The Problem of Over-Population

Currently the estimated world population is 6.6 billion people. That's a lot of people for our tiny planet. China's population totals about 1/6 of the earth's population. That's about one billion people. One of the major questions surrounding the 6.6 billion number is "Is that number sustainable?"

At what point does the earth reach it's carrying capacity? And should we take measures to limit over population, that is, engage in population control? China already actively does this by limiting the number of children each family can have. Currently China's current population controls state that no family may have more than one child. Is this a good solution? Before we consider possible population controls, let's take a look at some of the problems over population can cause.

The main problem that arises from over-population is the overuse of resources. Resources include a whole bevy of things. Here are some examples: water, vegetables, fruit, animals and animal products, seafood, metals, minerals, land, trees, and many other things. MSNBC recently featured an article on a small town in Tennessee that has literally run out of water.

The little water that is left is allowed to be used only three hours out of the day. Could you live on three hours of water a day? You couldn't shower, flush the toilet, wash dishes or laundry, water the lawn, or even have a glass of water when you wanted it. Right now, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are getting into legal fights over who can use what water, for what purpose, when and every other legal issue involving water you can think of.

What about food? At what point will food need to be rationed? Take a minute to think about all the food you throw away. Most citizens in first-world countries are known for their economic consumption. Our land is being over-farmed and our oceans are being over-fished. With food being one of the most important items of survival (along with air and water) over-population can and is having a great impact on our food resources.

How much space do you think you need for living? Do you want a big yard or is a tiny apartment lined up next to thirty other tiny apartments? As more and more people are born the land per person decreases. Metropolis' become more and more crowded. "The country" is becoming retail and industrial space and the suburbs are ever spreading. With so much spreading, commuting time has increased, which means.... more gas is needed... high high prices... less and less oil is available. The world's oil supply is slowly but steadily disappearing.

Over-population harms not only our environment but our health as well. Crowded metropolises, tons of cars on the road, more industrial factories, and less rural areas are all contributing to increasing pollution. It should be fairly obvious that pollution isn't good for your health.

So what do we do about over-population?

One option is limiting how many children a couple/ family can have. China currently has a one child policy per family. This policy has many negative ramifications. Many families want more than one child and many families simply cannot afford the healthcare required to limit their progeny to one. There have also been reports of forced abortions or sterilizations. China's one child policy basically operates under economic principles. Families with only one child or no children receive economic benefits that families with two or more children do not. Because of this, many families that are already poor to begin with do not receive expected aid, simply because they have kids, plural. The major problem to this possible solution is that most truly democratized countries do not take kindly to their reproductive rights being limited or controlled in any way. So this solution is unlikely to be put into place.

Another option is age limits, although many would hardly call this an option. By age limits I mean putting limits on how many years a person is given to live. The idea is that after a certain age senior citizens simply stop contributing to society and instead become a burden to society. Simply put, they take more than they put in. The idea is that after you cease to contribute in a meaningful fashion to society, you should be in effect, euthanized. It's an idea, even if it seems horrendous, this idea can be easy to support when you are young and have many years ahead, but ceases to seem like such a good idea when your "age limit" approaches. The idea is generally opposed.

The solution that I would advocate is two-pronged and is as follows. Use birth control and adopt instead of having your own children. Generally speaking, wanting kids is basically a selfish notion. In any sense of the world, wanting kids is a selfish notion (even through adoption), however, through adoption you can do some good by giving a home to a child who would not otherwise have one.

Encouraging the use of birth control (condoms, the pill, iud's, cervical caps, spermicide, etc.) through education and wide availability (make it cheaper!) would in theory keep the birth rate much lower. Adoption would provide children to those who want them while maintaining the population and not adding to it. There are millions of children who need homes. If you really want a kid that bad, take a child out of a bad situation and give him a good home, instead of bringing a child into a world with so many problems.