Knife Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Do you guys think the world is overpopulated? Now with advances in medical sciences, people are starting live longer than 80 on average. People are having a hard time finding a job, due to large number of qualified people. Cities are overpolluted and resources (most notably fossil fuels) are running out. However, I think I'll say that the world isn't overpopulated yet, but is close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGV Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 In some places... yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lolDeath Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 In some places... yes Ditto. The world, as a whole is not. But populations pack into certain areas causing problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noremaC Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 No, it is not, all of the usa could fit in texas with an acre...... either it is the usa or the world.......idk, either way, it is not overpopulated, peoples just need to spread out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defeatist Elitist Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 ♪In Canada our population is actually declining...♪ ♪We need the constant influx of immigrants in order to grow.♪ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rei Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 In some places... yes this. Some places in China and Japan have almost no living space for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 ♪In Canada our population is actually declining...♪ ♪We need the constant influx of immigrants in order to grow.♪ isn't a lot of Europe like that too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oguma Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 ♪In Canada our population is actually declining...♪ ♪We need the constant influx of immigrants in order to grow.♪ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wist Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 (edited) I don't think the biggest problem is how long people are living, but how many people of reproductive age there are. As long as populations continue to grow, economies will will (generally) continue to grow. Ecological sustainability within the next fifty to one-hundred decades is a bigger concern in my opinion. As long as there is some sort of positive growth rate, even if it is only a few percent, the net population will continue to expand very quickly (that is why graphs of human population growth have a ridiculously huge incline nearing the end of the spectrum, population growth is exponential when nothing is there to stop it). Assuming the human population will surpass what is ecologically sustainable (ignoring the fact the some populations are already much worse off than others), I think it's necessary to take action as soon as possible. If everyone couple in the world were to suddenly agree to have only two children, the net population would continue to grow for multiple decades until the overall age distribution stabilizes. Developing countries in particular tend to have far more young people than old people so their populations will hypothetically continue to become much larger as the century progresses. This is a ridiculously simple and, to a degree, exaggerated model, but I hope it explains my position. In this model everyone dies when they reach eighty-one years of age and every twenty year old marries and has two children. Assume we have a country with 100 eight year olds, 400 fifty year olds, and 2000 twenty year olds (for a total of 2500). If we introduce a two child limit per couple restriction, then in thirty years we'll have 400 eighty year olds, 2000 fifty year olds, and 2000 twenty year olds (for a total of 4400). In another thirty years we'll have 2000 eighty year olds, 2000 fifty year olds, and 2000 twenty year olds (for a total of 6000). That's a 240% increase before the population stabilizes after sixty years of birth restrictions (assuming the restrictions are kept in place then the native population will no longer continue to grow). The world's population growth may slow down but it the total population will continue to grow for a good while. I don't think it's much debated that the world cannot support billions upon billions of people with the same demands, and I think as more countries around the world continue to develop and industrialize then their demands for a higher quality of life (I'm making the assumption here that a higher quality of life necessitates greater resource consumption) making overpopulation a huge issue. Birth rates are low in some developed countries, Japan and Sweden have pretty much stabilized (and maybe Canada from what's been suggested by above posters?), but this is not the case for a lot of the world's population. What the world can support in regard to resources is something I don't know much about, I can only really throw out example numbers to show that the world population should continue to grow for a good while unless something very big happens to disrupt it. Edited November 21, 2008 by Wist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oguma Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 My opinion is: Some areas are, but in some areas (like Canada) Your like 2 American football fields away from your neighbour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defeatist Elitist Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 To clarify Canada's position. The AVERAGE family in Canada has like 1.2 Children. Our population would actually fall, except that we have massive immigration. This is one of the reasons that some Canadian cities are hugely multi cultural. If we didn't have immigrants, our population would fall rapidly. Oh, and those immigrants tend to stop having kids when they hit Canada. So yeah, I think in places with a higher quality of life, etc, having more kids is less important and less beneficial. Therefore people have fewer children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oguma Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 To clarify Canada's position. The AVERAGE family in Canada has like 1.2 Children. Our population would actually fall, except that we have massive immigration. This is one of the reasons that some Canadian cities are hugely multi cultural. If we didn't have immigrants, our population would fall rapidly. Oh, and those immigrants tend to stop having kids when they hit Canada. So yeah, I think in places with a higher quality of life, etc, having more kids is less important and less beneficial. Therefore people have fewer children. How do you have .2 of a person? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defeatist Elitist Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 How do you have .2 of a person? Want me to demonstrate? It could be a lot painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oguma Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Want me to demonstrate? It could be a lot painful. Sure, why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix Wright Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Sure, why not? It isn't literal. The average woman has 1 child mostly, with more than one mom (as in, counting all the moms in Canada), the entire average is 1.2. With the US at 2.3 (something like that), we are steady, if not for immigration. India is way too populated, they are poor already, and having 10 kids to raise a farm/take care of the parents, India ca fall apart a lot more easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLSothe Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 *Realizes Team Magma's dream, and expands the earth* HAHAH!!! *The world dies of thirsting to death* ... Shit. And, yes. In a few places, it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 *Realizes Team Magma's dream, and expands the earth*HAHAH!!! *The world dies of thirsting to death* ... Shit. And, yes. In a few places, it is. actually, i would think the world would die of heat stroke before dying of thirst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLSothe Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 actually, i would think the world would die of heat stroke before dying of thirst. They died of both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightgraves Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 We haven't reached overpopulation yet. As some people here have pointed out, the problem lies in resources since we don't seem to care much about it, to be honest. Also, the perceived overpopulation may come from the fact that everyone tries living in huge cities because of job oportunities and closeness to work. It is only natural that will make you think that, whereas there are some places in the world with point something persons per square mile :/. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteor Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 AIDS is gonna get us so it doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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