Too many people?
 

Over 7 Billion people in the world. We know this number is unsustainable unless we ruin the environment by converting huge areas into farmland.
Which would cause such climate change as to kill a huge portion of the population, thus making the need for the farmland we just created completely redundant.

Anyway, long story short, do you think we have too many people in the world?
Am I the only one who thinks we could do with a new plague to take out a portion of the population?
Just watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle and you might agree with me.
4 billion people is a sustainable number.

On a side note, apparently in Futurama the population of earth is only 1 Billion (thanks Tumblr)
Now that is a sustainable number.

If something happened to reduce the worlds population to 4 billion it would be a lot better all round, for the environment and the human race. in terms of resources, farmland needed, living area needed and influence and damage to the environment, it's a sustainable number.
Scientists worked it out, don't ask me to state my source, I can't remember where I heard it. Some documentary or other.

Knowing my luck though, I'd be one of the 3 billion who didn't make it.

We could just get rid of hospitals?

While I remember, If the mods want to move this to news and debate there's no need to notify me, just do it.

You do realise England would be the first target for something like that? Totally isolated once you close the channel tunnel.



Logically it would make sense to flatten the entirety of Africa and redevelop it sending people from elsewhere in the world over to live there. It makes sense from a side of human advancement to send the technologically able to live where the impoverished once did.

But if you did that, you'd than have to instate strict reproduction laws.

So really. Not ethical!!

Bc of how densely populated we are and how many superbugs (antibiotic-resistant) there are I somehow think we'll - as the human race - see a superbug plague (or that flu post wwi) actually wipe 1/3+ of the population.

Basically I agree with everything you said. It's been on my mind for a while. But I don't feel I can (personally) do anything about it. Which depresses me. I feel like the world has gone too far (ie. current climate change, animals going extinct, ice melting, pollution, carbon emissions etc etc) past the point of no return and it makes me seriously wonder if I want to bring children into this world.

Yes. Something, probably radical, has to be done about the problem of overpopulation and sustainability. Living "green" doesn't really do that much in the grand scheme of things. Eventually resources will be depleted and climate change will make growing food more difficult/ costly, while livable land will be shrunk.

China has made efforts to curb its overpopulation problems. The rest of the world should do the same. Better to make slow progress before things present dilemmas in the future. The Earth is supposed to run out of Helium within the next decade. Imagine it were something as vital as petroleum that were running out. Would we have enough time to develop new technologies and lifestyles?

Few seem to understand the urgency of dealing with sustainability. Politicians are too busy bickering about stupid shit to focus on cooperating to tackle important issues. The petty arguments between parties annoys me greatly. Start population control with the politicians and appoint leaders who can think about more than desperate attempts to have power and wealth.

I hate people.

I know it's highly unpopular but I'd be for it being easier for both men and women to become voluntarily sterilized, or even paid to do it (if the procedure is reversible, but there needs to be a time-minimum to keep it then)

Right now it's almost impossible for a 'healthy' woman of childbearing age to get her tubes tied because "she might change her mind", at least in the US I can't speak for the rest of the world

Hell I'd get my tubes (reversibly) tied for $1000+ for 5yrs. A part of me really wants kids, but I'm way too young now and would prefer not to have the risk if I'm ever with a guy

We'd have to wipe out more than 6 billion people if we are talking about sustainable matter.

Eventually something is going to arise causing mass-extermination.

Lucky for insects though, approximately to one person there are 200 million insects.. I feel like being a snail who can sleep for 3 years. :D

Is China's family planning policy still working though? If you can afford the fines (which I believe are scaled to your income?) you can have more children. It has also been speculated that a lot of people now are simply disregarding the laws and procedures surrounding it. Maybe it is to do with Chinese society changing?

Most (if not all, I'm not sure) countries in the Global North have declining populations, with more and more elderly people to look after. It means that fewer people of working age are having to support the social burden of more and more elderly. That's why a lot of countries (even those which are densely populated) want to attract more working age people.

I don't think anyone can deny that overpopulation is a problem, but there is no solution that doesn't constitute something akin to a mass genocide. Who gets to choose who dies or survives? If it comes to simply relying on natural phenomena to do the work for us, then we might be waiting a while, and that would discriminate against those in the Global South, as it tends to be those populations who are more adversely effected by human losses.

battle royal anyone?

Hunger Games?

Name picked in a lottery seems slightly fairer.

I'd be almost willing to do it for fun. ALMOST. almost. Just too much of a wimp. :p But it seems like one hell of an adrenaline rush!

I think more tax breaks and benefits for single people and couples without children would be great.

That would only exacerbate the housing crisis. I know it's not the same thing, but it is connected. Couples are already reticent about moving in together because of the impact it can have on their benefit entitlements, so they live apart as "single" people.

I totally agree. But no idea what to do about it. I know David attenborough and others encourage people to not have kids or to only have one, but realistically, we are animals, we are hardwired to want kids (obv some people don't but thats an exception I think).

I do think health care has advanced too much in many ways, but it would be unethical to refuse people treatment that could save their life, so I really don't know.

A few TV program modifications to solve to problem:

- Come Die With Me = The loser is killed.
- Million Pound Drop = When all the money is dropped the contestants are dropped from a great height.
- Jeremy Kyle Show = The audience vote for their favourite family&issue... the least favourite family are shot.

Basically, Game Shows take on a Life or Death element :thumbup:

Ohh a bit like that one Doctor Who? Hahaha!

http://www.vhemt.org/


Voluntary Human Extinction!


The movement advocates refraining from procreation... Sounds good to me.

I'll think of this thread when I have my first child bahahah!