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?

 

 

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Replies

  • Overpopulation is something that the world has been aware of for some time. While overpopulation is a good sign of human health and reproduction, it creates several big issues that struggle to adapt to the growing population. It is inevitable that the world's population will keep growing, so we simply have to adapt to these changes and create new solutions to keep our world running smoothly.

  • I think it is a problem,  but we overindulge as humans. I heard somewhere that the whole U.S. population could fit into Texas so I don't think space for 8 billion is as limited as we think. Also, Americans eat way too much. There is plenty of food to go around also we take long showers and use so much water. We as a whole species would have to make sacrifices, and ration if the overpopulation got super bad but overall I feel it's ok with just 8 billion. 

    • I agree, I have heard from many people outside of the US that American portions are way bigger and that we use way more than needed. I think that US citizens should have to start cutting back to help others have more. 

  • I think its definitely becoming a problem. I dont think the world is big enough; ecpecially if we keep growing at the pace we are now. Food is also a huge problem, even with the people we have now theres a lot of people that cant get all three meals. The fact that there are more cons than pros kind of speaks for itself. 

    • Exactly, it's not like the Earth is growing along with the population. The Earth has only so much land and there is only so much space we can take up until it affects farming and other essential places. 

  • I don't think it is bad. It mostly doesn't affect us. It more so affects people in bigger city countries like China and India. I've heard people like Elon Musk talking about how everyone is worried about overpopulation, but the reality is that people should have a lot of kids. That's what he says anyways. 

    • I think right now it isn't a big issue, but it will be. It does affect bigger cities more, but big cities can also only fit so many people. There will be a point when they will have to expand or move out of cities. That will mean trying to build into farmland or small towns becoming overcrowded as well. 

  • 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 agree resources are important. We won't have certain resources like oil and coal forever,  they will eventually run out with time. We also have to worry about food, and how will we feed this vast amount of people.

  • I think that population growth won't be all too bad if we do cap out eventually, which from what I know should be around 10 billion people. The increase seems pretty neutral as the increase of people won't cause too much of an issue in everyday lives. I would say more people wouldn't really affect me in anyway as I personally haven't noticed 1.4 billion people since I've been born.

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