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Rajanish Kakade / AP
A newborn baby boy is weighed on a scale at a government hospital in Mumbai, India on Oct. 5. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
The world is about to get a little more crowded.
By the end of October, it is expected that there will be 7 billion people living on the planet, according to the U.N. Population Fund. We are hitting this milestone, even though Western Europe, Japan and Russia are currently facing population declines as a result of low birthrates and aging populations. The declines cause serious concerns about who will care for and support the elderly, with a smaller number of people in the work force contributing to taxes and welfare.
While India and China have the largest populations, it is sub-Saharan Africa that has the highest birthrates. Quickly growing countries like Nigeria, Uganda and Burundi are already struggling with the area’s limited food and water resources, combined with high poverty levels.
For more information see: 7 population milestones for 7 billion people
Ng Han Guan / AP
Children play at a square in Beijing on Feb. 3, 2010. For now, China remains the most populous nation, with 1.34 billion people. In the past decade it added 73.9 million, more than the population of France or Thailand. Nonetheless, its growth has slowed dramatically and the population is projected to start shrinking in 2027. By 2050, according to some demographers, it will be smaller than it is in 2011.
Alvaro Barrientos / AP
Two elderly men sit on benches in the small town of La Puebla de Arganzon, northern Spain on Oct. 9. Spain used to give parents 2,500 euros ($3,300) for every newborn child to encourage families to reverse the country's low birth rate. But the checks stopped coming with Spain's austerity measures, raising the question of who will pay the bills to support the elderly in the years ahead.
Rafiq Maqbool / AP
Commuters hang on the outside of a local train in Mumbai, India on Oct. 10. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
Luca Bruno / AP
A man uses a cane as he walks among other people through an open air market in Milan, Italy on Oct. 12. In 2010, more Italians died than were born for the fourth consecutive year according to the national statistics agency. Italy's population nonetheless grew slightly to 60.6 million due to immigration, a highly charged issue across Europe. Italy's youth minister Giorgia Meloni said earlier this year that measures to reverse the birth rate require "millions in investment" but that the resources aren't available.
Andy Wong / AP
Tourists visit Tiananmen Gate on China's National Day in Beijing on Oct. 1. For now, China remains the most populous nation, with 1.34 billion people. In the past decade it added 73.9 million, more than the population of France or Thailand. Nonetheless, its growth has slowed dramatically and the population is projected to start shrinking in 2027. By 2050, according to some demographers, it will be smaller than it is in 2011.
Godfrey Olukya / AP
Ahmed Kasadha, center foreground, on the porch of his house in Iganga, Uganda, with one of his wives and six of his 14 children on Oct. 1. A polygamist, Kasadha says large families are a sign of success and God's blessing. His father had 25 children, and he wants his own family to get bigger. Uganda, and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, have some of the world's highest birthrates - a point of concern as the world's population hits the 7 billion mark on Oct. 31, 2011 according to the U.N. Population Fund.
Rajanish Kakade / AP
The Dharavi slum in Mumbai, India at twilight on Oct. 9. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion.
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The world needs more people. We already have way too much petroleum, way too much food, the air is way too clean, the water is absolutely pristine, there's no war, religious strife has completely disappeared. Yep, we need way more people.
The U.S. is famous for exporting weapons and food...............how about a few billion condoms and birth control pills. And by the way the Doctors without Borders have performed how many vasectomies and tubal ligations?
They need to perform vasectomies and tubal ligations after each person has two children. I'm telling you, it would work. You get two women pregnant. Snip. You get pregnant twice, the female equivalent of snip.
It wouldn't be as bad as China's one child per couple and it would prevent @!$%# like the Duggars.
The entire population of the world could fit comfortably into the state of Texas. We have plenty of room. We have plenty of food and we are capable of producing much more. We have plenty of water ( Mankind uses approx 1% of fresh water that exists today)
People are the solution, not the problem.
What they need to reform are the religious views of contraception.
JimTN-3229159
Amen!!
From what I am hearing, reading and seeing in the US. Civil War is imminent. So that will free up a few hundred million people.
Hey Gary420,
What population can the world take? Should we wait till we get to that point, and then watch as our population kills each other for elbow room, for a glass of water, for a glass?
We continue to grow in population everyday. Lets learn the lesson from Easter Island and get the message out that population needs to slow down, and then yes STOP if the human race wants to exist in the future. Humans are a cancer, we will continue to grow in population till we consume all the resources around us and eventually kill ourselves.
This planet is an island, there is only a finite set of resources if the population continues to grow out of control. Even renewable resources won't be possible if there is an apartment building that needs to be built where those trees are growing.
Two things can happen:
The population can get itsef under control or
The population contiues to grow until we consume all resources and then we start to kill each other for a grain of rice.
Its not IF its WHEN
Gary420, If my math is correct, 7 billion people could fit into the limits of New York City. Of course, they wouldn't have lots of space and would be standing close together (but not squished). It's our gross misuse of resources and wanton disregard of environmental consequences of this misuse, not the population.
I forsee that Europe and North America is going to being importing young people from India and Africa into their workforce so their countries don't collapse. Unless they can mass produce robots to do work efficiently.
The population of the US and the world has more than doubled in the last 50 years. At some point, sooner than later, something is going to happen to put an abrupt end to the unsustainable growth of humanity. The questions is are your prepared to have a chance of surviving the transition.
Are you prepared to survive a pandemic? How many days of food/water do you have after the local grocery store is no longer replenished. What do you think is going to happen when others start looking for food/water they don't have? Just something to think about now because if anything happens it will be too late to prepare.
I'd like you to meet my Little Friend.
A Veteran
perhaps your "little friend" is part of the bigger problem?
Actually it's the solution. However we won't go there. Please give some other murdering thug a hug.
Dan G 461155- are you afraid? somehow I believe you have a cellar with a secret door and alot of canned food in there.
Good post David Walker. You are absolutely correct.
This is the core of most world problems that are that are thrusting nations into chaos;
Over population, declining oil reserves (which is THE engine of world economies), resulting economic collapse, dangers of famine, pestilence, disease, climate change, and potential war over clean water.
Amusing that 99.9% of the rants and name calling by the narrow minded on MSNBC posts are so concerned about Herman Cain vs Obama vs tea party vs occupy wall street that they close their minds to the big picture.
In reality; overpopulation , peak oil, and climate change dwarf the political bickering dividing our country.
In reality; overpopulation , peak oil, and climate change dwarf the political bickering dividing our country.
Interesting all things that are theory..... All things the chicken little's cried the sky is falling about in the early 70's but then the "climate change" wasn't we were warming the Earth but we were causing the onset of an ice age.
Why is this the one glaring issue that no one seems to address?? Is our tunnel vision so severe that we cannot grasp that we are going to collapse under our own weight? Meanwhile the Pope is encouraging people in India to have larger families (to fill the Vatican's coffer's of course) and politicians all over the world are engaging in vapid debates. There WILL be a reckoning one day, and I fear it's going to be sooner than later.
Andrea, Christianity is a minority religion in India, accounting for only 2.3% of the population. The Pope has minuscule influence there.
World wide, Christians, including Roman Catholics, are experiencing a population decline. The exception would be among Christians in Africa and to a lesser degree, in South and Central America.
The other major world religions, and their corresponding cultures, are just as influential if not more so in encouraging irresponsible family sizes.
There were only 43-44 million abortions world wide. Now only if we could get that number up and down. Up by not stopping people from getting a abortion, but to keep pregnancy down in the first place with more education. Remove religion from telling people on how to live, we could get our numbers down. China was right by placing a limit on people. This should happen world wide.
It is TBD about China. Their culture is about to experience a major shock. Too many men with no enough women to marry. 4 grand parents, 2 parents and 1 child to help support them in old age. If that child gets married now that couple has 4 parents and 8 grand parents to care for in old age. The child is demanded to be a super child. The child is expected to be the best at everything. A whole generations growing up no siblings it has never happened before at that scale in human history.
Actually the very best way to keep birth rates in check is to educate women. Every time women are educated and given equal rights the birth rates always fall to around zero. Give them the means to control their bodies and they decide no to have so many kids. In countries like South Korea the government is encouraging couples to have more babies.
I am afraid in a thousands years history might look back on us and call us the locust generation of humanity. We consumed every last natural resource we could get our grubby little hands on.
PhillyJimi
So a child born in the US does not have the same number of ancestral generations among the living after getting married?
Now we all know the answer to the question every republican asks - what have my grand children done for me? I seem to remember the Catholic Church being very open in the US during the 20th century regarding parents having lots and lots of children to "control and manipulate" future political movements.
Why just educate women - have you given up on educating men with regards to sex, and birth consequences of sexual activity? Last time I checked - it takes both a male and a female to "do it" causing a child to eventually be born some nine months later.
When was the last child born of a same sex marriage - yet that infuriates the church. It is not about the lifestyle, the church despizes same-sex marriages because they know children cannot be born unto such a relationship.
Even god in that all time great publicity relations guide known as the bible told "man" - go forth and multiply. Man created god - now man contradicts god - this be fun to sit back and watch.....
The real solution is to educate women. Countries that suppress women's rights and their ability to be educated typically have the highest pregnancy rates. Of course educating the entire population would be a big help as well. Might cut down on the number of people that actually think there is a sky god watching over them.
This is the worst news humanity has ever had. I blame most of this problem on a worldwide financial system that relies on endless growth and the Popes and Mullahs that don't get it.
It strikes me that the average IQ must be single digit as we continue on this path.
in the u.s. we could stop by not giving a tax deduction for having a child. that is a completely private decision..and should not be rewarded by the taxpayer. if yoiu want kids, pay for them.
I'm completely with Jim on this one, and have been saying so for some time now:
You should also be penalized if you can't spell ... ;)
and so begins the debate about pro-life vs. pro-choice.
The choice has always been there. Do you want to make a baby or not? It's very easy to NOT make a baby.
The hard choice is being responsible enough NOT to make or being irresponsible and making one. That's called pro-choice. Choosing to be responsible and not making a baby. But no, the lazy ones think choosing means choosing to kill a baby they were irresponsible enough to create.
The unborn have no voice in any of it. Same as slaves had no voice in their lives.
"Just Do It" !
Jack, congrats on seeing the link between slavery and abortion. Both are inhuman practices by arrogant people that view slaves and unborn babies as "not fully human." Someday, we will all view abortion with the same disgust that we now view slavery.
If you don't want a baby, don't have sex.
Well Jack what about all of the natural abortions that occur every year? Who do we blame for them? Who choose to cut their lives short? Do you blame your god for what you consider to be an evil act?
Also do you feel that someone who has been raped MUST have a baby of their rapist even if she is already married? Or is she 13 years old and got raped by her uncle? Is that an act a loving god chooses to bless the woman with? Or I guess the woman was as you put it she was "irresponsible" and "Lazy" so the rape had to be her fault. What about sever birth defects or if the woman has a tubal pregnancy and her life is very much at risk? Not seeing how that equates to "irresponsible and lazy". Sure a 14 year old girl can be "irresponsible and lazy" does that mean her only choice is to have the baby? We all make mistakes and learn from them, compounding a mistake by forcing a child trying to raise a child is a harsh learning lesson.
Nothing is so simple as to be black and white. I don't completely disagree with the pro-lifers, I think people who abort girls are completely wrong. You should be happy with what you have. If you choose to keep a child that is the result of a rape then that is also your choice. I wouldn't support any laws where some politician gets to make choices for a woman or a family. If you make it so that only rape victims can get abortions guess how many new rapes are going to happen after that law gets passed.
Then we get into sex ed. So many pro-life people oppose this. This really makes we want to take a hammer to my skull because it make no sense. The very thing that could education children on how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy is the very thing that these pro-life don't want to teach our children. NEW FLASH to all the pro-life people sex feels good and kids will figure this out all by themselves just like we all did. If they aren't educated properly bad things are going to happen.
When the revolution begins, take hold. Here's the thing though... do not stop helping others. Times will be tight... but whatever we have... let's not be greedy in some survival of the feeteeest bs... we should help one another... and not further divide ourselves.
Once the market crashes ... grab hold. Don't 'think like an atheist' ... instead ... pray to your God. Honor Him... praise Him.
Say Legend of whatever, I am an atheist. And I will tell you that atheists are the most altruistic people. We do good out of compassion for our fellow human beings, not because we fear some supernatural punishmen tand cower before a deity that claims love, but who practices hate.
Religion has, and will b,e the greatest divider of mankind. If the $hit hits the fan, I'll be there with my hand out to help anyone, even you.
That is a crying shame-that you would assume that I, as an atheist would turn my back on humanity.As if praying to a God will be the only salvation.I am an atheist and need no God to pray to when humans are suffering-instead I DO.Praying to me seems like a very selfish thing,even if the prayer is meant to benefit others.I would rather get my hands dirty by helping,solving and assisting those in misery,then fold them in prayer for something that I can very well attempt to do myself.
That's funny. If society goes to hell, religious loons are the ones I would be more worried about.
If there is a god, and god is good, then he/she/it won't allow what you claim to happen. Right? By the way, what special knowledge do you possess that allows you to know all of this? Please tell me it's something other than a reading a collection of miscellaneous writings from the bronze age, or something your local pedophile priest of minister said. Or perhaps, your imaginary friend talks to you? I can suggest a couple of drugs that may help with the voices.
But several religions want to outbreed other religions...after all..it's a numbers game, not a spiritual one.
LMAO. WTF planet are you from?
7 Billion people. That's 4 billion too many. Quality of life has been thrown out the door.
Right, Jack... who died and put you in charge?
Jack is just stating a fact. Doesn't sound like he's commanding anything.
...
Me - I had 1 child in my fertile time in life.. regret not having more. The pro-choice was my doom. Most of the uneducated population is just popping them out like dogs, or fish or cats ! "Just do it" wasn't what that shoe giant meant ! ! !
It's sad to see and hear about the millions of children who are brought into this world only to starve to death and then you read about people who have brought in 14 children like the one in the article who has no means of supporting them in the first place, but yet continues to father more. The disgusting thing is that he's not alone. Especially in the countries, like India, China, and parts of Africa where severe famine already existed when these poor children were born. I've read where in some parts of the world a large family is desired for the help the children can offer in farming and raising crops, but this goes beyond that. There is, unfortunately no easy solution, short of mass sterilization, and everyone knows how that would be received.
Some people just don't know the meaning of "stop" or "condom"...geez
I hate pestilence. I really do.
The entire populations of the U.S. could fit in the State of Texas with a 1/2 acre each. Overpopulation is a myth perpetrated by those who have agendas. Actually, there is coming a "demographic winter", not enough people to replace those who die. Depopulation is actually happening. Common sense can tell you what that will mean for human beings to survive. Go to Population Research Council or Demographic Winter for the real picture.
lawl
Over population can and does mean more then one thing-such as out numbering the resources that are available to us on this planet.Being rich in land will mean nothing when too many humans compete for the same things in order to survive,such as fuel,food and water.
Actually, the western nations are not having population issues with the majority near 0 population growth. In fact, it is the immigrant populations in the US that are putting us over that. It is the others with unchecked fecundity in Asia, the Middle East, and certain regions of Africa and South America that pose the issue at hand. Programs have been in effect for years to try to help that, but population grows exponentially. Currently, there is enough food to feed the world (barring a major drought in the major agricultural nations). It is a distribution problem now. In the future, that won't be the case. By the way, I have a M.A. Population Studies (demography) from Bowling Green State University.
I know most of it comes down to food, water, arable land, and other raw resources, but thousands of miles of unoccupied land does exist. Just fly over parts of Canada, or the American Southwest or I am sure parts of Asia. We just have to figure out how to spread out, provide the food and the water.
"Unoccupied" land is not unoccupied--other species live there. Do you really think these species should be systematically wiped out to support a burgeoning human population? That is already happening of course, but should we continue down that road? What kind of world would that be to live in? If you aren't concerned about living in such an impoverished environment from the standpoint of ethics or aesthetics, you should at least be concerned about the consequences for humans of wiping out the ecosystems and processes that sustain ALL life on earth, human life included.
We will need a bigger bomb!
What's happening in the top picture with the wet people, other than a humpathon.
Population is a self correcting issue with all species. We need not worry as mother nature takes care of itself in the long run. Always has and always will.
"I'd like to share a...revelation I had, during my time here.
It came to me when I tried to...classify your species. I
realized that you're not _actually— mammals. Every mammal on
this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with
the surrounding environment but...you humans do _not_. You
move to an area..._and— you _multiply_...until every natural
resource is _consumed_. The only way you can survive is to..
spread to _another— area. There is another organism on this
planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is?
A virus."
-Agent Smith
The Matrix
Or simply use the ugly people as a protein base for the pretty people?
The governments of the world don't want to control the populations. Each person is probably equal to 10 million/person in their life time. Our government wants us to curtail the use of hydrocarbons in all aspects of life because of the environmental impact it has on everything but the rest of the world has no such policies nor will they ever. China is just getting cranked up and India too. Just wait until they're able to afford more on their income. A clear day will be one that looks like a dust storm on this planet. As long as capitalist w/ their big corporations are at the helm the world will continue down into the abyss since the people don't seem to care about much of anything due to their lack of interest in their future. So, PAR-TAY