How long can the world sustain such huge population numbers ?

hollydolly

hollydolly

SF VIP
Location
London England
The world population seems to be growing ever exponentially, without major wars.. and despite the recent pandemic...

For example look at the numbers in major cities alone.. not the countries as whole which would make them even larger but one city.. in each of the following countries...

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1.Tokyo, Japan​

Current population: 37,393,128 people

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2. Delhi, India​

Current population: 30,290,936 people

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Shanghai, China​

Current population: 27,058,480 people

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Sao Paulo, Brazil​

Current population: 22,043,028 people

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Mexico City, Mexico​

Current population: 21,782,378 people
 

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Dhaka, Bangladesh​

Current population: 21,005,860 people

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Cairo, Egypt​

Current population: 20,900,604 people

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Beijing, China​

Current population: 20,462,610 people

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Mumbai, India​

Current population: 20,411,274 people

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Karachi, Pakistan​

Current population: 16,093,786 people

...and.....

Chongqing, China​

Current population: 15,872,179 people

Istanbul, Turkey​

Current population: 15,190,336 people

Buenos Aires, Argentia​

Current population: 15,153,729 people

Kolkata, India​

Current population: 14,850,066 people

...and many more....
 

hollydolly said:
How long can the world sustain such huge population numbers ?
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Great question! Your photos and statistics express the issue well.

The simple answer is not forever.

All it would take is some kind of breakdown in supply of food or safe drinking water to have huge and relatively rapid impacts. Disease could also do it. And of course war. Figuring out which of these, or something not on my list and when is the hard question.

Its equally hard to know what to do to prepare yourself and family for it. Mormons have an organized program of preparations, for example all good Mormons keep a 3 month to 2 year supply of food on hand (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/food-storage?lang=eng) and the Church has been buying up farm land for years. Here in Utah we see lots of the bulk storable food for sale. Some people hoard gold or guns. Me, I keep a good supply of whiskey so that when the end comes it won't be too painful...
 
World population is growing at about a 1 percent yearly rate -- hardly exponential -- and that rate itself is declining. What you are citing is urbanization, a related phenomenon. People are flocking to cities in unprecedented numbers.

Even at a less than one percent yearly growth rate we added 78 million people last year, or the equivalent of two Tokyos. Not sure where we put them all.
 
It's terrifying. I would never even want to travel to places like that, much less live in them.

I hate to think of this sort of population decreased by disease or war. When we had plagues in the past and entire villages were lost, it usually meant villages of a few hundred people, not a few million. Apart from the human grief and suffering, just think how over run hospitals, funeral homes and cemeteries would be.

Why can't we get serious about birth control?
 
Alligatorob said:
Great question! Your photos and statistics express the issue well.

The simple answer is not forever.

All it would take is some kind of breakdown in supply of food or safe drinking water to have huge and relatively rapid impacts. Disease could also do it. And of course war. Figuring out which of these, or something not on my list and when is the hard question.

Its equally hard to know what to do to prepare yourself and family for it. Mormons have an organized program of preparations, for example all good Mormons keep a 3 month to 2 year supply of food on hand (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/food-storage?lang=eng) and the Church has been buying up farm land for years. Here in Utah we see lots of the bulk storable food for sale. Some people hoard gold or guns. Me, I keep a good supply of whiskey so that when the end comes it won't be too painful...
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Sounds like the Chinese....:oops:
 
Della said:
It's terrifying. I would never even want to travel to places like that, much less live in them.

I hate to think of this sort of population decreased by disease or war. When we had plagues in the past and entire villages were lost, it usually meant villages of a few hundred people, not a few million. Apart from the human grief and suffering, just think how over run hospitals, funeral homes and cemeteries would be.

Why can't we get serious about birth control?
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I absolutely agree..! population has been controlled by wars and plagues... we don't want that to happen now.. but we do need birth numbers to be drastically reduced in some way... Perhaps the same way as the Chinese... only 2 ( instead of one)..children per couple... no benefits paid to single mothers who churn out children in some western countries.. as a way to be paid a 'salary' from the state rather than work ..free contraception in African, Asian and Latin American countries.. and a limit on family sizes...

I don't know the answer but there has to be one... or everyone suffers...and I believe that has already begun..
 
Wow, there is a lot of naivete on display in this thread.

High birth rates are a function of poverty. Very poor people have lots of children because there is no other "safety net" for them -- they hope the children will survive and support them as they age. Unless you can guarantee people in very poor countries some sort of basic standard of living, they will continue to produce many children.

In most Western countries, birth rates are already below replacement levels.
 
JimBob1952 said:
Wow, there is a lot of naivete on display in this thread.

High birth rates are a function of poverty. Very poor people have lots of children because there is no other "safety net" for them -- they hope the children will survive and support them as they age. Unless you can guarantee people in very poor countries some sort of basic standard of living, they will continue to produce many children.

In most Western countries, birth rates are already below replacement levels.
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They don't exactly have access to birth control, do they? Aside from that they couldn't stop having kids by wishing I agree, kids are helpers and replacements for the very poor.
 
Pepper said:
They don't exactly have access to birth control, do they? Aside from that they couldn't stop having kids by wishing I agree, kids are helpers and replacements for the very poor.
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What good is access to birth control if your economic situation compels you to have as many children as possible? Economic progress is the only way to lower birth rates. You can't do it by political fiat, unless you're a Chinese dictator.
 
JimBob1952 said:
What good is access to birth control if your economic situation compels you to have as many children as possible? Economic progress is the only way to lower birth rates. You can't do it by political fiat, unless you're a Chinese dictator.
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Oh, you are right, of course, I just wanted to mention it. They have no choice but to have lots of children.
 
JimBob1952 said:
What good is access to birth control if your economic situation compels you to have as many children as possible?
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They do have to feed and clothe those children as they grow. I really don't totally buy into the, "I'm too poor not to have a whole bunch of children," theory. It only takes one to care for them in their old age.

Geezer Garage said:
Religion, and poverty. You would have to recognize the issues, and then have the ability to do something about it. Good luck with that. Mike
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Not too many religions still insist their members have lots of children. Even strict Catholics are allowed to use the rhythm method.

My Catholic in-laws had 12 children, 45 grandchildren by the time they died and now, 20 years later all those grandchildren are having babies. All that from two people who were soooo proud of themselves. I thought it was shameful.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Love the song!!! I am happy complaining that big money promotes profit NOT sustainability. HUGE PROBLEM as we keep multiplying.
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Socialist China is the world's biggest polluter.
Della said:
They do have to feed and clothe those children as they grow. I really don't totally buy into the, "I'm too poor not to have a whole bunch of children," theory. It only takes one to care for them in their old age.




Not too many religions still insist their members have lots of children. Even strict Catholics are allowed to use the rhythm method.

My Catholic in-laws had 12 children, 45 grandchildren by the time they died and now, 20 years later all those grandchildren are having babies. All that from two people who were soooo proud of themselves. I thought it was shameful.
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I don't care if you buy into it or not. Population growth is concentrated in the poorest countries, that's just a fact. You can't invade them and force them to have fewer children. Why not invade China and force them to stop building coal-fired power plants?
 
Paco Dennis said:
Love the song!!! I am happy complaining that big money promotes profit NOT sustainability. HUGE PROBLEM as we keep multiplying.
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Glad you like the song. My point was, we are mostly in our autumnal years, furthermore there's not a lot that we do about it. The population doesn't seem to impact on my life, so until the grim reaper comes calling I'm going take the song's advice.

Statistics show that at the age of 45, eighteen percent of British women in a relationship, have not had a baby. The so called experts say women are deliberately putting off parenting in preference of a career. Economic pressures are probably the reason why more and more couples remain childless.

My parents had four children, governments around the world encouraged it, they thought that WW2 had depleted the population. Later it was learned that more were born than died during the conflict. The four babies that my parents produced would have had sixteen babies between them if they followed their parents example. But dramatic improvements in contraception led to couples having a choice. Within a short time of getting married, I was firing blanks.

My siblings and I have four children. Three to the third born and one to the last. those four have only produced three babies. I think that trend will continue and the population, at least in my country, will peak, then numbers will fall.
 
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