By 2050, Earth's population will be 9 billion. What's the most important change needed to live sustainably?

Question

There was a great focus on population issues in the 1970s and '80s, but we lost the fight to stabilise Earth's population at a more sustainable level, and now we must face the reality that it will be far more difficult to live sustainably in the future.

What we need are solutions that solve several problems at once: e.g. how do we grow enough food sustainably to feed the planet, and solve climate change? How do we save the world's tropical forests, lift the poorest from their poverty and solve climate change?

This will be the century where human ingenuity is stretched to its utmost. What do you think is the single most important factor we need to change in order to sustain a burgeoning population?

Answer 1

Population growth is stalling in most developed nations. It is, however, burgeoning in developing nations. Western society's obsession with preserving every life, regardless of how costly or inconsequential provides one explanation, and one possible, albeit unpopular solution.

Natural selection will ultimately solve the problem. I too, shall be culled.

Answer 2

The Human Race contributes very little to the planet earth.

What does it do to help the planet or the other inhabitents?

It can be argued that without us certain species would have died off.

We need to become humble and realise that we do not need to procreate other than for our own selfish ends by making an image in our own likeness, thats called upbringing.

The suffering that exists in the world needs to be eradicated, we need to stop adding to the population, we need to go backwards.

Answer 3

Well noone said its easy but I think we will get through.

We will have enough food especially if we each grow it in our own backyards, You also have to put into consideration that people are also dying when people are being born and as for the climate change as long as people conserve and do whats right then thats all we can do because theres not much we can do to change that right now especially the earths natural cycles.

Answer 4

We need to throw all coventional thinking out of the window if we are to solve this dilema. We as individuals need to realize that we are Government, we are big business, and that we dictate policy and change in these organizations. We need to look beyond greed and the almighty dollar and take action before it is too late.If all individuals really wanted to solve these environmental problems we would be taking much more aggressive actions.

Answer 5

We cannot morally have that many people.

We are already overpopulated in many respects - one of the most important is that we are using and wasting the Earth's bounty faster than it can be refreshed, AND we are doing this without conscience that we are but ONE species among MILLIONS - all whom/which deserve their fair share of this planet.

Until we realize that we are part of a WEB of life, not at the top of some pyramid of life, we are making life and survival miserable for all other species.

Simply because we are the only species to have spoken and written languages, we should not belittle all those that do not. We do not have the right to try to control and mold the Earth as if we are the only beings that matter.

We MUST consider that we are at an unsustainable population level, and voluntarily reduce our numbers AND lifespan, or nature will start doing it in more violent and undesirable ways.

Answer 6

1. Learn from China's One-Child policy that will significantly cut population over a period of time. It's simply impossible for mothr earth to suport infinite growth of population. We need a reality check and forget about whatever-lism or faith when it comes to a matter of life or death.

2. Restrain the greedness of human beings for materials by promoting happy and simple life style.

Answer 7

The level of stress people have to deal with.  There is too much violence in the area's where we live, on TV and in movies.  People have become more irritable, there is more road rage, more people dying in wars.  People don't care.  When I talk with people about  the bees dying because of microwave towers, I get answers like people are not going to give up cel phones.  So humans are not going to have food or the price of food is going to skyrocket because people won't give up cel phones.

???????????????????  I don't think 2050 is really going to matter.

Answer 8

I believe you are Australian?

"We" (people of the world) need to educate women in third world nations.  It's a well proven fact, the more education a woman has the fewer children that women will have.  It's also true those fewer children will themselves be better educated, and better fed, with better health care.  

Educating the women = fewer humans born.  That in turn helps with poverty.

Save the world's tropical forests?  Only one way for one country to save the forests of another country....eco-tourism.  If the forest suddenly becomes more valuable to a poor country because of the tourist dollars it brings in, than the slash and burn farming does, the forests will be saved.   That means getting the tourist dollars to the poorest and neediest of the people in those countries.  Not just the wealthy companies the come set up fancy resort hotels.

Grow enough food....the industrialized nations need to return to traditional farming methods, and not these giant mono farms, and factory raised livestock farms.  

Modern farming is now completely set up to make the middle man wealthy, and keep the farmer a slave to debt he cannot possibly hope to escape.  The younger generation is NOT being drawn into farming....it is not a person friendly, nor a family friendly enterprise anymore.

People need to return to smaller farms, where the livestock, and the crops exsist together, and with the manure of the livestock being used to fertilize the crops, instead of oil based chemicals.

Smaller farms produce VASTLY more food per acre than the huge mono  crop farms.

To help stop the population growth in the U.S.A., we need to completely revamp the welfare system.  The money should be exactly the same if you have one child or seven children.  People recieving welfare (except the rare 10% who are simply too handicapped, or too mentally disabled) should work.  Nobody should recieve money for nothing.  They can pick up litter, mow lawns at public parks, re-roof the houses of elderly people, build wheelchair ramps, plant trees, sweep floors at the court house...whatever, does not matter.  No free money.  No increase in money if they make the choice of having more children.  Once you have one child, it is no longer a mystery or a suprise as to how children are created.

The U.S. Government needs to STOP subsidizing CROPS.  It is proven this does not work, nor help.

People need to go back to real, and honest family values.  If they choose to have children, SPEND TIME WITH THEM.  That means until they are 18 years of age.  Teach them how to be good stewards of the land, and environment.  Teach them how to have a good time without spending time and money at the mall on items they simply do not need.  

There is no "single most" important factor.  The two which will make the most significant differences however are the return of traditional farming, and the education of women, especially in third world countries.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 9

There wont be one solution but I think a major task facing humanity is convincing all people everywhere to use birth control and actively do all things necessary to stabilize, then reduce the human population. If we don't do that one thing, nothing else will make much difference. I believe this would face very tough opposition from many of the world's religions.

Answer 10

Humans in the developed world will have to lay aside their self centred ways and open their eyes to the reality that they are gradually destroying the planet so that they can freely yet blindly enjoy life's little pleasures.  Unfortunately, they don't have the wherewithal to change their ways until it's too late.

Answer 11

i think people in developed countries have a "sense of entitlement" which will be the hardest thing to overcome. many people think, "i can do what i want, because i live in a free country, and no one can tell me what to do." they often forget that freedom (to buy, and do what you want) comes with some responsibility too. sometimes to choose not to buy, or not to do something is important. (just because you can, doesn't mean you should)

Answer 12

We need to maintain a lifestyle that's sustainable -- just like you live within your means when it comes to your budget, you need to live within your means when it comes to the environment. The real costs of items, of food, of the waste that easily slips into the can -- it's now all about education.

Answer 13

Many suggestions that people have are very good, however, it does not get rid of the main problem in the environment, us. . Humans are part of the problem, and there is less of us, there is less demand for resources, more food available for others, and better protection of the environment. We need to have less kids, or only have the number of kids to keep the population at its current rate. Thus, couples should only have two children, or less

Answer 14

You don't have to worry about the population crises. Everything is in control. You make wake one money when 10,000 babies are born in one day but in the same day 100,000 people died from a hurricane or some other reason. This where be more people dying than are being born. One day if your still here 500 million people or more will vanish and people won't know why except those who study the B i b l e. Everything is in control so don't worry about the problem.

Answer 15

Perhaps you are asking the wrong question. In every aspect of the natural environment, populations grow until they no longer can obtain the resources required for survival. Trying to force nature into producing more will only result in continued growth. I believe that all growth must ultimately be confined to the limitations environment that is sustainable. The real question is: how do we equitably share precious resources using sustainable practices? The corollary is to either fail to share, or fail to be sustainable. Neither option is acceptable.

Answer 16

9 billion is not sustainable.

We will end up having  a world war over oil, water, and religion.  This will shrink the world population to a sustainable level.  

I would love to see a better solution, but with the hatred being preached by religions and governments I just dont see any better solution happening.

Answer 17

We will not be sustainable in the future:

1. People naturally reject authoritarian attempts at population control.  Intelligent population control is what is needed. This will not happen.

2. Any technological advances in food production and waste disposal will not adequately combat the increased population.

3. Enjoy your existense now. In the far future, the world will be quite miserable due to overpopulation.

Answer 18

Simple.  Introduction some kind of family planning policy (1 child or maybe 2 max per family).  Every country has to participate.  Without this control, no matter how much we recycle, one day we are going to run out of resources if the population keeps growing and growing.  We will eventually have to turn on each other until there are enough resources for the people left on Earth.  

Unless we can colonize Mars or discover another Earth fast, there is not going to be a happy ending.

Answer 19

Unfortunately the answer will be War.  As resources get Scarser countries will end up fighting for the resources. Initially, only the poorest are affected as they have no arms.  We are finding food prices are now quickly rising. Food production prices are rising(fuel, fertilizer, etc) so prices continue to rise... Religious Extremism will flurish and the wrong fanatical groups will get ahold of weapons of mass destruction, It is just a matter of time. So just like historical trends wars will reduce population of people...

Answer 20

At some point Humans will have to realize we cannot continue to grow forever unless we inhabit other planets.  The Earth is finite as are it's resources.  Population control for the entire planet is a must.  Being at the top of the food chain requires a higher level of responsibility and awareness of the planet.  If we do not limit our own population by choice -Nature will- by her choice ie/ disease, famine, weather change, etc.  The problem is human population not a lack of food or water or weather!

Answer 21

Well in my opinion ,  familys should be only allowed to have 2 children that way the population could be controlled then it should be made law that both parents should be fixed ! And as far as other population control we must reduce the immigration by 75% because by allowing all these immigrants by the 1,000,000s in the states and canada and around the world EVERY YEAR it is overcrowding everywhere So send them all home and let their countrys worry about THEIR  population control !

Answer 22

Two most important issues:

foodstuffs and fuel

Global warming will allow waste territories in Canada Russia and Europe to produce crops, and biodiesel !

All those who decry global warming don't know what they're talking about - it is our salvation !

Don't try to solve climate change - go with the natural flow...

Answer 23

We grow more wheat to feed animals (for human meat consumption) than we do to feed people.  In other words, if that grain were used to feed people and (perish the thought) if people stopped eating meat, we would have no problem feeding that many people.

This would also stop 125,000 square kms of tropical rainforest from being destroyed every year to raise cows for your cholesterol laden hamburgers, and rural communities would no longer have their water sources destroyed by pig farms.

Good for the environment, good for your health, kind to animals, and easier on your wallet... yeah, vegetarianism is a TERRIBLE idea.

Albert Einstein was a pretty smart guy, and he agreed with what I'm saying here, so you should too!

Answer 24

Environment, Environment, Environment.

Simply put, in a world grounded in Capitalism, overconsumption and wasteful uses of resources suffocate the earth.

Without adequate waste control and a more efficient use of resources, the world will simply not be able to sustain 9 billion people. Regardless of whether we try to even out the cruel imbalance between developed and developing countries, our efforts to support developing nations will be thwarted by a lack of resources.

At this point, the world must break through the religious and political barriers that prevent any kind of real, united progress.

We are all in this together.

Answer 25

All the stuff you mentioned is so important and it scares me so much. I can't fathom the idea that the earth may not be here in one hundred years or the sun coming to close to earth in 5 billion yrs. I will be 77 yrs old in 2050 and my daughter will be 57 so she will probably have grand kids and those children will suffer. It almost seems cruel to bring kids into the world because how destroyed  the world has become.

Answer 26

The projections of population growth are decades out of date. Even the UN admitted last year what demographers have said since the 1970s that the population of the world will peak and then decline. The peak has already passed or very soon will. What has begun is an irreversible population implosion with two great contributors of birth control and abortion. The problem was not not enough food but moral decisions not to distribute food and resources equitably. The problem now is how to keep a free market economy going with a declining population?

Answer 27

I think that nature will step in as always, and do the job for us, because man's natural greed is preventing us from obtaining any targets on slowing global warming. So until such time that we can get any significant figures towards lessening the affects of global warming, we can expect global disasters to occur on a frequency never before heard of! At least until mankind acknowledges his debt to this planet and contributes his money and knowledge in doing something about it! Have a great day!

Answer 28

Focus our main funds on space exploration and the climate. These are two of the most crucial things that will have to be taken into account in 2050. Firstly, we need to expand our horizons, if Earth is too populated, maybe we should seek for a more distant home. And while that is happening, we should also try to make our planet a better place for the > 9 billion people that will come ever so soon.

Answer 29

I can grow enough food for my self and a SMALL family on less than 3 acres, year round, with no external power source. I have begun preliminary plans for a self-sufficient, year-round permaculture operation. Including electricity, heating/cooling, water, food, and sustainable multi-generational, energy-efficient housing. I have design skills as well as general building knowledge and a network of skilled and dedicated People. I just need the land and the funding.

Answer 30

Consumerism is the main problem behind global warming and consumerism is powered by oil so what is needed to be done is to put an excessive tax on oil.  When people can't afford to fly their food in from all over the world they won't.  If people can't afford trucked in mass produced food most of us will have to move to the country and move our economy to a more farmers market style economy.

               As for the population problem some condoms and common sense should do the trick.

Answer 31

Quit helping the poor, let the weak die out, it is natural selection, look at rabbits, when they get over populated a new disease comes in and wipes a bunch out.  We keep helping over populated countries feed their poor and curing diseases mother nature designs to wipe us out.  This has us living longer, creating an over population problem.  Quit worrying about immortality, and just enjoy the time you have here, it will be better for everyone! Present and future.