Are We Ensuring the Survival of Our Species?

On October 31st, this weekend, the human population of this planet will reach seven billion.

People are dying all the time, and people are being born all the time. The number of those being born outweighs the dying, by six and a half million people, every month.

EVERY MONTH!! The population of the world INCREASES by around eighty million humans per year.
That's a fact. AND that rate of growth increases every day!

Every single one of these new humans want food, oil, water, living space, air, ipods and everything else you can name.

The planet is finite, that's a fact. There is no endless supply, of anything. Not on this planet anyway.
Once a litre of oil is used, it's gone. It's poisoned whatever it came into contact with. Once a rainforest is removed for farmland, it's gone. It's contribution to the envioronment stops. Once a species becomes extinct, it's gone.
You can see where I'm going.

Is anyone out there 'thick' enough to think the planet can sustain four hundred trillion humans? What about one hundred and sixty eight billion?
No? Less you say?
One hundred and sixty seven billion?
Is there anyone out there 'thick' enough to think it can sustain seven billion?

I certainly hope not.

What are we gonna do?

There is no denying the fact that overpopulation of humans is killing this very rare and special planet.
What do you suppose happens when the supplies of this planet run out? Do you think that money can help humans then? No? You're not that 'thick'?

A 'number' must be agreed upon. Measures/regulations must be agreed upon and established in order to harmonise our population with the rest of the eco system. There must be a number that can be sustained here for the remainder of the sun's life, and we must drop our population to that number and keep it there. For our own sake. Because in case you didn't know, if the planet becomes uninhabitable: we can't inhabit it. Fact.

I believe seven billion is far far too many humans. I believe it's ludicrous that we, as a whole, havn't realised this.
I believe we must begin, now, to drop our population. We should have kept it at the level it was in the dark ages. Around the half billion mark, I think. I think that Earth could sustain that for hundreds of thousands of years.
But seven billion? Maybe we can sustain that for two hundred years or so, but by then the population would have increased to 20 or 30 billion.

What do you think?

I stopped reading when you said that all new humans will want an ipod.
In case you didn't know there are people being born into a place outside of "civilization".

Yes we are many, but take away the oil and make everything local and you have solved the problem.

Geesh.


EDIT: And who would you assign the post to decide who lives and who dies? You made me upset. Don't think in those ways. Try to find a way to solve the problem without killing people.

reply to post by FejkNick


It was an attempt at humour, nothin more.
I know where people are born, and it tis true MOST humans are born outside of westernised civilisation. And MOST of them are born outside of any type of modern civilisation.
Nonetheless. The multitude of decendants those people will produce HAVE to life on THIS planet. There's nowhere else.

When do we stop? Once we reach 28 trillion?

The solution is one I would have never considered on my own...and certainly one never suggested by any main stream pundits.

Education, and a productive economy solves the problem. Populations decline and then stabilize in productive communities.

Overpopulation is a direct result of European Colonialism. Get rid of the Super Rich...get rid of the old European Lords, and population will equalize.

At exactly 7p.m. on October 31st, we all need to scream at the same time... "TRICK OR TREAT!!"
Then we can blame HAARP for the earthquake that causes.

I don't know how they can get an accurate number for the population, are they counting everyone in Africa? Really? How can anyone count all of them?

Originally posted by manontrial

 

Is anyone out there 'thick' enough to think the planet can sustain four hundred trillion humans? What about one hundred and sixty eight billion?
No? Less you say?
One hundred and sixty seven billion?
Is there anyone out there 'thick' enough to think it can sustain seven billion?

Well slap my arse n call me Thick!

If we ever reach the numbers you are talking about there (meaning we haven't been snuffed off the planet by then) then I'm positive by the time we get there, we'll learn how to live on this planet. And we'll do it with cleanliness and efficiency. We'll probably be spread out among the stars by then too, with new planets to inhabit.

As for 7 billion, yeah, it can be sustained, but it needs to be done a lot smarter than the way we go about things now. But when it comes to extinction versus adaptation, I believe we'll learn how to get it right.

Of course if you're really that worried about it, there's always tall buildings and bridges I kid.

reply to post by FrenchOsage


I think that would help, yes. Education especially.
But the answer isn't 'why' are we overpopulated? 'Whose fault' is it?
The answer is just that we ARE, and we need to combat that right now.

I believe education is a great start. The sad thing is that humans just don't care about the future of our species.
Who cares about the planet's gonna be like in sixty years? Two hundred years? 400 Thousand years?
I do.
Shouldn't we have a common goal of ensuring the survival of our species?
Or do we just not care if we become extinct as long as it happens after 'I' die?

I'd like to think that humans will be living all over the galaxy long after this planet has been swallowed up by the sun. But if we destroy the place before we develop the technology to leave here, then we WILL become extinct.
That's a sad thought.

I quite agree with you. 7 Billion is a big number. I'm not sure if some people are grasping just how many people 7 billion is. On paper written as a number, 7 billion can be miniscule. Then drop 7 billion mammals down. Massive difference.

With the way humans live today, this world will not last long at all. This magnificent planet that we call home is being destroyed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all year every year. It has been for the last 100 years. We as a species, I believe, won't be able to change. Sure, there are millions of humans who try to help the planet by buying their smart cars and what not. Except that isn't enough to change anything. I am not a "green" individual, just pointing out a fact. And I'm getting way off topic.

With the rate that we as a race are multiplying, we will outgrow this planet in less than 100 years most likely.

reply to post by Lighterside


Ha haaaaaaaa, yeah.

Adaptation you say? Yep I agree, but I don't agree with we can do it with seven billion. By 2020 that will be eight billion.
If you think seven can be sustained, don't you also think we should STOP the growth at seven?

Tall buildings and bridges. Harsh man, harsh.

reply to post by PlanetaryDuality


It IS a big number, you're right.

To help those who don't grasp that, here's a bit of comparison.

One million. That's a big number right?
And one second. That's not much time.
How long is one million seconds? Not long you say?
Well it's around ten days. Ten days long, ticking by every single second.
Ten days.
One billion. Not much bigger than a million right?
It's a thousand million.
How many days will a billion seconds take?
A billion seconds is around THIRTY FOUR YEARS!

A billion is an enormous amount. Seven billion is astounding.
There is not seven billion grains of sand on ANY beach you have ever seen. I guarantee it.

reply to post by manontrial

Is anyone out there 'thick' enough to think the planet can sustain four hundred trillion humans? What about one hundred and sixty eight billion?
No? Less you say?
One hundred and sixty seven billion?
Is there anyone out there 'thick' enough to think it can sustain seven billion?

You could do it if you had a power plant, like in the Matrix movie.

A 'number' must be agreed upon. Measures/regulations must be agreed upon and established in order to harmonise our population with the rest of the eco system.

The population will be determined by a computer Matrix, like in the movie.

But seven billion? Maybe we can sustain that for two hundred years or so, but by then the population would have increased to 20 or 30 billion.

Are you looking for the perfect number of people on the planet? The perfect number you are looking for might be between 500M to 1B. Does that pop. size does it allow for the same level of technological global sophistication that we enjoy today? Maybe it does, but maybe not!

I don't think we can enjoy the present day levels of modern technology if the world population were suddenly adjusted down to 1B tomorrow. Your idea is not a plausible or realistic scenario. If the pop. of the planet were brought down to 1B we will necessarily be dropped into a world that looks like 1891. Primitive to our modern day standards.

I think 7 billion can work on this planet - provided that Earth's natural resources are managed by computer regime rather than profiteers. This can easily be done by awarding managers for resource economy rather than awarding managers for profitability.

reply to post by SayonaraJupiter


OMG?
Dropped by six billion tomorrow? You're talking about genocide, holocaust or apocolypse there.

To drop will take generations of effort.
We can always continue to advance technologically. The population does not dictate our technology. Especially now that we are sufficiently advanced to understand that. We have a wealth of cumulative knowledge to base our future advancments on.

500 Million. Yes. That would be sustainable for the lifespan of this planet. I believe anyway.

reply to post by manontrial

You're talking about genocide, holocaust or apocolypse there.

Just hypothetically!

500 Million. Yes. That would be sustainable for the lifespan of this planet.

Here is what happens if we had a reduction to 500 Million.
1. There will be no more new cars built.
2. There will be no more new computers, iPhones, etc built.
3. There will be no more Starbucks, Wal-Mart, or convenience stores.
4. The global network of economics will be not existant.
5. 250 Million will be engaged in eco-agriculture.

We have to think sensibly about population! Any sudden changes have huge impact on our techno civilization

reply to post by manontrial


Dear manotrial,

Really, you are worried about the earth rather than people? Will the trees know when we are gone, without a soul, without understanding, does it really matter if there is vegetation on earth? Meaning comes from understanding, if anything understands more than humans please tell me what it is. The earth is here for us not us for the earth. Simple philosophy answers your questions. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it does it make a sound? If a universe exists and there is nobody for it to make sense to, does it make sense for a universe to exist? Have a nice life and be well.

I forgot, your name is man on trial, how bout you on trial?

reply to post by SayonaraJupiter


Um, what?

The techonlogical aspect of our existance in insignifact to our existance itself.

Did you know, if we become extinct, we will have NO technology.
Cars are not important. Computers are not important. The human species is important.
We must preserve it at ALL costs.
A life form is very rare. An intelligent one is rarer still. As far as we have yet discovered, there is only one single intelligent life form, anywhere.
Lets not let it grow so big it destroys it's own habitat and dies.

reply to post by manontrial


Star and flagging because although I do not necessarily agree with a "cap" on population, I think it is an excellent question and one we should ask ourselves more often. We should study the facts and figures, read the numbers and do the math. Quit burning fossil fuels, wasting water and blocking birth control. Otherwise we ARE spiraling toward doom at an exponential rate. The planet CANNOT sustain much more abuse and support life. The human species may wipe itself out by ignoring global sustainability.

On October 31st, this weekend, the human population of this planet will reach seven billion.

What do you want to bet someone comes and starts a thread on this?