Over population! (Lab)

[kcrabtree0079]

I am doing this for an environmental biology lab. I would appreciate it much to finish my lab online! I do not have time to ask 100 people... eh... I just don't want to! Thanks for the help guys!

 

[kcrabtree0079]

Ok, so HTML doesn't work in Poll titles... sorry about that ::slaps his forehead Doh!::

 

[ale_jrb]

No; the world can support a significantly larger population than the one it currently maintains. It simply needs better resource management.

 

[cordy_CinVin]

As a whole no, but def. in certain areas of the world.

 

[Ralanost]

We are too clustered and we are eating the planet alive. People keep having too many children. We are bad enough as it is, but if this keeps up we are screwed in another century or so.

 

[HJ-Pinnelipe]

Then again, with how technology is advancing, it's almost doubtful we'll even be on earth in another century or so. I think we'll colonate another planet by then. Mars could support us with the proper terra forming and such.

I agree we're too crowded, but I also agree that anything is probably too crowded if it means I have to stop at a traffic light. I do not agree with monitoring births or introducing sterility drugs into a drinking supply. The world can do with less of us, but I'm not willing to get rid of myself for it or say I won't give birth to any children because of it so it must not be too crowded enough yet for me. I don't think I can answer the question.

 

[Ralanost]

I say one to two kids per family is fine. People that have 5+ kids is way out of control. No one needs that many kids.

 

[Gate]

Humanity is consuming itself out of house and home. Our resource consumption habits are completely unsustainable and are getting worse all the time. Especially as countries like China and India keep advancing.

We are so far off from colonizing another planet that the notion is absurd. We haven't even established a simple moon-base much less a fully independant colony. That isn't happening any time in the reasonable future. Terraforming is complete fantasy right now, not even science fiction.

Either we take measures to control our population or nature will do it for us in the same way it has done for every single species out there that has outgrown its capacity to support itself. Animal populations crash all the time, and sometimes go extinct if they get too far out of balance and the wave can't correct itself. Technology has kept us going this long, far further than we could have ever dreamed decades ago, but unless we get some truly massive breakthroughs that literally change the way we live utterly and completely, we are going to be in serious trouble. I personally think we are in serious trouble already.

 

[HJ-Navarre]

Ok, so HTML doesn't work in Poll titles... sorry about that ::slaps his forehead Doh!::

fixed.

 

[Dyngo]

No; the world can support a significantly larger population than the one it currently maintains. It simply needs better resource management.

I, sort of, agree with this.
If the people ine the developing countries gonna live like I do, were i deep trouble. But I would gladly change my lifestyle, and I think I actually do so, to make room for them.

The questions is probably bigger then you think kcrabtree, it's not really a yes or no question (to me).
However, I must say the third option is my favourite!!

 

[HJ-Dune Walker]

[The dignity of the human species] will be completely destroyed [if the population growth continues at its present rate]. I use what I call the bathroom metaphor: if two people live in an apartment and there are two bathrooms, then both have freedom of the bathroom. You can go to the bathroom anytime you want to stay as long as you like for whatever you need. But if you have twenty people in the apartment and two bathrooms, no matter how much every person believes in freedom of the bathroom, there is no such thing. You have to set up times for each person; you have to bang on the door, “Aren’t you done yet?” In the same way, democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive. Convenience and decency can’t survive. As you put more and more people onto the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesn’t matter if someone dies, the more people there are, the less one person matters.

- Isaac Asimov

With every person born, we spread our dwindling resources further. There is nothing to be gained from increasing our populations. There is no benefit. There is only detriment. It's like drinking mercury to quench your thirst.

Categorically speaking? We are tecnically not yet overpopulated. If we were, we'd already be doomed. When we suffer our Die Off after we Overpopulate, we may quite possibly go extinct. At best we will be rocketed back to the stone ages. There is no denying it, there is no doubt, when we exceed carrying capacity, when the natural forces of a Global Die Off come into play, it will be the single greatest cataclysm ever known.

Billions of people will die, billions from starvation, billions more from the utter collapse of civilization. Billions. think of the size, weight and significance of that term. The earth will be ravaged, as we plunder it of whatever we can to survive. Violence will be greater than we have ever known. We will exhaust countless other species to near or complete extinction as we languish in centuries of tortuous writhing, trying pitiably to scrape some form of existance from the ashes.

This is fact.
This is the future.

Change it.

~Dune~

Edit - I clicked the wrong poll button. *sighs*

 

[kcrabtree0079]

I tend to view the bacteria as climbing the top of the food chain. Or maybe forming a circular food chain. There is really nothing natural to control our population levels. We do have things like AIDs and Cancer which may sound horrible but they do help control population levels to a certain extent. Maybe bacteria and diseases are our predators. Look at what the black plague did! Granted we have fixed that but we can't really stop AIDs and certain types of cancer. There will always be something we can't cure or trying to stop.

 

[Dyngo]

We do have things like AIDs and Cancer which may sound horrible but they do help control population levels to a certain extent. Maybe bacteria and diseases are our predators.

or...

We do have things like WTO and IMF which may sound horrible but they do help(?) control population levels to a certain extent. Maybe [these types of] bacteria and diseases are our predators.

..so, from my perspective, I voted "no".

 

[Ripert]

Over populated? No.

Over concentrated? Over consuming? Over polluting? Possibily.

 

[kcrabtree0079]

Well... natural disasters and whatnot are generally counted in the population...

 

[WatchMaker]

No; the world can support a significantly larger population than the one it currently maintains. It simply needs better resource management.

He's exactly right. Just because someone in Africa is starving doesn't mean there isn't food for them. Pretty sure I read a study awhile back saying if you took every body on earth, you could easily fit them shoulder to shoulder in Cuba.

Also,

Jesus. Christ. I laughed so hard when I read Dune's post. It sounds like a bad plot to a low-budget sci-fi movie.

With every person born, we spread our dwindling resources further. There is nothing to be gained from increasing our populations. There is no benefit. There is only detriment. It's like drinking mercury to quench your thirst.

Which dwindling resource are you talking about? The "energy crisis" that we've already found countless solutions to, or the one where we have to re-plant crops?.. Wait, nevermind. But yea, who do those bastards think they are, having babies and stuff? Lets get them to drink mercury! That'll show em.

Categorically speaking? We are tecnically not yet overpopulated. If we were, we'd already be doomed. When we suffer our Die Off after we Overpopulate, we may quite possibly go extinct. At best we will be rocketed back to the stone ages. There is no denying it, there is no doubt, when we exceed carrying capacity, when the natural forces of a Global Die Off come into play, it will be the single greatest cataclysm ever known.

You know, capitalizing words doesn't make them official terms. Neither does underlining and bolding. What you're saying here is, once we make too many babies, they'll eat our food, and we will all die off... And if we don't die off, we'll go back to stones and chisels? I guess that's possible. I mean, I can't see the future. Hell, that could be exactly how things work out, but I wouldn't bet my bottom dollar on it. I'm more worried about that one in a billion chance of a comet hitting us. Or the moon flying away. Or the sun going out. Or aliens. Or Mole Men.

Fact is, you don't know either. So don't go acting like you do. Your post sounded more like a trailer to a movie than it did a serious post. I really really hope I missed your joke, Dune. Even though I don't like you, this post was over the top.

 

[Performer]

The World is most assuredly overpopulated - at least by a Factor of ten.
It sounds trivialized and like Hippierubbish, but the other Beeings have a Right to live, too. Heck, even Landscapes have a right to Exist, if you ask me !

What makes the Life of a Human worth more than that of any other living Thing ?
I never understood that.

There is nothing to be gained from increasing our populations. There is no benefit. There is only detriment.

I can't agree 100%: The more Population a Civilisation has, the more Nichemarket-"Products" it can afford, thus making it's Members happier. So an ideal Community has to have a certain (big) Minimumsize.

I laughed so hard when I read this. It sounds like a bad plot to a low-budget sci-fi movie.

So, what do you think will happen ?

 

[WatchMaker]

The reason I thought it sounded like a bad movie plot is because it's so ridiculous. I have a hard time understand why any educated person would think the world is over populated, but I also understand not everyone sees things the way I do. So, with that in mind, if you honestly think we're going to die from having too many babies, coolio. Whatever rows your boat, mate.

But keep in mind, no matter what you believe, it's your opinion. Jesus. His post was nothing but sad attempts at declarative statements, one after another.

Billions of people will die, billions from starvation, billions more from the utter collapse of civilization. Billions. think of the size, weight and significance of that term. The earth will be ravaged, as we plunder it of whatever we can to survive. Violence will be greater than we have ever known. We will exhaust countless other species to near or complete extinction as we languish in centuries of tortuous writhing, trying pitiably to scrape some form of existance from the ashes.
This is fact.
This is the future.

Change it.

~Dune~

I still can't believe it, reading it again. How could anyone make a post like that? If by, reasons unbeknown to me, Dune Walker has been given a gift to see the future, then he should tell us... Because believe me, I'm more than ready to get out there and kill a few baby making jerks to prevent "utter collapse of civilization" and to keep "billions of deaths from dying of starvation".

The Whole, two bathrooms for Twenty people is a nice theory. It really is. Honestly. It's just totally Irrelevant to our situation. We're not locked down to a set amount of resources in the sense that there's not enough for everyone. There's PLENTY for everyone, for years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and years and then even a few Days. The problem is, they can't get it because of where they are, and what it takes to get either them to the resources, or the resources to them. And it's a real shame.

But like I said, we don't have limited resources. Certainly not now, and I have a hard time seeing it getting much worse tens of thousands of years from now. Humans have been presented with problems before, and you know what? We're still here! Yay humans!

--------

Now, as to what I think will happen. Well, all jokes aside, I can't say anything in particular about the human race. We've overcame lots of issues to be where we are today, but we've also screwed ourselves over a lot. It's a toss up, I guess, but if I had to choose one course... Humans will carry on. Years after my last bone has rotted away, and years after Dune's attempt at being Nostradamus is forgotten, humans will still be here. Happy as ever, eating and drinking, and making babies. (Yes, 5+ kids to a family too!)

Feel free to preach the end of the world if you want, but I sleep pretty damn good with my vision. To each their own, but seriously 'LOL' at that post.

~WatchMaker~

 

[Performer]

...if you honestly think we're going to die from having to many babies, coolio. Whatever rows your boat, mate.

Sure we're not dying because of Babies. But there's only so much Space and so much Resources. And it's Human Nature to fight over Resources. Less Resources for more Humans results in more Fighting - seems like a simple Calculation to me. And in Case you haven't noticed, the US have recently fought a War to make sure american Humans are the ones getting a certain Resource, instead of other Humans.

I mean, where do you think we're going ? Fusionpowered subterranean Farms producing Nutrition for Billions of People, and the advanced States giving them for free to the less fortunate ? Just out of Kindness ?


...by the Way, i agree that Dunes Post was sensationally worded, but isn't your Counterstrike a Bit exaggerated ?

 

[Gate]

Fact: We are currently over-fishing our oceans. In a few decades we will see massive crashes in the ocean's edible fish populations if we keep going the way we are. A vast quantity of people eat seafood for a major source of protein.

That is just one example of a critical resource that we are over-tapping and when it goes we won't just be able to magic up a replacement. Dune may have been incredibly over-dramatic in his statements, but what he was describing was nothing other than a population crash. Anyone who has taken a conservation biology (or similar) class understands how to model populations and the resources they draw upon. It works for deer, it works for oceans, it works for people. The only difference is with people it is far more complex, especially since we keep re-writing the rules as new technologies make more things possible.

However, many of those technologies that keep us going are themselves based unsustainable practices. They just push the clock back a bit, not solve any problems. We have dwindling supplies of seafood, freshwater, oil, and a variety of other vital resources. Until we work out a realistic, practical, affordable way to provide substitutions or infinite extensions to those resources, we are not sustaining anything, merely holding back the tide.

Plugging your finger in the hole in the dam is not a sustainable solution, and when the dam goes, you are standing in the worst possible place.

I highly recommend a couple of books on these subjects. One is Resource Wars by Michael T. Klare. I heard him speak at my college and he gave a very informative, well-thought out lecture which is reflected in his book. It's from 2001 so it's a bit out of date now, but still highly relevant. It describes the most likely conflicts of the future (and present)- over the very things that sustain our way of life.

The other book that I recommend is Which World? by Allen Hammond. This book is a great look at some plausible scenarios of what can happen in the near future as our world continues on its present course. There are positive futures, negative futures, and a variety of things in-between. He discusses trends, cultures, regions, economies, politics and more. If you want to see some well thought out descriptions of what our world could be like, and the paths that could lead to those situations, read this book.

(Edited for spelling, grammar, and book links)