How to survive as a species: World Population Day

Before I come across as depressing, let me tell you how this day came about.

#WPD was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987 - approximately the date on which the world's population reached five billion people.

We are now at 7.4 billion people. We don't have enough natural resources on this little blue planet to meet the energy, food, and infrastructure needs of the people now on it.

The way I see it is; we have one of two options if we wish to survive as a species.

1. Colonise our closest Earth-like planet, which is Wolf 1061c and it is 14 light years away, so unless we perfect warp travel in the next 20 years, we are buggered?

2. Stop having so many babies. You will find a wealth of data online that will help you with this reality, but the stickiest argument is that if one can't afford a family, one shouldn't have one. This is a failed argument because it amounts to classist social engineering.

The only real way that we can honestly curb overpopulation is if the reality of the overpopulation threat is embraced by all. And that everyone changes their thinking about accepted procreational culture and practices. If you think it's easy, just try to tell your close friends and family that having that second and third child is irresponsible and see how quickly you are taken off the Christmas list.

I doubt either of these two outcomes is achievable. Humans have a long history of looking after their own interests with scant regard for the species as a whole.

The best we can look forward to is some dystopian future where the human race eeks out a meager desperate existence where every day is a fight for physical survival - on the upside, at least we will all be equal in our deprivation.

Happy World Population Day, everyone.

Source: Mashble