Overpopulation, Should We Be Concerned?
There have been calculations of the world population, specifically using the method of exponential growth, the geometric version.
Over 10,000,000,000 people on Earth by 2050 is the prediction of our population, it’s a geometric increase because it’s a specific increase based on total population, like a percentage increase, affecting it like a factor.
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Calculations of population, VG, 2014
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In regards to estimations of population increase, so far, it’s been every 8 years of which there’s an increase of one billion (2006-2014), but the geometric increase is also to be considered, as well as:
disease, technical assistance,
economy, early pregnancies,
financial development, being an already large population,
natural disasters, bioengineering, and
“space”-such as living quaters- (It’s possible, just not plausible)
These are all factors to consider when determining population growth, especially in a debate.
3. What is an issue that is related to population growth that you would like to research?
Lack of resources:
-Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels
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There are 2 viewpoints revolving around population growth:
- Resources- not enough
- Technology- always supporting
The first viewpoint (negative towards overpopulation):
-We are quickly running out of fuel that our society is depending on more, that’s why gas prices went up, because it was becoming rarer (but I remember reading about a fuel reserve of some sort, online, I just don’t remember the site).
-We have been using up other resources and polluting our natural environment too much.
The second viewpoint (positive towards population growth):
-technology is advancing and we’re beginning to create our own resources
-science is so advanced, we’re being able to counter against all other natural epidemics
Though the one that features a lot of evidence is the one concerning about overpopulation, I will be supporting the viewpoint saying technology can aid us, for it acknowledges both points of population growth & uses evidence of the past to predict the future.
Humanity and technology in a mutual benefit, as technology assists us Earthicans, we also create more advanced technology, thus supporting it.
The Script:
[Mark, Jean (John), and Eren, three friends, are sitting in a pub. While Jean and Eren discuss a matter of overpopulation, Mark takes their information to true consideration, seeing as how he never even realized it was a matter to discuss in the first place.]
*J=Jean E=Eren M=Mark*
[As it starts, Mark stays silent throughout the entire conversation,]
J: Hey, have you ever wondered how much the Earth can support us?
E: What, you mean like it’s carrying capacity? Psh, we’ve got plenty of space.
J: You sure? I mean, if that’s so, then why are there so many people in undeveloped countries starving?
E: Well that’s just it, those are undeveloped countries. America wasn’t always hashtags and “can’t evens”, you know. There were times in history where the New World was in poverty.
J: Yeah, but still, it’s because they don’t have any resources; that’s why they can’t develop. (1)
[Eren sighs and starts again,]
E: No, it’s because they’re still going through changes, think about it, the Alpha build of a game won’t have everything it’s going to have later, sure that stuff isn’t even there, but the goal is to implement it into the final product.
J: Life is no game, humans are using or even destroying our one and only resources too quickly.
E: Well, yes, that’s true, but that phase is over, notice the awareness we took after noticing these things? We now make sure products don’t pollute, we recycle or reuse, and sometimes, reduce what we are using so it’s not to go to waste.
E: Well, yes, that’s true, but that phase is over, notice the awareness we took after noticing these things? We now make sure products don’t pollute, we recycle or reuse, and sometimes, reduce what we are using so it’s not to go to waste.
J: Well, what about space then? There are--
E: I’m going to stop you right there, trust me, the entire 7 billion people on this planet could all live in Texas, and no, not just crammed into that space, but live in a standard house size. Sure all the houses would need to be similar, but similar doesn’t mean exact, that would be something like congruent.
J: Whoa, wait, hold on, when did Math come into play here??
[Mark attempts to interrupt but is cut off]
M: Uh, guys, how did we get into talking about this in the fir--[Mark’s speech fades off: (--st place…)]
E: Trust me, math takes a bigger role in this than you think. It’s actually because of math that we have this information.
J: Well you know what, our usage means still need to change.
E: I agree, but shouldn’t you acknowledge technology? Think about it, sooner or later, we might even become cyborgs, humans with robotic augmentations and such. But going back to math, it’s estimated that by 2050, there will be 10 billion people on this Earth, but because--
M: That much? Jeez, great, say hello to higher gas prices, am I right? Aheheh…
E: ...Anyway, if we were truly concerned about this, we would be taking extreme precautions.
J: Well, if overpopulation is of no concern, then why does China limit the amount of children you can have?
E: Because that’s overpopulation in a concentrated area.
J: So now you’re hypocritical?
E: Well, it’s more like cities are too populous, rather than the entire Earth being in danger.
J: Then what about gas being much more expensive?
E: Corporations want money, there was a recent discovery of many fossil fuels--
J: Oh, let me guess, you read that on the Internet? Do you even remember the site?
E: Alright, fine, let’s just assume that there wasn’t a discovery, but relating to gas, why do you think we have electric, fuel efficient cars now? Gas, regardless of the price, makes pollution, so technology is advancing with the times, sooner or later, we won’t need the many fossil fuels we strive for.
J: I still think that in a few hundred years, we’ll be gone.
M: I’d say that we’d still be kicking a thousand years later, with drunk robots and cool cyclopes, right?
E: I agree, just not to that degree… in the scenario that we run out of natural resources, which in the case of our efficient technology that’ll take forever, we’d probably have enough scientific advance to reach out past the stars, especially since space travel is already possible. Think about it, us humans are true creatures of genius, we adapt and evolve without taking thousands of years. We are even synthesizing our own food now, but it’s frowned upon because it’s new and different. Can you really say that with our technology we’d simply run out of all resources and slowly die off? The famed future of the next millennium predicted in the 90s is already here, we can soar past all expectations and I feel like by the next century, humanity will still have Earth, it’s just not the only option.
J: It just seems like the population is growing too quickly.
E: Yeah, that’s right, but electronics are growing even faster, we can render better than life visuals now, and even make them interactable. And that’s just on the entertainment side of science and tech.
M: You guys wanna know what I say? I say that whether or not I knew about this issue, it really wouldn’t matter, Eren here did bring up a lot more points than you did, Jean.
J: But nothing he said has happened yet, he’s pretty much saying that Mars is our failsafe planet, how can you believe in that?
M: Simple, I a bit buzzed right now, so my judgement is a tad bit off…
E: Ok, Jean, think of this; we have robots that can do work for us, remember how much this was fantasized just a mere decade ago? The idea was that it would take us more than a thousand years to make human like AI, but guess what, you can talk to some right now on the Internet.
[Jean looks at his smartphone briefly and looks back up at Eren]
J: ... Okay, maybe we’ve got more than a hundred years...
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My sources (cited)-
(1) Overpopulation Is Not the Problem, Erle C. Ellis, The New York Times
(2) Energy, NA, World Resources Institute
(3) Overpopulation: Environmental and Social Problems, NA, how many(?).org
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