I read this New Yorker article on my morning commute about estimates that the 7 billionth person will be born on October 31st (next week! Halloween!).
And just now I read this op-ed piece on the same topic in the New York Times.
The New Yorker article seemed more like a factual, "oh well this is gonna happen so let's just wait and see what happens" of seeing where the limits of earth's ability to support X billion people.
The Times article looked a little more at finding solutions and making changes to improve quality of life ("prosperity") and changing how we measure the "success" of the species.
I don't know how I feel exactly or what my response is.
A. I'm glad I'll be dead before the end of this century and won't have to fight 12 billion other ppl for a mouthful of food. Probably.
B. I sure hope we figure out a sustainable balance b/w food/materials/housing and people so we don't end up with a mandated baby limit/policy.
C. Is this what happens when science ruins everything? Remember when famine, wars, disease, and other natural disasters were able to limit and control our numbers? Now that we're able to outmaneuver a bunch of those "natural" clearing-outs, what're we going to do with the "too-many" people?
I don't think I'm making sense. But I feel like this is an interesting discussion topic. I just don't have an opinion or stance yet.
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