Final Discusion Q

To the left is a fitting picture for a discussion on the population crisis and the future of mankind. Overpopulation has nothing to do with population density and everything to do with an area's resources and ability to sustain a population. If there aren't enough resources to go around, then the area is experiencing overpopulation. Currently, the world population is at over 6 billion people. By 2050, our population may reach 12 billion if we do not alter our actions. Can Earth support this growth?

Much of this class has been spent in contemplation of the approaching energy crisis. Humans are reaching the end of Earth's oil supply. We will soon turn to electricity to fuel our cars and homes, but there is not an endless amount of uranium. What happens when we are out of uranium? Then, how will we create energy? Eventually, all resources will cease to exist, and one day the sun will begin to fuse helium into heavier elements, causing the sun to swell, swallowing the Earth. If mankind survives on Earth a few more million years, then this will be our end. Depressing as it may be, the eventual fate of mankind in my opinion, is likely oblivion.

However, in the mean time, there are measures we can take to prolong our stay here on Earth. First and foremost, we can be conservative with our resources. We can't continue to spend money on healthcare and advancements to prolong human life without spending money to help support the rapidly growing population. We need to conserve and protect our environment and natural resources. We also need to spend more money on sexual education, family planning, and birth control. There are some who do not use birth control for religious reasons, but there are many people who simply do not have the education or access to information and contraceptives (not just in third world nations but in the US as well). If we want to fight the population crisis, this must be the beginning. China has taken the radical step of implementing One-Child Policy which states that couples in China may only have one child, though there are violations. This policy has been put in place in order to reduce the strain on China's resources. This a solution that many countries will need to examine if birth rates do not begin to fall naturally.

We must also push the boundaries of science and keep searching for alternative energies. No longer can we burn fossil fuels and destroy our ozone layer. Humans must learn to produce a greater food supply and rework public infrastructures to support larger populations. It is time for the human race to once again evolve if we wish to continue to live.

As they say, space is the final frontier. If we, the human species, do not leave Earth, then we are doomed. There is no nice way to put this. The sun will destroy us, if it isn't an asteroid, meteor, or our own stupidity that does it first. I hope that with further scientific advancement, we will be able to find other planets and stars that can sustain human life. Then, with further experimentation and innovation, we must discover how we can transport large numbers of people to "our new home."

In the mean time, I believe it is best that we preserve what we have, Earth. After all, there is currently no way of telling that there are other places habitable by humans. There is also no way to know if travel at "warp" speed is possible. It may have to be the descendants of the original passengers that actually arrive at these planets alive, which bring up the question of sustaining life for generations on a spaceship.