitable for that specific region's crops. Eventually if we get too many people and keep building out, and not up, that land will be gone and food will be scarce.
Everyone knows that balance is a part of every eco system and food chain. If we have too many people eventually we will balance out because of starvation or other pollution/ environmental disasters as a result of having too many people. I think the earth is already vastly overpopulated and we should be somewhere around 500 million people max to maintain an earth balance without destroying the eco systems we inhabit. The state of the environment right now and the acidification of the world's oceans are signs that we ARE too populated as a global community.
Posted August 30, 2009
No way, there is no such thing as overpopulation and there's no reason to worry about it!
Edutopia says:
Overpopulation only becomes an issue if we limit the boundaries of the population to the surface of the Earth. There is no reason why we can't expand into space using already known technology today other than a lack of political will.
Posted February 14, 2012
Emilia belciak says:
actually the global population is on its way to a steep decline. consider this: it used to be tripling every decade, then doubling, then it began growing by 1 billion per decade while the number seams high, it is only a small growth from a global perspective. we have only grown by the lowest predicted estimates for the last 80 years. If this trend continues then we are actually headed towards a decline within about 70 years we should be lower than 7 billion. The global population appears to be growing out of control, but global fertility rates have been falling drastically. Falling from 5 to 2.47 in a decade. people are simply living longer worldwide. overpopulation is a myth. we produce more food on less land than ever before. According to the U.N. Population Database, the world's population in 2010 will be 6,908,688,000. The landmass of Texas is 268,820 sq mi (7,494,271,488,000 sq ft).
So, divide 7,494,271,488,000 sq ft by 6,908,688,000 people, and you get 1084.76 sq ft/person. That's approximately a 33' x 33' plot of land for every person on the planet, enough space for a town house.
we also could feed the whole world using only part of The African continent. Overpopulation hysteria distracts from real problems.
Posted January 30, 2012
Benny says:
Unfortunately, this "overpopulation panic" seems to overlook issues such as inequality and bad infrastructure as the real problems, and it sees people as just consumers and not producers. There are actually many reasons to celebrate 7 billion. This milestone proves how ingenious we are, that we're better at keeping more people alive longer now than ever before, and we have more brains to create and develop more useful technologies and innovations to accommodate a growing population. Yes, there are still problems of starvation and lower standards of living for many on the planet, but neither history nor mathematical logic bears out the conclusion that population pessimists reached of resource scarcity. Where there are these problems, we need to go about creating more for everyone rather than curbing our numbers. In the Victorian times, the world's population was a small fraction of what it is now, yet there was still poverty. What changed and improved our lives in the West was not going down from 1 billion to less, but improving sanitation infrastructure, healthcare, our general standards of living, and taking advantage of scientific breakthroughs. We should see humanity as a solution and not the problem. I came across a spoof recently that parodies the many ridiculous overpopulation fears and paranoia - it is hilarious and brilliant! http://www.worldbytes.org/get-off-my-planet-happy-birthday-7-billion/
Posted November 02, 2011
kristina says:
no.because the growth is in developing countries which are following a natural pattern of development which was earlier followed for developed countries that are now below replacement levels
Posted May 28, 2011
cindy says:
i say dont worry bout this
Posted April 14, 2011
Joyce says:
If this is true, why there are only two countries that has over one billion people (them together would make something close to 3 billion)?! I mean, the US doesn't even have 350 million, and is the THIRD most populated country. I'd say that the world population is not properly distributed, but there's plenty of room in this world for everyone.
Posted December 28, 2010
shawnainthome says:
Overpopulation and Global Warming are myths. Plutocrats controlling the media have beautiful rhetoric stating otherwise. When humanity grows up and puts people's needs before profit margins, the technology that has been around for decades will finally be utilized. This planet can sustain at least double the amount of people there are now; if our Earth's resources stopped being raped, and renewable ones are implemented on a planetary scale. Global warming is just as big a myth as well... How come nearly every other heavenly body in our Solar System is experiencing the same phenomena as well? (Ask NASA)
Posted September 24, 2010
will says:
WHO CARES ABOUT THIS STUPID HW.
Posted September 08, 2010
steven says:
any population has a carrying capacity limited by its environment. as technology advances, more resources are discovered, and existing resources are used more efficiently for more purposes. there is no such thing as overpopulation, because when the capacity of an environment (food supply, housing, money) is met, mortality rates increase and there is no net increase in population.
Posted May 25, 2010
Ben says:
Absolutely incredible how many people believe what the MSM tells them. GOOGLE IT! Overpopulation is a MYTH. A LIE. GOOGLE IT! Watch the videos, they explain where the myth came from and why/how it is being used to justify killing and starving millions of people needlessly.
Posted May 07, 2010
Ben says:
No Overpopulation is a myth, a fraud, a scam used by the globalists to justify their eugenicist agenda, don't believe the hype!
Posted May 07, 2010
crosscreations says:
Myth! Our world contains many real dangers. Overpopulation is not one of them.
Posted March 14, 2010
Charlie B. says:
No. Read "Population Control: Real Costs Illusory Benefits" by Steven W. Mosher. Mosher is president of the Population Research Institute and is recognized as one of the leading authorities on population studies.
Posted December 16, 2009
Muaz says:
No
Posted November 18, 2009
sam says:
i don't care about others opinion just give me the facts . thank God for the internet
Posted September 16, 2009
christian says:
my jesus says what you say is wrong. my jesus tells me to have kids and teach them the truth and let them go unto the world to save the lost! my jesus tells the planet what to do. my jesus can change climate and generate more resources (remember the fish and loaves???). FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON!!!! if having children is bad, then why did god send his son? how else would the human race survive? this is crazy!!!!
Posted September 08, 2009
MiaBellezza says:
Overpopulation is a moot point as with any organism that expands to the parameters of its existence it will implode upon itself. Mother Nature has a way of culling excesses; let's not give anyone any funny ideas about taking matters into their own hands.
The question "Is overpopulation a real danger" is a dangerous question, because it compels one to question if some see too many useless eaters now! Dangerous ideas for dangerous minds.
I say live and let live and what will be, will be.
Posted August 30, 2009
Streawei says:
Over Population isn't a problem as long as science continues to progress. If we stop and stagnate our innovations then we would have a problem. Resource management should be the short term goal, and long term sustainability can be solved by increased funding into research.
Posted August 30, 2009
Cinetech says:
It is a myth as long as global warming and pollution are a myth.
Posted August 27, 2009
Cassandra Troy says:
It's a myth, propagated for political purposes by nefarious, anti human ideologues.
Posted August 27, 2009
How Many People Can the World Support?
Opinions on Overpopulation
Help Me Prove that Overpopulation is a Danger to Humanity and Planet Earth
If you agree, add links (proof!) that help me make my case
Add a link that helps make my case.
Overpopulation.net - We Have Passed Our Sustainability by Mark R. Elsis
The Latest Overpopulation News From Around The Wor more...2 points
World Overpopulation Killing Earth: The Root Cause Of The Earth's Problems: Too Many People | Suite101.com
By 2050 there may be 9 billion of us. This will pu more...0 points
Asia Products LLC - Discovery Pages - Saving the Earth
I guess the first thing we need to ask is have we, more...0 points
http://stopattwo.org
we have a moral responsibility to limit ourselves more...0 points
Prove that Overpopulation is a Myth
Disagree? Put your money where your mouth is and show us why.
Post links that point out why you think I'm wrong.
Population and Prosperity Often Grow Together - The New York Times
Robert Whelan, director of the Committee on Popula more...0 points
The Economics of Loneliness - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com
Division of labor requires human interaction. A gr more...0 points
Would a Tripling of the Earth's Population Affect Your Quality of Life?
If the earth's population continues to grow do you think you'd have to give anything up like automobiles or individual homes? Do you think you might have to accept strict food rationing and strict rationing of medical care? Or do you think that you could go on driving SUVs, living in large individual houses, eating whatever you please, and seeing a doctor whenever you need one? Would, say, a tripling of the world's population affect your quality of life in any negative way?
The Right to Reproduce
Overpopulation in the News
- Deer Overpopulation A Problem, Potomac Residents Say
- By Sonia Dasgupta Deer, such as this male may be culled from Sligo Creek by lethal means. Montgomery County Department of Parks The deer population in Potomac is starting to clash with its human residents, but state regulations are preventing the ...
- Letter: Population stresses Earth
- Perhaps now, in the light of looming world overpopulation, would be a good time for the church to end its control of women's bodies. World population now is estimated at 7 billion people. Population limits are given by the number of people who can ...
- Idenesia: Can Indonesia Turn Overpopulation Into an Asset?
- The main problem in regards to Indonesia's overpopulation, as presented by the program is as follow: Indonesia's economy is booming, creating a larger middle class than ever before. It then draws migrants to Jakarta. But thousands of these people ...
- Electric Cars & Overpopulation -- R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 10
- 3 Responses for "Electric Cars & Overpopulation -- R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 10" The second half of episode 10 was probably difficult to produce for someone like yourself who is involved in the energy field. I just wanted to say thank you for having the ...
If You Believe The Earth Can Support An Infinite Number Of People...
If you believe the earth can support an infinite number of people, how do you think it will accommodate them? If none of the answers below are close to your answer, please provide an answer of your own in the guestbook below.
What People Are Saying about Overpopulation
- Letter: Population stresses Earth
- Perhaps now, in the light of looming world overpopulation, would be a good time for the church to end its control of women's bodies. World population now is estimated at 7 billion people. Population limits are given by the number of people who can ...
- Idenesia: Can Indonesia Turn Overpopulation Into an Asset?
- The main problem in regards to Indonesia's overpopulation, as presented by the program is as follow: Indonesia's economy is booming, creating a larger middle class than ever before. It then draws migrants to Jakarta. But thousands of these people ...
- Electric Cars & Overpopulation -- R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 10
- 3 Responses for "Electric Cars & Overpopulation -- R-Squared Energy TV Ep. 10" The second half of episode 10 was probably difficult to produce for someone like yourself who is involved in the energy field. I just wanted to say thank you for having the ...
- Letter: Huh! What?
- The nation needs to back off on overpopulation. This is a no brainer. The Catholic special interest should lose this one. Clearly, pmz, you would enjoy seeing that done to the Catholic church, but the First Amendment to the Constitution forbids it.
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Stand Up and Be Counted! Give your Opinion on Overpopulation
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Edutopia
Feb 14, 2012 @ 5:18 am | delete
- Constraining your solutions to Earth is a major hindrance for yourself. We can and should expand beyond the atmosphere and once we've done so the whole issue will pretty much solve itself.
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Cinnamonbite
Jun 20, 2011 @ 9:05 am | delete
- If only people had the sense to not breed if they can't provide for kids, but we live in a generation where people live in apartments and work all hours yet insist on having big dogs as pets. Sometimes more than 1! But it's ok, now they've invented this pet pad so the dog can use the toilet inside the apartment and you never have to be responsible.
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johntaves
Feb 21, 2011 @ 4:49 pm | delete
- We must all understand that a birth rate above two causes children to die. If we maintain a birth rate of 3 for example, 1 in 3 children will die. This fact is must become common knowledge.
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ZazzleEnchante
Sep 30, 2010 @ 8:32 am | delete
- A thought provoking, serious but interesting duel! And it plays its part in addressing its issue and encouraging a good debate! Thumbs up to it!
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csnyder
Aug 5, 2010 @ 4:39 am | delete
- My idea to solve world problems is to teach EVERYONE to be objective thinkers. Thinking objectively or understanding the difference between what we believe and what is true would allow people to understand that having too many children is not good in so many ways. It would also solve other things that have plaged mankind in modern times like racism for people would understand that people are all human no matter what color or religion.
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About the Author
What People Are Tweeting about Overpopulation
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- cartersavanna_
- RT @Danvilleprobz: Overpopulation of camo wearers
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- marylei13
- RT @Danvilleprobz: Overpopulation of camo wearers
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- Stephknows
- Weird--my son's RW civics teacher is showing Soilent Green to illustrate overpopulation.Told my son to ask him why then is GOP against BC.
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- DavidGacs
- RT @InSightCrime: Chile has the highest rate of imprisonment in #LatAm - 60% overpopulation http://t.co/cvOxVFzg
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- InSightCrime
- Chile has the highest rate of imprisonment in LatAm - 60% overpopulation http://t.co/7ZCBUeJI
by Kylyssa
I am a "retired" florist turned freelance writer. I enjoy cooking, keeping saltwater fish, and baking fun cakes. I have had some unusual life-experien... more »
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