Demographic collapse

Submitted by Michael S (United States), May 11, 2015 at 20:23

Hello, Jon

Here are some things I've seen happening, related to increased population pressure:

1. higher traffic volume & smog
2. higher density housing
3. "One child" policy in China
4. migration into cities
5. increase in immigration from poor countries
6. wealthy couples not marrying or having children
7. increased homosexuality, abortion and general sexual weirdness
8. more expensive housing
9. fewer jobs per applicant
10. tremendous psychological problems, relating to loss of the traditional family

Those are all population issues -- as is, as you have noticed, the water scarcity problem. and other resource scarcity problems. I don't know whether a "die-off" will happen as well. As things seem today, it looks like we will get more problems along the lines of the above list, instead of a die-off; but we could get a catastrophic population reduction as well.

Premature deaths were the usual population control method for thousands of years, up until the Industrial Revolution. Most of what we call "longer life expectancy" today, is fewer deaths of children from diseases and, to some extent, fewer deaths of old people -- though the quality of life of our elderly is not significantly better than it was in previous generations. People aren't really "conquering old age" or "lengthening their lives". What the Industrial Revolution has given us, is a larger proportion of young people growing to a comfortable middle age. This has put a strain on our resources, such as fossil "fuels" (which double as raw materials for plastics, etc.), metals, food & fertilizer, and water. That, in turn, has caused adjustments, dislocations, wars, theocratic movements, etc.

What we should be headed for, in the best scenario, is a new equilibrium situation. I don't think this will happen, because of human nature: We will continue to utilize resources at roughly the rate we are able to extract them. This should lead to sudden cataclysmic events. EMP warfare would certainly fit this scheme of things. Mankind has made an idol of technology, thinking that with it, he could create a comfortable, care-free life. That idol will certainly fall, as prophesied.

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