Overpopulation is an ever present threat, discuss.

Makemadam · Jan 28th 2019

Overpopulation is a problem that needs to be dealt with on a global scale. Unfortunately Western governments are hesitant to even raise the issue out of fear of being perceived to be taking away our 'human rights'.

If we worked together and only had no more 2 children per household this would be sufficient to reduce it but the reality of a world that would voluntarily take this on board is a non-starter.

I think we should bring about a policy of a 2 child max per household without severe financial consequences.

Our water is running out, food will be in short supply, habitat for other mammals destroyed, spread of disease increased. The list goes on yet it isn't at the forefront of any political agenda and is largely swept under the carpet.

What should we do to control this issue that could cost our future generations dearly?

**Heero Yuy** · Jan 28th 2019

I believe the current estimate is that we need the resources of 3 Earths to maintain the current population and 6 Earths if that population was bought up to European standards of health, energy consumption etc. The corollery of that is that the population must be decreased by 6 fold if we are to survive at all.

That won't happen so the future is bleak.

**Horizon** · Jan 28th 2019

The subject of overpopulation has been mentioned before in this thread:

UN Say Millions Starving. Should we let them "get on with it"?

And as mentioned in that thread, the late Swedish mathmatician Hans Rosling had calcualkted that the population growth woould plateua in around 100 years, I think it was and by then most people would not have more than two kids. Africa is due for a population explosion of around a few billion, as the least devlopmened continent on the world and then after that population numbers would level out.

The BBC has shown several shows with Hans Rosling and one of them was embedded in the other thread. It's well worth watching, although the one I saw on the BBC a few years was better and I haven't been able to find it yet.

If Rosling is wrong, then the wars of the future will be foought over water, firstly, then food and if the opulation "only" grows by a few more billion, we still have got to think of a way to feed them and ensure everyone has enough energy. At the moment, only a small part of the world's population has energy, let alone clean water to drink or enough food and more people will only exasparate this.

Fidget · Jan 29th 2019

This may sound callous, but the feeding of the worlds starving should be limited to those who control their population. What's the point of feeding a few, when they go on to produce more offspring that need saving from starvation?

Many people have seen this video, but if you haven't then please watch it. It brings home the futility of it all and makes the numbers involved more understandable.

Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs

Nigel_Brooks · Jan 29th 2019

Overpopulation is the biggest threat to humanity , not wars or climate change as both are invariably caused by the the topic , JUST DO NOT EXPECT the likes of the BBC or the left wing to even attempt to discuss it . Religion is a major factor around the world , Catholics in Africa being a prime example of dogma taking over from common sense.

Armitage Shanks · Jan 29th 2019

I recently became aware that at the time of Band Aid in 1985 the population of Ethiopia was about 40 million. Now it has grown to around the 100 million mark. In the same time the population of the UK has grown by about 20 million with 5 million being migration from the EU due to freedom of movement since 2004.

**Horizon** · Jan 29th 2019

Quote from Armitage Shanks

I recently became aware that at the time of Band Aid in 1985 the population of Ethiopia was about 40 million. Now it has grown to around the 100 million mark. In the same time the population of the UK has grown by about 20 million with 5 million being migration from the EU due to freedom of movement since 2004.

Africa's population is expected to explode by at least a few billion after centuries of colonialism which kept the numbers down, but as Hans Rosling said, he expects it will plateau in the end.

Quote from Nigel_Brooks

Overpopulation is the biggest threat to humanity , not wars or climate change as both are invariably caused by the the topic , JUST DO NOT EXPECT the likes of the BBC or the left wing to even attempt to discuss it . Religion is a major factor around the world , Catholics in Africa being a prime example of dogma taking over from common sense.

I think nuclear weapons in the hands of death cults like ISIS or in the hands of nutjobs like Putin, are the greatest threat.

Quote from Fidget

This may sound callous, but the feeding of the worlds starving should be limited to those who control their population. What's the point of feeding a few, when they go on to produce more offspring that need saving from starvation?

Many people have seen this video, but if you haven't then please watch it. It brings home the futility of it all and makes the numbers involved more understandable.

Immigration, World Poverty and Gumballs

Brief answer to this, but developing countries lack education, contraception etc. They need to develop before they can start to control their own populations.

Fidget · Jan 30th 2019

Quote from Horizon

Brief answer to this, but developing countries lack education, contraception etc. They need to develop before they can start to control their own populations.

It's a 'chicken or the egg' type scenario. How can they improve welfare and education when the population is too high, and getting higher? It's just pouring money into making the problem worse. They need to start limiting aid to families with two, or less, children. If they go above that number then aid stops.

**Horizon** · Jan 30th 2019

I think each country needs to find the balance in its own way, otherwise we end up with a China type situation of state population control with all the severe problems that will bring them in the future.

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