A Philosophers View of Our Carrying CapacityA Story by Brody ChildsBy the year 2100, it is predicted that we will have 10 billion
people on this planet. That's 10 billion people who need food, water,
and shelter. Therefore, these necessities have the potential to become
the focus of wars. Nations fighting simply to get enough water and food
to survive a coming winter. It would even be feasible that governments
would collapse from the inability to supply it's citizens with basic
needs. Ultimately, this would lead to private citizens fighting for
survival. Animal populations have always
followed a simple pattern. The population would rise and eventfully
reach a carrying capacity set by the habitable area, the amount of food,
and the amount of water. As the animal population nears this cap, the
birthrates begin to slow down leading to the impending plateau. This
plateau, however, is only temporary. Eventually, habitable area, food,
and water will begin to deplete. Then the population falls. Humanity
is on it's slow climb to the projected carrying capacity of the Earth
totaling in about 10 billion people under perfect conditions. (It is
also poignant to note that these 'perfect conditions' consist of the
world being entirely reliant on grain and under severe resource
regulation.) While some use the decrease in human birthrates as a sign
that humanity will be 'ok,' it, as stated above, only signals the coming
population cap. A crash is unavoidable as humanity's growth can not be
stopped and the perfect conditions required for 10 billion people to
exist are near impossible to achieve due to humanity's, sometimes
destructive, nature of individuality. In the
end, there is not much that can be done. Humanity is on a roller
coaster. We rise slowly into the sky and in the immortal words, "what
goes up must come down."
------------------------------- Inspired from: and other sources © 2015 Brody Childs |
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Added on February 12, 2015 Last Updated on February 12, 2015 Tags: Philosophy human carrying capaci Author
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