On November 15th, 2022, we officially reached a world population of 8 billion. But is that a good thing? For years we have been worried about what overpopulation can do to our planet and resources. With the population growing by the second, should we be scared for the future?
With the growing population, UN member Antonio Guterres stated, “It is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we still fall short of our commitments to one another." The UN has estimated that "the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1 percent in 2020. The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100."
Cons:
- Food. How are we supposed to feed all of these new people? The world isn't growing, we only have so much land to farm or use for manufacturing.
- Diseases. Scientists have proven that more than half of the infectious diseases that humans contract can become deadlier because of climate change. More people, more pollution, more climate change. More people also means that diseases can be spread easier.
- Temperatures. Rising temperatures due to climate change can also affect the population in a negative way. It can cause droughts, which cause food and water shortages. It can also cause long-term damage to individuals.
- Resources. The more people, the more resources that we need to use.
Pros:
- It can cause migration, allowing the population to spread out more evenly.
- Technology will get better to allow for an easier life.
There weren't very many pros I could find for the 8 billion people.
What do you think?
Is the increase good or bad?
Do you want more people?
Replies
I think that the high amount of people on the earth is very bad. The higher the amount of people on this planet means the less amount of resources for everyone to have. The earth needs to become less populated somehow, or it will turn into a major problem that will be unfixable.
I think that more people is not a good thing. Lots of people don't do much to improve the economy or help at all. I think that we should have less people. More people just means more resources used and it takes more time. There are too many cons to like the fact of 8 billion people.
I think that it may be becoming a problem that people should look into. There may be too many people soon, but there is still no reason to do something rash toward different people. I think that handeling this issue carefully is the best way to deal with this rising issue. This will become a great problem at some point and the countries will have to come up with a great solution.
I agree I think we shouldn't be as worried now but instead look for solutions in the future. It will become a big problem and the best way to fix it is if all countries are together on this. I feel like working as a team rather than fighting would really benefit everyone and allow for an efficient solution to be created.
I don't think that this is a bad thing, or a good thing necessarily. I think that as the population grows, we can adjust to more people, so I think that we will work things out for resources. If things get really serious and overcrowded, I think that peoeple will just have to more around more, and adjust to our new world.
In my opinion, this is going to become a huge problem in the future due to the food shortage with too many people to feed and not enough food. I think it is going to be a bad thing. We also have a problem with trash and ways to dispose of it. We do not have enough room for all of it. With more people comes more trash.
I agree, trash is especially a really big issue in the US, but especially in other countries. India for example doesn't really have a proper way of disposing of trash currently. I think that food will also be a really big problem. More people the fewer resources we have as well.
I think since there are many more cons than pros about 8 billion people, then I think its a bad thing. I''ve heard online that it could take about 30 years for the population to reach another billion. But in those 30 years, many people will die off.
I agree It will take a while to get to another billion, but with the rate of dying and birth, there won't be a significant change moving forward. I feel like making a plan for the future is the best thing that countries can do right now.
I think that it is okay. Obviously it is not good to have so many people on the Earth taking up resources, but at the same time, it is not as bad as so many people say. I think that it will help the economies around the globe. I think that it would be better to have more people and not need them, then to have not alot of people and need them. Maybe one of those people in the future generations will help us fight the population damages.
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