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Dan F
  • Dan F
  • Jacksonville, OR
  • United States

TEDCRED 50+

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Human population growth

Does the continuing world human population growth constitute a threat to the future well being of spaceship earth? If so, is a significant environmental catastrophe necessary or required to give it the focus it deserves?

Topics: Environmental degradation
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    Steven Rader 20+

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    TED Attendee
    Feb 25 2011: This is a fantastic debate. I find it interesting that most people do not realize the geometric nature of the population curve (the fact that it took over 1300 years to double the population of 1 A.D. but the population has more than doubled in my lifetime). However, I see several things not being discussed as major causes of the continued escalation of population increases. The dramatic increase in life-span due to progress with the human genome and medical research point to potential life spans that will cause the population to increase rapidly (because it is not just about how many people are born, but how many are dying). I often reflect on what kind of decisions my children will be asked to make and the most disturbing and hard to consider and those dealing with population growth and its impact on the planet and society.

  • Simona Stoicescu

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    Feb 24 2011: No, we are not to many... we are too careless with our way of living.
    The earth can sustain us, but not in the way we are living now.
    Resources are available, some we did not even discovered yet, for sure. Did we discovered all? Have we used all the solutions for food, for shelters, for health? Far from that.
    So, instead of complaining we are too many and looking for a cataclysm to solve the problem, we should look to change the way we are living and using resources. Why it has to be that in a part of a world one lier of drinking water is obtained using for liters of gas? In some countries soil is not cultivated, in some people are starving? And we are blaming the birth of a children? We consider us a HUMANITY?
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    Harald Jezek 50+

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    Associate
    Feb 21 2011: HI Dan, there is already a discussion going on to this topic which you might want to check out:
    http://www.ted.com/conversations/39/why_do_so_many_think_that_popu.html

    • Dan F 50+

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      Feb 22 2011: Thanks, I just shifted gears. I'll join in.
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    Drew Sowersby

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    Feb 21 2011: Population growth is both the driver of the human cause and the bane of existence all in one. In the end, it all comes down to energy. With ample, cheap energy, the effects of population growth are subdued greatly. As soon as people cannot "participate" because of energy costs or shortages, we will feel the dramatic effects of a grown population that shot up dramatically over the last 100 years. Notice the word dramatic.
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