General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I never wanted kids [View all]Cirsium
(954 posts)Forgive me jumping in here.
Populations of all organisms expand until they no longer can, and population explosions and collapses are common. Humans, as a highly social species, may be able to self-stabilize and operate sustainably over long stretches of time, and there is evidence of that happening throughout history and pre-history. There is evidence that pre-Columbian societies in the western hemisphere were managing natural resources in sustainable ways while still supporting populations that may have been larger than contemporary European populations.
We are living in a time when a highly destructive economic system dominates everything. Our population growth arguments should not ignore that. The stabilization of the population and progressive social change are the same battle. Equal rights for women, access to education and birth control, are critical, for example.
We don't really know what the "carrying capacity" of the Earth is, and we can't know that if we don't know how society is going to be organized. Right now the future of the human race is in the hands of Thiel, Musk, Bezos, Singer, Gates, Zuckerberg, Koch, Walton, DeVos, Diamond, et al. We are way overpopulated with that class of people and that is what is unsustainable