From
debate on CY's wall:
|
|
A primer on the future of planet Earth
|
The
"Overpopulation is a myth" website correctly argues the entire world
population can fit within Texas while still having reasonable accommodation. It
conveniently neglects to mention the glaring fact that one cannot actually stay
alive in an accommodation without additional supporting land for agriculture,
energy, and other basic resources. According to the 2010 Global Footprint
Network data, while everyone could squeeze into Texas, it would require
multiple earths to provide them with a Western standard of living. A single
earth could provide a standard of living around that of Ghana (assuming no
other species compete for the same resources), where according to 2006 World
Bank data, more than half live on less than $2/day, and 90% live on less than
$5/day.
The
"Overpopulation is a myth" correctly argues that the world
fertility rate is decreasing and could eventually reach sub-replacement levels.
Unfortunately, by the above definition, overpopulation has already
occurred and will continue to worsen over the upcoming decades. According to
2012 UN projections, overpopulation will improve after 2050, under the
best-case scenario. Under the average-case scenario, it will not improve in the foreseeable future.
"Overpopulation
is a myth" is a myth.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment