The Problem of Over-Population

Currently the estimated world population is 6.6 billion people. That's a lot of people for our tiny planet. China's population totals about 1/6 of the earth's population. That's about one billion people. One of the major questions surrounding the 6.6 billion number is "Is that number sustainable?"

At what point does the earth reach it's carrying capacity? And should we take measures to limit over population, that is, engage in population control? China already actively does this by limiting the number of children each family can have. Currently China's current population controls state that no family may have more than one child. Is this a good solution? Before we consider possible population controls, let's take a look at some of the problems over population can cause.

The main problem that arises from over-population is the overuse of resources. Resources include a whole bevy of things. Here are some examples: water, vegetables, fruit, animals and animal products, seafood, metals, minerals, land, trees, and many other things. MSNBC recently featured an article on a small town in Tennessee that has literally run out of water.

The little water that is left is allowed to be used only three hours out of the day. Could you live on three hours of water a day? You couldn't shower, flush the toilet, wash dishes or laundry, water the lawn, or even have a glass of water when you wanted it. Right now, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are getting into legal fights over who can use what water, for what purpose, when and every other legal issue involving water you can think of.

What about food? At what point will food need to be rationed? Take a minute to think about all the food you throw away. Most citizens in first-world countries are known for their economic consumption. Our land is being over-farmed and our oceans are being over-fished. With food being one of the most important items of survival (along with air and water) over-population can and is having a great impact on our food resources.