The Math of Human Overpopulation

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_Expectancy_2008_Estimates_CIA_World_Factbook.png  A frightening look that shows how longer life expenctancy is adding to population problems. 

In our above study we started only with 4 people, but what if we started with 400, or 4 Billion? By the way, as of November 2009, the earths population was 6.8 Billion people, and growing. As of November 2009 birth rates have been put at 134 million per year, while death rates are at 57 million per year.

Even one child could be considered growth, because until one of its parents has died, it is still another mouth to feed, an other body to cloth, and so forth.

As soon as a child is born it becomes a burden on the planet (in developed nations more so than in undeveloped ones). It is instantly born a consumer. While some women breast feed, many buy formula, bottles, and so on. The child needs diapers, and already creates waste. As it grows up it needs food and clothing. When it moves out it needs housing. Urban sprawl has shown how unsustainable population growth is consuming farm land at a rapid pace.

While governments encourage population growth for economic factors they are living in the here and now, and not looking at the long term damage of having more people than the planet can sustain. They are only looking at their tiny part of the world, rather than the planet as a whole. Immigration would be a good way of improving the economy because it puts more adults, contributing members, into the society quickly. Birthing is a drain until the children are old enough to work and thusly pay taxes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Population_growth_rate_world.PNG  Chart showing world wild population growth in by percent per year.  As you can see very few countries show negative population growth, most see growth of over 1 % every year. 

Bringing numbers from one area of the planet, where there are too many, into another where there are not enough is pretty easy math, and far more sustainable to the planet in the long run.

However a better solution still exists, one that sees the world learn to function in a place with no population growth, or what many scientists would like to see, a world with negative growth for some years.

Many people are in denial that a problem exists, they argue that “There is still lots of empty land in Montana”. It does not occur to these people that we still need resources for housing, feed, clothing, and so forth of these people, not to mention most of the land they speak of is currently being grazed by cattle to feed our current population.

Sadly, articles like this, usually fall on deaf ears, preaching only to the choir, those that already understand the problems and concerns of human overpopulation. The reality of the problems are so monumental few people care to look at them, and few people bother to do basic math to see that when a family of 2 adults has 2 children, that they have doubled their own population.

Few people take into account that the earth has a limited space and that we need to work together as a species. Since the only person we can control is ourself, we need to look at ourself for the answer. In other words we should not point fingers and blame this nation or that one, we can only act for ourselves.
We can decide if we are going to have one child, two, four, or none at all. We, as humans, control the population growth of many species on the planet, yet have mostly ignored to control our own. Most people feel having children is their right, irregardless of their genetic superiority (or lack thereof).

Only a few people are understanding, and willing, to put their own biological clock aside and have made the choice to have either one child, or none at all.

Do the math, until we die, and since we know we (humans) are living longer and longer, any child we have is population growth. Plain and Simple.

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