Myth of Overpopulation

The recent increase in the level of junk science that has reached the mainstream has become truly frightening. It is truly amazing what people will believe instead of thinking for themselves, and even more amazing what they will try to force other people to believe. Overpopulation is one of the most popular junk sciences these days, and I can rarely go through a day without someone giving an illogical and oft irrational lecture on the subject. There is simply no such thing as overpopulation, and when given even the most cursory examination, the arguments that claim overpopulation exists do not hold up in the slightest. (Rutherford, 2008)

Most common among the overpopulation zealots is the starvation argument. People apparently starve to death because there is not enough food. They cite such propaganda as KCTV's statement that "over 800 million people are languishing amid starvation and poverty in many foreign countries." Somehow, they leave out that nearly half the food produced in the US and many other nations simply goes to waste. (Food Production Daily, 2008) People are not starving due to a lack of food, they are starving due to inadequate distribution of the food, often due to political regimes and warfare. This is very sad, but not a matter of overpopulation, just an example of man's inhumanity to man.

Another amusing argument towards overpopulation is the belief that there is not enough oxygen on the planet to support an increase in human population. Now, the current population of the world is around 6,723,598,600 people. To provide enough oxygen for all of them, one simply needs a lawn about the size of California. This usually gets overpopulation zealots up in arms because, well, a lawn the size of California is fairly large. However, mowed lawn grass is not a very good source of oxygen, a single tree provides as much oxygen as nearly an acre of manicured lawn. Then there is the simple matter that photoplankton provide more oxygen than all the plant life on earth. (Grande, Bender, Platt, & Irwin, 1991) Difficulties with the oxygen levels in various locations in the world are more a function of pollution than too many people breathing. 75 million buffalo once roamed the Great Plains, each using four times the amount of oxygen a human being does. Somehow, the world survived.

Now we have the amount of space human beings take up. There are 6,723,598,600 people in the world. The average lot size for a house around here is a quarter acre. Let us assume the average family is four people. Texas is 172,044,800 acres. 172,044,800*4 = 688,179,200. 688179200*4=2,752,716,800. You can fit the entire population of the world in their own happy home in an area less than 3 times the size of Texas. Most people live in homes much, much smaller. And if they all have lawns, they are producing enough oxygen for themselves and their families. In addition, with about 10 square feet of garden per person, they can produce enough fresh food to be nearly self-sufficient.

Now we come to water. Let us forget for just a moment that fresh water is made non-potable by pollution. "There is huge waste and loss of water through food that is produced, since roughly 50 percent of the food that farmers grow is lost or wasted," said Jan Lundqvist, who heads the scientific program at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Not only are we wasting the food, we are wasting the water used to grow the food.

Overpopulation is not a problem. Pollution and inadequate distribution of resources, both hallmarks of human greed, are the problem. The myth of overpopulation is itself another indicator of human greed. Many of the most fervent believers of this myth support mandatory abortions and sterilizations of women who have multiple children. (Zaaijman, 2008) Their own greed causes them to come to the conclusion that if there are less people, then there will be more resources for their personal consumption. (Wise, 2008)

Junk science is often used to support such moronic notions, thus lending them the thin veneer of credibility. Sadly, many people do not bother to question the junk science, they simply see the words 'study' or a group of numbers and assume the propaganda has a basis in fact. As Mark Twain once said, 'there are lies, damn lies, and statistics'. Always ask to see the study quoted, as junk science is notorious for taking only a mere morsel of the whole picture and twisting that to suit beliefs. Question everything; it is the only way to ever get to the truth of anything.

References

Food Production Daily. (2008). Half of US food goes to waste. Retrieved September 14, 2008, from www.foodproductiondaily.com/Supply-Chain/Half-of-US-food-goes-to-waste

Grande, Karen D., Bender, Michael L., Platt, Trevor, & Irwin, Brian. (1991). A Comparison of Net and Gross Rates of Oxygen Production as a Function of Light Intensity in Some Natural Plankton Populations and in a Synechococcus Culture. Journal of Plankton Research, 13(1), 1-16.

Lundqvist, Jan. (2008). Experts Warn Against Water Waste. World News Connection, 8 (22), . Retrieved September 14, 2008, from International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center database.

Pyongyang Korean Central Television, (2008). DPRK TV Carries Propaganda on Resolving Food Shortage To Cope With Global Food Crisis. World News Connection, 8(28),

Rutherford, Stephanie,(2008) "'Constructing Global and National Nature Population: Immigration and the Green-washing of Racism and Misogyny.'.(WOMEN & ENVIRONMENTS)(Report)(Brief article)." Resources for Feminist Research 32.3-4 (Fall-Winter 2007): 226(1). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 15 Sept. 2008

Wise, Ruth A., (2008) "Futurists and the population problem.(Brief article)." The Futurist 42.5 (Sept-Oct 2008): 45(1). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 15 Sept. 2008

Zaaijman, J. du T,(2008) "Humans--a threat to humanity.(Briewe)(Letter to the editor)." South African Medical Journal 98.5 (May 2008): 330(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 15 Sept. 2008