Why does no one ever mention the Overpopulation issue- and how to fix it?

Question

I do not think any green measures will work if we have too many folks. Its common sense. Why isn't birth control free and available, worldwide? Why aren't people educated about the fact that the more children they add, the more miserable their lives will be. This includes the West, where college, cars, homes& food etc are very expensive...

Answer 1

Too many people ask this question without there being a meaningful answer, an answer that can be implemented world wide, and will work world wide.

If you want to educate people, you go to it . If you want to get everyone to commit to action on this front, go for it. Nobody wants to stop you very much.

Just understand, however that with the most stringent birth management program ever attempted, in China, population has continued to rise. We can clearly say that it would have risen faster without that program. But to offer hope that population growth would stop if we all adopt a single child per woman has to be seen as false.

Don't worry, if we get the famines predicted, world wide, we will have rapid reduction of population, not just a slowed growth.

Answer 2

It's the political third rail of the environmental movement.  Population "control" has an ugly history that even today smacks of racism (see eugenics).

However, w/o addressing this problem, we can not hope to live sustainably, and it IS possible to address this w/o being racist.  In fact, one of the best ways to lower birth rates in any nation is to raise the education level of women.

In many countries, women have few, if any, educational opportunities (or it's actually ILLEGAL for them to be educated past a certain point), which translates to them having little function in those societies beyond baby-making.  Little wonder then that they give birth early and often.  But with rising education comes falling fecundity (the # of babies a woman actually has in her lifetime).  So if you want lower birth rates, work for universal education for women.

p.s. note to avaluna: actually, birth control in China, while harsh in its mechanisms, was actually quite successful, and w/o those strict measures, we would have witnessed in China famine on a massive scale.  Their current economic success is due, in no small measure, to the difficult steps they took to control their population.  Their huge population is a fraction of what could have been.

Answer 3

get rid of yourself and save earth

Answer 4

I'm sure it is talked about in various countries much more so  than in the U.S.  I totally agree with you.

Answer 5

amen to that.

Answer 6

The Catholic Church is a big part of the reason birth control has not caught on in many countries.  They go around saying it is a sin and advise government to ban condoms to stop aids from spreading.

If it were available to anyone that wanted it the world population would probably be in decline like it is in most developed countries.

Answer 7

Population control rarely works, look how well it has done in China.  The third world countries that have population issues need the extra children to help around the family farms.  And there are also religious issues to consider when you talk about birth control.  

The problem isn't exactly over-population, the problem is with governments that do not support sustainable farming practices.  Too much land is cleared for the number of people available to work it and the sparse topsoil is eroded away by wind and rain.  Even the governments who do support sustainable practices cannot afford to grow much more than exportable goods.

Answer 8

Dear friend,

Yours is very real question. The overpopulation is the burning issue for Global warming. The need of overpopulated society is increasing, so the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) and the food crisis. Overpopulated world uses more energy, so the requirement of more fossil fuel and more release of greenhouse gases.

The fact is who is going to bell the cat?

Are we (Govt. personnel, Politicians and Religious leaders) really wanted to think about overpopulation and link it with Global warming?

Do our thinking of overpopulation is in compatible with modern world?

To be very frank, most of the Govt. personnel, Politicians and Religious leaders of various religions do not have modern outlook and thinking of reducing population and lift our standard of living.

In my opinion, unless world population is reduced to 2 to 3 billion level in next couple of decades; we are going to doomed ourselves.  

In my blog I have repeatedly mentioned about the overpopulation problem and tried to relate it with environmental degradation.

For further information on environmental issues please refer

http://www.environmentengineering.blogsp...

Answer 9

So I guess it safe to say your not having any kids? Most people don't want to mention population control because they don't want to sound like Hitler.