What defines overpopulation? Are we overpopulated when we are limited on living space? Or is it based on the starvation rates? I would think that it could be easily argued that much of the world’s malnutrition is caused by apathy from our world’s richer states overindulging.
“Overpopulation refers to a condition where an organism’s numbers exceed the carry capacity of its habitat.” (from Wikipedia.) Carry capacity could be food, water, literal living space, etc.
Basing overpopulation on mathematics, as human growth is eccentric and it doesn’t take in to account things such as technological growth and many other factors, which make it possible for our population to safely grow.
There are many things that curb population growth, but for global population to continue to grow unstopped there will be a global overpopulation problem. I’m not saying there will definitely be a global overpopulation problem someday.
Saying we are close to being overpopulated, or at least reach a max carrying capicty on earth, can only be speculative and not inevitable in the near future.
When did I say anything contrary to this?
Thomas Malthus said the same thing 250 years ago, believing our food supplies were going to run out. Soon, though, the world experieced what is know as the “Second Agricultural Revolution”, where food surpluses increased and more people could be accomodated for. Even now, we are going through a “Third Agricultural Revolution.”
Yup. I already alluded to this type of thing. The problem is several fold: 1) You can’t expect this to keep happening to the point where the earth can support an infinite number of people. 2) It is possible for our agricultural output to decrease based on a variety of factors.
Like I said, past estimates on when overpopulation are wrong. You can’t extend this inaccuracies to assume that the world’s human population can continue to grow indefinitely. It can’t.
What about local population problems? This, like you mentioned, is a much more dire problem then world overpopulation. This is, though, a handleable problem. Find ways to promote people to move to new areas, start missions in areas and open food kitchens, sponser house building, etc.
My point with local population problems is that we know what happens when there is overpopulation. It’s not pretty.
The only reason we would have any sort of overpopulation crisis, in the near future, is if we remain apathetic to those suffering and don’t try to spread food surpluses and help shelter people.
No, that’s not true. Based on your logic, the earth can support infinite people if we simply reallocate resources. This idea is beyond ridiculous.
The single biggest contributing factor to why people in certain parts of the world are starving to death and the futility in the reallocation of resources is evil and corrupt governments. It has nothing at all to do with the world being overpopulated.
Unfortunately for your argument, I am clearly
note saying the world is overpopulated right now. I’m saying it could be someday, and will be if population continues to grow unabated.
And that is one of its fatal flaws. It assumes we have some supply of food somewhere as in a stock pile being drawn from that is running out.
The problem is, most people today don’t refer to food as running out. It’s a matter of people’s needs versus agricultural output.
People seem to be taking my statement to mean “If the world’s population grows a little bit beyond what it is now” and that’s not what I’m saying at all.
I’m saying if it continues to grow, as in does not stop.
When will it happen? World population of 10 billion? World population of 100 billion? 100 trillion? I don’t know that much, and I’m not saying that much.
It’s possible the world’s population will grow to, say, 20 billion, then hold steady from there, and we never have a global population problem. But steady state at 20 billion isn’t “continuing to grow” so my statement (involving “if”) would still be correct.
