7 Billion and Counting: A Problem and an Answer

There is definitely something disconcerting about world population hitting the seven billion marker. With current statistics revealing that roughly 210,000 people are born every day, we can’t help but feel anxiety about the world’s rapidly expanding population.  Accordingly, famed physicist Stephen Hawkings sharply warns us that, “The human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet.”  Indeed, such pessimism for the continued survival of the earth is not completely unfounded.
In order to keep up with humanity’s exponential population growth– a growth rate that is more akin to a bacteria’s than any mammal’s– mankind must expand its means of production and in doing so, make some sacrifices.  In particular, the environment will likely take second place in view of humanity’s need to keep up with ever-growing demands for food.  Furthermore, strained resources are likely to exacerbate conflict.  For as the UN has warned in the past, scarce water resources, particularly in Africa, show how violence can erupt as population levels rise and humans compete for resources. Likewise, one can’t help but wonder how long it will be before national parks give way to farmland and until Yellowstone’s geysers are replaced by smoke stacks. Even more, how long will it be before we drain the earth of every last drop of clean water and scar the ozone layer irreparably?  Already, we can see the beginnings of such ominous changes.
Still, we cannot let demographics determine our future.  Indeed, if our past is of any indication, there is reason for optimism.  Looking at the last 2,000 years of human history, mankind has succeeded to defy most Malthusian expectations.  For example, during the second half of the 20th century, the so-called “Green Revolution,” in which agricultural innovations significantly increased production, allowed India to defy the pessimistic predictions carved out by Paul R. Ehrlich, famed Malthusian and author of The Population Bomb.  Similar predictions have been forecast by others, but overall, Malthusian predictions of impending famine– of outstripping the  worlds resources– have failed to materialize on a massive scale.
Some critics argue that the Green Revolution is unsustainable, that it only delayed the constantly worsening problem of population growth.  However, while these criticisms bear some truth, they may only suggest the need for another revolution to continue to push humanity forward.  Still, this second Green Revolution would have to be “green” in another sense.  Unlike the previous revolution which saw the introduction of synthetic fertilizers and toxic pesticides which were harmful to the environment, the next revolution cannot promote production at the expense of the environment.
Even more, just as continued exploitation of the environment and the draining of scarce resources can breed hostility, such adversity can lead to unity.  When nature’s beauty is marred by industrial exploitation, conservatives, liberals, Muslims and Catholics alike, perceive the loss.  Ultimately, it’s our earth that’s on the line and nobody is above its problems.  Because environmental problems associated with rising population are universal, any chance to resolve them hinges on a broad, transnational, concerted effort.  Historically, each time there has been some similar hurdle, when the specter of finite resources seemed to rear its ugly head, mankind managed to move forward. The coming years should be no exception.
Therefore, while acknowledging humanity’s potential to mar the beauty of the world, we must also never forget humanity’s potential to effect good– a potential that can be enhanced by globalization.  Indeed, the Green Revolution itself, which arguably saved billions of lives, was in part a product of increased globalization as the sharing of information and agricultural innovations across national boundaries allowed for rapid and large-scale advances in means of production.  In this way, the world’s ever-increasing globalization has already proven that it can produce immense solutions.  This means that while the population problem appears to be worsening, every day the world also becomes better equipped to solve it.
Nicholas Christakis’ research on social networks points to a similar conclusion.  He argues that, “If we realized how valuable social networks are, we’d spend a lot more time nourishing them and sustaining them, because I think social networks are fundamentally related to goodness.”  Basically, when working together, humans can achieve so much more that they could ever hope to do alone.  Every single person on this planet has the potential to do something extraordinary, and together, this potential is absolutely limitless.  We have the power not only to imagine a better future, but also to create it.  So sure, we humans (constituting a population of 7 billion) might be a problem.  But fortunately, we’re also the answer.