Trick, or Treat? Here Comes Our 7th Billion Human

[Hoosier Daddy]

Source: Treehugger.com

According to the United Nations Population Fund counters, Halloween will be the approximate date when the 7 billionth human will be born on to our planet (give or take a day or a month or two). Some believe this milestone is not an event to be feared but celebrated for its seeds of possibility, while others (those pesky 'population bombers') look at it as a further warning light on the planet's dashboard.

Who is right?

The question "How Many People Can The Earth Support?" was taken up by biologist Joel Cohen in his book of the same name. After years of reviewing the data, Cohen's answer is...well perhaps both those views are right.

The acceleration of human population growth is astounding and a little scary. In the 1700's around 500 million people walked the planet. Fast forward to the 1800's before the number reached a billion, and to the 1930's before the two billion mark was reached.

Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/7th-billion-human-arriving-soon.php

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Whether the millstone---er, uh, milestone is reached on Halloween or not is irrelevant, as we shall continue toilet-papering the planet to death, either way.

[enough]

1. The population of the earth has more than doubled (almost trippled) in my lifetime.

I was born in 1944.

Looking at it this way, it seems like an explosion.

[1620rock]

2. Soon Mother Nature will decide it's time to clean house.

[Exultant Democracy]

3. In less than 40 years world wide fertility rates have dropped over 50% with no sign of slowing

Malthusian doomsayers have been around for a long time but this problem is self correcting at a pretty dramatic clip.

[usrname]

7. I agree... Malthus and his ilk were terrible predictors

If people want to decrease population, just don't fund all those great medicine and availability of food. The main cause for the recent population explosion is not more babies being born, but fewer old folks dying. Being a person who is getting to the category of an "old folk", I personally am happy with that prospect.

The decrease in birth rates will probably have a more dramatic effect in about 30 years when we old folks will eventually die off. Then, the mass void will not be filled quite so easily. Then, inflation will come as the pool of employable people drop precipitiously and then the global economy will be in a world of hurt.

Fewer people to make things, fewer people to buy things means high cost and no buyers.

[sce56]

4. Halloween is a very appropriate date for that milestone!

Between the GMO's and roundup causing new fungus, loss of the Honey bees, destruction of the Oceans, rainforest deforestation, Global Climate Change, antibiotic drug resistant viruses we are headed for a reckoning with Ma Nature.

[RKP5637]

5. Earth will continue on, humans, not so sure. Most species are gone, I don't know

why humans think they are immune. It's a fools walk to think we can scoff off everything. Anymore, IMO, it's not a question of "if," but more a question of "when."

[Gregorian]

6. It is totally irresponsible to have children now.

I can hear the people all crying out about how that would result in no more humans. All I can say is... I won't say it. I want to be civil.

[rug]

10. You're right. There should be a moratorium for a hundred years or so.

[Gregorian]

11. Wow. I'm not used to positive comments on this subject.

Although, 100 years kind of sort of puts an end to the human race. Haha.

I just want 1920 back. I'd even settle for 1970.

Man, this really has me upset. I've just spent over 20 years moving and moving and moving, trying to find a place that isn't offensive. I have just officially given up. My realtor doesn't know it yet. I still have my ranch up for sale. Oh never mind. Population has everything to do with it. I just wish I had more people I could discuss this with. It's always an argument rather than a productive discussion. You'll notice there's no population forum on DU. Greatful Dead, but no, can't have a population forum. Alright, fuck it. This day's over for me. Goodnight DU!

[area51]

13. Talk of overpopulation

tends to upset people on both the left and the right. I believe if we didn't have so many people in the U.S., we'd have health care as a basic human right. Our govt. can afford to allow people to die to "cull the herd". I believe that's how they look at us.

[Tikki]

8. The beings from other Worlds are never going to...

stop here to visit...we must appear as a land overrun with parasites.


Tikki

[left on green only]

9. It appears to me

that what may be even more significant than the number of our own species that we have polluted this tiny planet with, is the amount of suffering that *all* creatures who inhabit this dying planet are subjected to. While it is true that both factors influence each other to some degree, it may be too late to ever hope for a reconciliation. Suffering caused by our knowing or unknowing actions, breeds bad karma. Have any of you remembered to say good-bye to all of the species that became extinct on our planet today? Did you kiss their sweet asses good-by and apologize for our crudely causing their extinction as the result of our sloth and our greed and our carelessness? We are all in this together, and it appears to me that none of our species will be able to survive for very much longer if we continue to be so arrogant as to think that we can survive alone. Bob Dylan said it wonderfully in a song called "License to Kill".

But yes, getting back to the main topic of the thread, it is my feeling that what we have done to this tiny planet through the pollution of it with our own species is intellectually indefensible.

[tawadi]

12. That is a Halloween fright, if I've ever heard one.

:scared:

[No Elephants]

14. Just think. it could almost have been Skinner's new cutie!

He was born five weeks early,