"Earth" and Overpopulation

The Earth group mentioned that concerns about overpopulation are relatively recent and although I’m not sure that’s entirely true (thinking of Thomas Malthus), this point is still extremely relevant. Concerns about overpopulation seem to be voiced most often in the developed world where populations are stable or declining and the “let’s make them change before we change our habits here” argument seems to have at least indirect support. And I think that the fantastical solutions reflect the developed world’s half-joking way of saying that we will likely either not change our consumption habits or will do so as slowly as possible. Even though there appears to be plenty of space for everyone (I read somewhere the world population could fit within the state of Texas, with each of us give six square feet of space), the developed world appears frightened by the idea that other people will live like us, which of course immediately signals that we are in fact aware that many of our habits/lifestyles do not fit within earth’s carrying capacity.

But in regards to carrying capacity, I think the number is less important than the measurement of how we live according to our respect for the environment. Another point I find both interesting and slighting annoying is the argument about the how the developing world moves from heavy pollution into decreased pollution as development leads to better technologies and wider access to those resources. Although this might be true, I think it ignores the reality of the current U.S. situation: even though we are technologically advanced, these developments have not solved the pollution problems. Instead, technologies like filters in coal steam stacks and “safe” nuclear storage have allowed countries like the U.S. to continue to use the same resources without requiring a serious commitment to other, renewable and potentially cleaner sources.