World Population Explosion

[Khandro]

David Attenborough speaks out; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10316271/Sir-David-Attenborough-If-we-do-not-control-population-the-natural-world-will.html

Isn't it high time the world took head? Malthus said that over population in the animal kingdom always leads to one (or all) of three things, pestilence, violence and aggression. Isn't humankind already on this path?

[Khandro]

Sorry that should read; "pestilence, violence and starvation."

[pixie373]

Yes, i think so. If we don't start to control it ourselves, natural phenomenon will.

[Old_Geezer]

This is obvious. Many including myself have been pointing it out for decades. But everyone seems to think they have a right to have as many offspring as possible and there is no problem. I have no confidence the human race will find the ability to control itself.

And if the world took head that might help.

[rockyracoon]

"And if the world took head that might help."

That would definitely help ;)

[wolf63]

I've done my bit - I didn't have any children. :-)

Off to the dentist now :-(

[Zacs-Master]

Some relevant comments in the related post from 2010 below.

[modeller]

Khandro Are you suggesting that we rebel against God's commands to Adam ,Eve and Noah " Go forth and multiply .............."


Maybe he will intervene in his preferred manner " Kill every first born .........." Or maybe global genocide ?

[Khandro]

That was good advice at the time, wouldn't you say ?

I remember reading the traveller and explorer, Wilfred Thessiger's experiences in Africa. He asked through an interpreter some tribesmen what was the significance of some beads they wore on their arms, he was told that as a rite of passage into adulthood they could only wear them of they had killed a member of their tribal enemy. So if every male killed another male it would have had quite an effect on the population. Colonisation put an end to these practices but didn't give an alternative.
Nowhere in his writings did he mention mass starvation, in fact wherever he went he seems to have been received with generosity usually in the form of killing a goat and all having a good feast.
Today people sit around in millions dependent on aid, it is a bottomless pit, all attention should be given to controlling the birth rate.

[modeller]

OK Khandro so you support disobeying God ?

[LazyGun]

No, I do not accept that Malthus was necessarily right, at least when it comes to human populations. We are practically unique amongst the species supported by the earth in our ability to adapt to the various ecological niches on offer, and uniquely able to dramatically effect our environment to adapt to us.

I do agree that the global human population and its exponential growth is a definite cause for concern though, purely through finding food and clean water especially for the poorer developing economies, where high infant mortality, poor or non-existent sanitation and clean water supplies and very basic educational systems are in place.

Until those more fundamental issues are addressed in such societies, you will have very little luck in persuading them to exercise birth control as practiced in the developed world and of the logic of smaller families.

[Khandro]

LG; I wonder what you mean by "[We humans are] uniquely able to dramatically effect our environment to adapt to us." We sure are able to dramatically effect our environment!; in a very short time period we have near de-forested the planet and are using up irreplaceable natural resources at an alarming daily rate, as well as polluting the land and oceans and killing off large quantities of our fellow animal inhabitants.
How do you see us "adapting the environment" to prevent violence, pestilence and starvation?

[LazyGun]

You wonder what I mean? Explain.

And the rest of your post seems a little unclear too, come to that.

[Khandro]

LG; mea culpa; I misunderstood what you were saying, I read your post as implying that we could now effect our environment for the good, -putting the genie back in the bottle as it were.

[yaiyai]

Yes I think population is out of control

[catgullyarha]

don't worry nature will find the answer. already some diseases and viruses are becoming immune to human cures and antidotes.

[boxtops]

Has anyone read Dan Brown's Inferno - on this very subject?

[tikkit]

modeller - like most of the people who merrily throw that quote around, you have forgotten the rest (and extremely important part) of it which is:
"And replenish the earth", that's what we're NOT doing.

[cab53]

Dan Brown's Inferno.

No boxtops. Is it good?

[modeller]

tikkit If you examine the Hebrew, the Latin and the use of the word replenish, it means to FILL . However even if you choose to use the word in the sense of re-doing something it still refers to People.

Genesis 9:1
“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish ( fill ) the earth.”

God told Adam and Eve to have many children (be fruitful and multiply) and fill (replenish) the earth with people. Then He repeated the same command to Noah and his sons. “Replenish” simply means “fill” both times.