It’s Time to Face the Problems Caused by Our Ancestors

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It’s Time to Face the Problems Caused by Our Ancestors

The past two hundred years have witnessed a massive rise in both industrial and population growth. As a result we as a race have begun overusing and destroying our resources on a level never before seen in the history of humanity. OK. So what? Many would argue that we as a species need to expand; we have the right to control and use our environment to the extent that it will allow us. Humans can, should, and are affecting the world around them on a level never before seen or recorded by society. These last statements epitomize what I call “the economists view” of environmental degradation. We have always exploited the environment to a large degree, and we have always emerge fine, in fact, we are arguably more fine now than we have ever been in the past. So why bother?

What is the problem with overpopulation, one might ask? More people on the Earth? Great! More people to expand humanity! More geniuses born into each generation to solve the problems the last generation left behind. What’s the big deal? Surprisingly, on the order of serious environmental problems, few people outside the scientific or political spheres have any idea about the threat overpopulation poses. The Earth’s population as of now is about 6 billion right now. It took the entirety of human existence up until 1960 to reach the level of 3 billion. It took, oh, 30 years after that for the world’s population to double. How long will it take to double again? As of now, all the soldiers that died in World War II would be replaced within less than half an hour. No one has any idea how many people the Earth is actually able to hold. As of now, we are sitting on a larger version of Easter Island not sure when the shoe is going to drop. More geniuses born to solve our problems for us? Not if they are born in to peasant parents in an Indian town and never get the education they can use to help humanity. The truth is we have no idea how many people the Earth can hold. One can even argue that the Earth can’t support all the people it has now. Millions upon millions do not have it as cushy as Americans do, there is mass starvation in many third world countries as well as other problems associated with children.

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