POPULATION: Does it need controlling?

The world's population has more than doubled since the 1970s. But a booming population is only part of the story—in some places populations are in decline. As populations shift and change overtime - how will the world change?

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it's about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.
#Population, #Overpopulation, #ClimateChange

[quicknumbercrunch]

They speak of countries where the population is declining. Meaningless token reduction in three countries is misleading. The population is growing by the population of the UK every year. Amazing disaster. six out of eight people live in poverty.

[bradfordhatcher]

Not enough people can think about more than one thing at a time. It''s simplistic to isolate overpopulation from the larger braid of the human problem, or carrying capacity overshoot. That braid also includes overconsumption, and humanity's parasitic approach to the environment. All three are huge parts of the problem. Population and consumption often happen in an inverse relationship. A reduction in population is usually overcompensated by a rise in per capita consumption, increasing the burden on capacity. You can't calculate the volume of a box by knowing only its width. The real problem demands a view with deeper time horizons. The extent we are in overshoot is the extent of an inevitable human dieback. That's by definition. The rights, racism, or eugenic arguments are all myopic. It's ultimately a question of life and death of this species and the whole planet's biodiversity.

[rupephoto]

It is ridiculous to think that there are not too many people on the planet, Ray is missing so many points about what is happening in the world and is only thinking about humanities success at present when meanwhile we are in a 6th mass extinction of other species mainly created by our species growth . Alistair from population matters makes a lot of sense. Humans like to consume, it is the way we are. There is a need to have fewer people on the planet.

Only 100 years ago there were less than 2 billion people on the planet and that I feel should be our goal if we want to be a species that operates sustainably.

[cliftonware]

It's unfortunate that the title contributes to the problem associated with discussing overpopulation. The common, misused term "control" sets the stage for misunderstanding. It might be better to use the term "reduction", which reduces the emotional tone that usually brought into the conversation. It should have been more emphasized that developed countries are overpopulated, most by up to double what might be considered a sustainable level, particularly in facing the ongoing ravages of climate change. One reason for undeveloped countries to reduce population is to reduce future border conflicts, as increasing numbers of climate-change migrants struggle to gain access to more sustainable, lower-population countries. As coastal seas become increasingly flooded, millions of citizens around the world will be squeezed into smaller land spaces, placing even greater strains on food sources and all life-sustaining resources. Overpopulation is a severe problem that can be addressed humanely, principally via education, public relations, and concerted effort by all countries working together to solve the human vs. nature imbalance.

[ivancicin-sain]

The Population Matters people at the table seem to broadly agree with the socalled Population deniers - ie tackle all the issues ethically (consumption, overpopulation, waste, gender inequality) because they are intertwined. However, tackling population is still mostly neglected, despite the fact that the most beneficial action anyone can do for the planet is to have fewer children.

[Rocky_Anunnaki]

Everybody was cool except that female with the red shirt.
She was unpleasant to watch.
She almost ruined my day.
.Almost.