Overpopulation?

Ideal population of humans: How many people can, or should, each country, and the whole planet support?

April 11, 2023 July 23, 2023

It seems like the human population has forever been growing, but any analysis makes it clear growth must stop eventually at some level. The question becomes at what level should growth stop?

Do we go for the maximum possible people just before everything collapses, even if average living standards could be far better with a smaller population? With caged hens being farmed for eggs people advocate for a lower free-range population instead of denser living caged hens as it provides a better existence, but does anyone advocate against multinationals and politicians pushing for denser and denser housing for humans in order to allow bigger populations of humans for them to farm?

It seems to be accepted that global population growth should stop but claimed that countries who end population growth face economic disaster.

Overpopulation: starvation is not the symptom.

December 1, 2019 December 1, 2019

The Myth: We are not starving yet means we aren’t overpopulated. The Truth: Overpopulation is defined as when population reaches a level resulting in damaging to the environment and is unsustainable. Starvation only happens if overpopulation continues until a final catastrophic environmental collapse and is no more a symptom of overpopulation than death is a symptom of disease. Unsustainability is a symptom.

Consider grazing animal on a farm. Overpopulation means unattainability and the animals eat grass faster than it grows, starvation when there is no grass left.

We are not yet starving, but unsustainability means we are overpopulated, and progressively, all but perhaps the richest 1% must suffer if we fail to constrain population.

Peak Population 2055: Really? That soon?

April 30, 2019 April 3, 2022

Is it realistic that Earth could reach peak population by 2055, there really the largest number of under 35s on Earth there will ever be? Peak newborns already? What is the reality, and what are the implications?

The Potential Scale and Impact of population growth: 7 trillion humans?

March 8, 2017 April 3, 2022

7 trillion looks like a typo, but no, the maths shows that either by continuing the actual global population growth levels typical the 20th century,

Brexit and Trump: Common Theme?

June 24, 2016 February 18, 2022

I suggest there are two key points in common between the nomination of Donald Trump as the republican candidate, and the ‘Brexit’ vote in the

Next steps for mankind don’t include the Sci-Fi dream of a new home planet.

May 31, 2016 July 26, 2022

There is a dream, often explored in science fiction, where humanity inhabits not just one planet, but many.

While the dream is still centuries away, as is ‘Earth 2.0‘, the reality, working towards small outposts on Mars or the Moon or even beyond is overwhelming compelling and can provide many rewards.

Humanity may get back up outposts, but for centuries, will have no real second home, and over 99% of us will still need to live on our one finite planet.