8 Billion People, is it good or bad?

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?

 

 

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

You need to be a member of History 360 to add comments!

Join History 360

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies

  • I think the increase in population is bad in the conditions we live in right now, there aren't a lot of companies that are helping fight back against climate change, and corporations aren't trying to employ more people. I think this population increase can only be good if we change the way we do things in society.   

    • I agree, I think that society needs to change in many ways. We all need to start using resources wisely and do things to help fight climate change. Many countries use electric trains, bikes, and so many other gasless vehicles. Those types of transportation are so much better for the environment. 

  • I think that the rising population could pose a big threat later on. As you stated above, the Earth cannot grow to fit all of these people, and I think that we won't be able to feed all of them. People take up quite alot of space, which minimalises areas to farm and for manufactures. If these new people can't recive housing, that leads to a bigger problem because they would be homeless and wouldn't have food. 

  • I think that it's getting to be a lot of people and it could cause problems later. like we might not have enough food to feed everyone which could cause there to be more world hunger. but with more people, there is more waste and pollution around the world. 

    • I agree, world hunger is already a big issue, but with the population growing it will become even worse. it is hard to feed the amount of people we have now, imagine in 20 years when it is up to 9 or even 10 billion people. 

  • I think the high number 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 world needs to become less populated or find a way to produce more food more quickly. Or it will turn into a significant problem that will be unfixable.

  • I feel the population we have is getting a bit big and out of hands and in the future where not going to have much recorces for more then 8 billion people. The increase is bad because it means we have to make more recorces which is polluting our planet even more then we already have. I feel we could have some more people but not to many.

  • I think that population growth might be a challenge in the future. It might get harder to coordinate so many people and to have enough resources. I also think that it could affect climate change since there will be more things that need to be produced and this might lead to more emissions. 

    • I agree climate change is a big problem we need to worry about. Climate change is already hurting our planet, but imagine how much worse it will get as the population gets higher and higher. 

  • In my opinion, the overpopulation is a bad thing for the future. Clearing out trees and a growing need for more fuel will increase even more, causing the world to be more polluted. It is possible that it could spread out the population more, but it could also make it even more dense, with many not being able to get fuel or food. Because of this, I do not want more people on earth.

This reply was deleted.
eXTReMe Tracker