Is the Earth really overpopulated? Yes, for two main reasons. First, people are rapidly displacing wildlife
species across the globe, initiating a mass extinction event. Second, we ar e
degrading ecosystems that provide essential, irreplaceable environmental
services that future generations will need to live decent lives. Both these
trends are driven, in large part, by immense and unprecedented numbers of
human beings. Because there are too many of us to share the Earth fairly wi th
other species and with future human generations, Earth is overpopulated.
Overpopulation already exists for billions of poor people living under
insecure conditions around the world: on unsuitable land, in unsafe houses,
lacking fresh water, or living in severely polluted environments. Natural
catastrophes such as drought, flooding, or earthquakes may kill people, but
overpopulation does too, by severely increasing people?s vulnerabil ity. But
the news media rarely reports this fact.
Overpopulation exists today in crowded mega-cities where many residents hav e
never seen a wild landscape. Even small green spots are disappearing in
densely populated urban areas, which will become increasingly crowded as
population growth and urbanization continue. The negative effects of crowdi ng
and lack of connection to nature are well documented.
We are currently 7.6 billion people and the United Nations predicts an
increase of almost 3.5 billion by 2100 if current trends continue. Our
overpopulation is obvious if we compare the population in 1960 (3 billion) to
today?s and ask questions such as: ?How serious a problem w ould climate change
be if we had kept our population at 3 billion?? ?How many f ewer people would
have died due to famine, conflict and war?? ?How much less pollution and
plastic garbage would there have been?? and ?How much less food would have
been needed and how many millions of acres of forests, grasslands, wetlands
and other ecosystems would have been spared conversion to agricultural use? ?
Studies suggest that a future population of 11 or 12 billion could require a
doubling of global food production. Tens of millions of people around the
world already go to bed hungry every night. Continued population growth,
combined with the uncertainties of climate change, could lead to much great er
food insecurity in the years ahead. Meanwhile, the attempt to feed ever mor e
people will inevitably come at the expense Earth?s remaining biodiv ersity,
shrinking wild lands and extinguishing many thousands of species. Human bei ngs
have no right to act so selfishly and destructively. Earth is their home, t oo.
It is important to realize that overpopulation exists in many rich countrie s
with too high rates of consumption as well as in many poor countries with t oo
high fertility rates. Every effort should be made reduce consumption rates as
well as high birth rates; in combination, these two measures would create a
much better future for people on the planet.
The word ?overpopulation? is rarely used by political leade rs, the news media,
or even many environmentalists. But a recent international survey showed th at
people in many countries consider overpopulation to be a serious problem. I n
this case, common people seem to be out in front of their leaders. They are
also more willing to consider futures that do not rely on endless growth? ??an
ecological impossibility on a finite planet.
The good news is that it is possible to end global population growth, fairl y
and without coercion. The right policies have already helped dozens of nati ons
stabilize their populations, and many others have made substantial progress
toward doing so. Ending population growth and then allowing population leve ls
to decline as a result of lower fertility levels are necessary steps toward
creating ecologically sustainable societies. They will help enable future
populations, human and nonhuman, to flourish far into the future.