3 ms·

They can do what they want, but the planet can't sustain large population growth anymore

malvosenior 7y ago
I have no idea what metrics you're looking at to support that argument (Malthusianism has been debunked by the way) but the fact that their population keeps growing proves that you are incorrect.
- notfromhere 7y ago
  Malthus wasn't debunked. The planet doesn't have the resources to both provide a high standard of living and continual population growth. There are physical limitations to how much food we can grow. Saying growing populations disprove Malthus is like saying since smoking one cigarette didn't cause cancer, cancer from smoking is a myth.
  - malvosenior 7y ago
    > Saying growing populations disprove Malthus is like saying since smoking one cigarette didn't cause cancer, cancer from smoking is a myth. No, because people who smoke do die from cancer. The earth has never hit a hard limit on how many people it can support. We are no where near the physical limit of how much food we can grow. Not even close (hence the actual population gain that only slows due to cultural changes and not resource limits).
    - notfromhere 7y ago
      https://qz.com/1347735/how-many-people-can-earth-support-its-carrying-capacity-isnt-infinite/ https://qz.com/1347735/how-many-people-can-earth-support-its...
      - malvosenior 7y ago
        That article doesn't say anything about the carrying capacity of the earth. Of course it can't, since no one knows what the actual carrying capacity is. All we know is that we've never hit it, that we can produce much more food (you'll see lack of food is not mentioned as a threat), that every time someone has predicted overpopulation they've been wrong and that technology keeps bumping the ceiling up. Again, the population of third world countries keeps increasing rapidly. They have no problem with population growth. We in the first world have a population problem but that's because we're not reproducing at replacement rates.
        notfromhere 7y ago
        How can you even argue that we can have infinite growth in a finite world?
        malvosenior 7y ago
        I didn't say infinite growth. I said we're nowhere near the ceiling.
        notfromhere 7y ago
        And you know this how...?
        malvosenior 7y ago
        It's actually on the people who say that we're near the ceiling to prove that statement since it deviates from our current situation. I will say that the lack of growth in populations of 3rd world countries is proof enough. It's not like one day you wake up and millions of people get wiped out, a slowdown happens first. That hasn't happened.

I have no idea what metrics you're looking at to support that argument (Malthusianism has been debunked by the way) but the fact that their population keeps growing proves that you are incorrect.

notfromhere 7y ago
Malthus wasn't debunked. The planet doesn't have the resources to both provide a high standard of living and continual population growth. There are physical limitations to how much food we can grow. Saying growing populations disprove Malthus is like saying since smoking one cigarette didn't cause cancer, cancer from smoking is a myth.
- malvosenior 7y ago
  > Saying growing populations disprove Malthus is like saying since smoking one cigarette didn't cause cancer, cancer from smoking is a myth. No, because people who smoke do die from cancer. The earth has never hit a hard limit on how many people it can support. We are no where near the physical limit of how much food we can grow. Not even close (hence the actual population gain that only slows due to cultural changes and not resource limits).
  - notfromhere 7y ago
    https://qz.com/1347735/how-many-people-can-earth-support-its-carrying-capacity-isnt-infinite/ https://qz.com/1347735/how-many-people-can-earth-support-its...
    - malvosenior 7y ago
      That article doesn't say anything about the carrying capacity of the earth. Of course it can't, since no one knows what the actual carrying capacity is. All we know is that we've never hit it, that we can produce much more food (you'll see lack of food is not mentioned as a threat), that every time someone has predicted overpopulation they've been wrong and that technology keeps bumping the ceiling up. Again, the population of third world countries keeps increasing rapidly. They have no problem with population growth. We in the first world have a population problem but that's because we're not reproducing at replacement rates.
      - notfromhere 7y ago
        How can you even argue that we can have infinite growth in a finite world?
        malvosenior 7y ago
        I didn't say infinite growth. I said we're nowhere near the ceiling.
        notfromhere 7y ago
        And you know this how...?
        malvosenior 7y ago
        It's actually on the people who say that we're near the ceiling to prove that statement since it deviates from our current situation. I will say that the lack of growth in populations of 3rd world countries is proof enough. It's not like one day you wake up and millions of people get wiped out, a slowdown happens first. That hasn't happened.