I don't believe we have an overpopulation problem. No one can prove that. In fact, I believe that saying we have an overpopulation problem is just a way to ignore the real and scientifically proven problem we have which is overconsumption.
This is our real problem:
1) According to the FAO, an estimated 7.3 million hectares of forest are lost each year. Conserve energy future says "One and a half acres of forest is cut down every second."
2) The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year. Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day.
3) We bin around 50m tonnes of electrical waste globally every year.
4) Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted. Food losses and waste amount to roughly US$ 680 billion in industrialized countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries. (FAO).
What can we do about that? Stop growth, stop the GDP equation as the measure to development.
Please share your thoughts.
Hi Mohammad Jebreel,
I think the real problem not just the statistics about the number of population but the human welfare. The most basic indicators to measure welfare in a country are GDP per capita and economic growth. Those measurements also can be used to make comparison inter-countries or within time frame. However, welfare is not merely about money but also food availability, fresh water, housing, education, security, safe environment, etc. Uncontrolled population growth may leads to higher competition to access those resources. Only the strong can win. From public aspect, government can get little benefits if they build massive infrastructure, public housing, schools, etc but at the same time allow population grow uncontrolled.
Population distribution across the world suggest a disparity in population growth rates. Some regions have more numbers of human populations based on the favoring policies and socioeconomic factors obtainable there. I could also reason that overconsumption is still a feature characterizing overpopulation hence, it must be treated as part of population challenges. The I= PAT equation by Drs Paul and Ann Ehrich rightly emphasized the significant impact of the rising human population as it induces environmental problems. Neo-Malthusianists believe in that philosophy.
I believe population management through birth control measures is imperative for some regions to match up the carrying capacity of the planet.
I agree with your arguments, but I would also like to add another important problem that exists all over the world today - this is global Ignorance, which, in turn, is the root cause of almost all global problems of humanity. it seems to me that today this is a problem that is paid less attention to than others, but its significance as a factor is much higher.
You are correct. This is unfounded effort by the rich countries to perpetuate exploitation of the poor by blaming the high numbers of population while they exploit they labour and resources to continue their greed to overconsume the life scares resources and to justify why they are not willing to share with the poor
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