overpopulation

19 Stories

Egypt Pleads With Parents to Have Smaller Families

Nation's resources are becoming strained

(Newser) - Last year, Egypt’s population topped 104 million, five times what it was in 1950, and it continues to grow at a steady clip, per the Washington Post . Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi sees a population crisis that threatens national security and economic development, and he has “repeatedly scolded...

This City Is Selling Off Its Swans for $400 a Pop

Lakeland, Fla., says due to overpopulation, it costs $10K a year to feed them all

(Newser) - Got an extra $400 lying around? Love swans? If you're near Lakeland, Fla., or can get there, you're in luck. CNN reports that, starting sometime in the next few weeks, the city will be selling off about half of the 80 resident swans that live on Lake Morton....

There's a Legit Group That Wants Humans to Go Extinct

Yes, Les U. Knight wishes you were never born

(Newser) - Ever stop and think the planet would be a better place if humans weren't around? Les U. Knight came to that conclusion long ago, and unlike you, he's doing something about it. He's the founder of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, which aims to rid Earth of...

Scientists Discover Ancient Baby Boom

Study: Native American birth-rate growth, fall is a 'warning about overpopulation'

(Newser) - A baby boom among Native Americans that started some 1,500 years ago was so massive that birth rates likely surpassed the highest found anywhere in the world today, according to researchers scouring data tied to thousands of human remains found at hundreds of sites across the region where Arizona,...

Obesity as Bad for Planet as Overpopulation

And North America is the biggest culprit

(Newser) - We may worry that too many people are draining the planet's resources—but in fact, "it's not how many mouths there are to feed, it's how much flesh there is," a researcher says. His study shows that if every country in the world were as...

Michelle Duggar: Overpopulation Is a Lie

There can't be too many kids, says ' 19 Kids and Counting' mom

(Newser) - What the world needs now is more children, declares 19 Kids and Counting mother Michelle Duggar. What about overpopulation? Not to worry, says the reality show mom. Despite the world supporting a record 7 billion people, the whole "mindset" of overpopulation is "not true; it's a lie,...

7B People Isn't as Terrifying as It Sounds

Food production has soared alongside population: David Lam

(Newser) - Halloween may seem the perfect day for the world population to reach 7 billion —after all, it’s a terrifying milestone, right? Wrong, writes economist David Lam, president of the Population Association of America, in the Los Angeles Times . “The parents of the 7-billionth person should not be...

PETA Contest Prize? Free Vasectomy

An inspired way to bring awareness to the neutering issue

(Newser) - This has got to be one of PETA’s weirdest stunts yet: The animal rights group is staging a contest related to its spay/neuter campaign, and the lucky winner will get … a free vasectomy. To enter, you just get your cat or dog spayed or neutered, then submit an...

India to Newlyweds: We'll Pay You Not to Have Kids

Half the population is under 25 and exploding

(Newser) - India's overwhelmingly young, babymaking population is putting it on a blistering pace to overtake even China's near-2 billion souls, and the thought of the resource drain is filling government officials with dread. But unlike China, which can simply institute a one-child rule, India's messy democracy must explore alternative ways to...

Carbon-Tax Foes Must Think the End Is Nigh
Carbon-Tax Foes Must Think the End Is Nigh
Thomas Friedman
Nov 18, 2009 8:25 AM CST

Carbon-Tax Foes Must Think the End Is Nigh

How else to explain them being OK with the exploding population?

(Newser) - Opponents of cap-and-trade legislation must believe that a massive plague will wipe out 2.5 billion people sometime between now and 2050. Otherwise, their stance makes no sense, writes Thomas Friedman of the New York Times . Even if you don’t believe climate change is real—and Friedman does—you...

Two Kids Should Be the Limit: Eco Expert

UK green adviser says overpopulation is 'ghost at the table'

(Newser) - If you have more than a pair of kids, you’re damaging the planet, says an environmental adviser to the British government. He says contraception and abortion are key to fighting overpopulation that adds to global warming, the Times of London reports. “I am unapologetic about asking people to...

Worst Threat to Earth? Way Too Many People
Worst Threat to Earth? Way Too Many People
OPINION
Aug 6, 2008 11:35 AM CDT

Worst Threat to Earth? Way Too Many People

Rate of human growth and consumption may destroy civilization

(Newser) - With the number of humans on Earth expected to reach 9.5 billion by the second half of the 21st century, policymakers and environmentalists should turn their attention to the grave dangers of overpopulation and overconsumption, Paul Ehrlich—author of 1968 bestseller The Population Bomb—and wife Anne write in...

World Pop. to Hit 7B by 2012





 World Pop. to Hit 7B by 2012

Jun 20, 2008 2:37 AM CDT

World Pop. to Hit 7B by 2012

Increased 1B in 13 years

(Newser) - The world's soaring population is expected to hit 7 billion by 2012, further straining thinly stretched natural resources, AP reports. The current population is 6.7 billion, and growing at 1.2% a year, spurred by increasing medical and nutritional advances in developing countries. But as more women in developing...

Cougar's Long Trek to Chicago May Tell Tale

Cat likely from SD may yield clues about human overpopulation

(Newser) - A cougar shot April 14 in Chicago was spotted earlier in Wisconsin, DNA tests show, suggesting an epic trek. Now, scientists are eager to study the animal, hoping to learn more about how and why it migrated; they aim to pin down its ancestry in an effort to better understand...

Fertile Felines May Require New Laws

Cat population could reach dangerous heights: researcher

(Newser) - America’s wandering cat population is growing—and if communities don’t address the issue, their numbers could spiral to alarming heights, LiveScience reports. As it stands, there’s a cat for every 3.5 Americans, and reproducing roamers contribute to the 5 million cats euthanized yearly. Cities may need...

China Hangs Onto 1-Child Policy
China Hangs Onto 1-Child Policy
Mar 10, 2008 6:16 PM CDT

China Hangs Onto 1-Child Policy

Country fears growth boom if rule is rescinded

(Newser) - China will keep up its one-child policy over the next decade as nearly 200 million citizens reach child-bearing age, CNN reports. "Given such a large population base, there would be major fluctuations in population growth if we abandoned the one-child rule now," said the country's family planning minister,...

South Africa to Lift Ban on Killing Elephants

Government says culling is a 'last resort' population control option

(Newser) - South Africa will lift its 1994 ban on elephant culling, sparking outrage among animal rights activists, the Guardian reports. Killing animals will remain "the option of last resort, acceptable only under strict conditions," said the environment minister. He added that managing the elephant population, which has grown to...

Consumers Beware
Consumers Beware
OPINION
Jan 2, 2008 3:53 PM CST

Consumers Beware

Don't worry about overpopulation, prof writes—worry about consumption rates

(Newser) - Don’t worry how many people there are in the world—worry how much each is consuming, noted author and professor Jared Diamond argues in today’s New York Times. People in the developed world consume 32 times more than counterparts in the developing world; if the 5.5 billion...

China Faces Baby Boomlet
China Faces Baby Boomlet
Dec 14, 2007 4:31 PM CST

China Faces Baby Boomlet

Echoes of relaxed one-child rule, healthy economy will manifest soon

(Newser) - China is bracing for a bumper crop of babies as kids born after the relaxation of the strict one-child policy in 1984 start their own families, the London Times reports. Strict penalties still apply to couples with more than one child, but tradition-bound and wealthy Chinese can afford to pay...

19 Stories