Overpopulation: Is there a Solution ?

Isn't that what the

Spoiler

is about?

Yep, pretty much. I reckon either that or nuclear war are the only ways we are going to have a mass population decline :frown:

Reply 21

naturalselection

The earth will take care of itself, it has been around for billions of years and humans can't do a damn thing to it. If the population peaks to 10 Billion (as predicted) eventually the earth will not provide enough resources for everyone. Soil will be depleted of nutrients and won't produce crops, worldwide famine, wars, amongst other things will take place. Then the dying humans can help to replenish the very soil they came from, dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Reply 22

PicardianSocialist

6

Original post by sevchenko

We all know the overpopulation of the earth is a problem. Worldwide famine, disease and conflict for resources will plague our next generation if we don't do anything.

But what can be done to solve this problem or have we gone past the window to take reasonable measures, is only drastic measures needed to solve the overpopulation problem ?

China use the one baby per family scheme. Families seek to maintain their family name so baby girls get aborted. There will be an imbalance of Males to Females in future China, leading to a creation crisis for China's next generation. If this was deployed it would have to be monitored to prevent imbalances and would require great intrusions in people's lives .

OR can we forcefully sterilise a large proportion world's population to reduce the population, is that morally right. Do the rights of an Individual exceed that of the greater good of humanity?

I was wondering is there any other solutions people can see

People have been warning of the terrors of overpopulation for two centuries and for two centuries we have somehow managed to avoid the apocalypse. If the West is any example, population growth will peak once poorer areas of the world become more developed.

Reply 23

PhysicsGal

18

Original post by sevchenko

We all know the overpopulation of the earth is a problem. Worldwide famine, disease and conflict for resources will plague our next generation if we don't do anything.

But what can be done to solve this problem or have we gone past the window to take reasonable measures, is only drastic measures needed to solve the overpopulation problem ?

China use the one baby per family scheme. Families seek to maintain their family name so baby girls get aborted. There will be an imbalance of Males to Females in future China, leading to a creation crisis for China's next generation. If this was deployed it would have to be monitored to prevent imbalances and would require great intrusions in people's lives .

OR can we forcefully sterilise a large proportion world's population to reduce the population, is that morally right. Do the rights of an Individual exceed that of the greater good of humanity?

I was wondering is there any other solutions people can see

Good points :smile:

The forceful sterilisation apparently has been tried in the past - in 1970's in India men were forcefully sterilised.

I think we don't need to worry about slowing population growth, but rather about creating more resources, or using technology etc. to make sure we distribute the otherwise plentiful resources we have. In cases like food - we have enough food to feed everyone properly on the planet, but it's not DISTRIBUTED/accessible, which is why millions, perhaps billions, of people are dying of chronic hunger.

So more resources and proper distribution I think are more important imo

Reply 24

JD95

16

Original post by booooomblastruin

Anyone here watch

Spoiler

on Channel 4? That seemed the most feasible solution. I bet someone is working on something similar as we speak :eek:

What's it about?

Reply 25

Chlorophile

20

Original post by Nick100

Overpopulation is not a problem; we have the technology to feed and provide energy for everyone on Earth. The problem we face as a species is that much of the world is under the control of kleptocrats, tyrants, and corrupt bureaucrats.

Absolute rubbish. Yes, we have the technology to provide energy for everyone on earth but that technology is destroying the planet. Enabling Britain alone - a small country of 60 million people - to run off renewable would cost trillions, something that is unfeasable with current attitudes. In addition, there's the issue of consumerism. We are addicted to plastics, yet the oil reserves are running out. At the current rate, plastics are going to be economically unsustainable to produce with in 50 years.

In answer to the OP, there is no solution. The only ways to combat overpopulation are "uncomfortable", and people in the western world would rather be comfortable than ensure a future for future generations. The human race is going to continue pretty much as it always has done, until something terrible happens. Our species is not proactive and never has been.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 26

moggis

18

1) Invent religion

2) Invent the atom bomb

3) Wait

Reply 27

User995789

14

If the US distributed the tones of wheat they throw away and gave it to hungry people then yes.
If people became vegetarian or consumed a lot less meat then yes.

Reply 28

rcummins1

11

A huge version of total wipeout. Only the fit and healthy survive.

Reply 29

username129099

15

I'd imagine the way our planet is globalised with travel possible within a few hours, and as we are seeing in hospitals with the growth of superbugs I would think some kind of pandemic will be inevitable.

The idea of reducing child birth is a short sighted one, you end up like China with a horrible population imbalance with too many old people and not enough young workers. In quite cold terms, the ideal population method would primarily affect old people.

Reply 30

OedipusTheKing

11

Start a massive research and development programme into terraforming - quickly :colonhash:

Reply 31

Snagprophet

17

Stop letting them come here and having 8 kids. Come on guys, this isn't the baby boom. This isn't the third world where you had to have a hundred kids to have the likelihood that one won't die from cholera. Wake up and either accept where you live isn't the third world or return to it.

Reply 32

usernme_

10

they have built islands in the ocean (see world map islands for example) if they build enough of these then people could move into the ocean and theres more sea than there is land although if they did this there would have to be some policy on how many kids people have so not to be selfish to sea animals
and austraila is very sparsly populated so more could go nd live there
also deserts eg in america arnt very populated and if they managed tp build vegas in nevada surely they could fill the rest of it up

Reply 33

username911777

15

Mother nature will find a way.

Personally I'm hoping for a zombie outbreak.

But in all seriousness there is bound to be an infectious disease/virus which wipes out part of the world population.