Witnessing Evolution - Biology in Action

"Name one problem in the world today that is not directly related to population growth."

--Phil Teller

This has been a hugely controversial stance for my husband over the past decade, but there is mounting evidence to *prove* the validity of his statement, and I am proud of him for having the *courage* to stand up to dissenters. I have included links to various articles linked to the relevant text...

In my college Biology classes, we studied the J-Curve and S-Curve models of population growth. The J-Curve shows exponential growth, which only happens when resources are unlimited. The S-Curve exhibits a leveling out over time due to limiting factors. The J-Curve is considered "unrealistic" because resources ARE finite. Yet, the human race continues to strive toward that unattainable "J" graph, blithely ignoring all the warning signs that indicate we have reached "carrying capacity".

The problem is, while humans are happy to control the populations of *other* species, we have a problem putting limits on our own. When I see modern examples like "OctoMom" (14 children), the Arkansas Duggar family (19 children), and the "Kate plus 8" family, I feel like *slapping* them. I really do!! Too late now, though.

"Do you realize what you're doing to this planet?!" I want to shout at them! Back in the colonization days, before the industrial revolution, large families were beneficial and necessary, but we need to LET GO of that mentality. Pollution, climate change, mass species extinctions, depletion of resources, accumulation of waste...are just a few examples of "world problems" which are caused, directly or indirectly, by the alarming increase in human population (and the support thereof) on this planet.

"No matter," I tell myself, taking a deep, calming breath (before flying into a panic)... I am already noticing the following natural controls that have been occurring for the last century or so:

PREDATION

We have no predators but ourselves. The "modern" means of killing off our own species is War, and even Genocide. Animals (and some primitive tribes) utilize Cannibalism, too. When I was young, we had 2 gerbils, which had babies, and those babies grew up to have more babies, and so on, until we had 48 gerbils divided into 4 cages. When one of the new mothers started *eating* her babies, we realized we had too many, and it was time to start giving them away (also known as Migration)!

DISEASE

In the densely populated and unsanitary cities of yore, diseases like the Black Death (bubonic plague) caused a *major* dip in population. Again, modern innovation, in the form of vaccines, has almost completely eradicated major diseases like Black Death, as well as Smallpox, Polio, Measles, Rubella, etc. With the amazing advancement of vaccines and modern medicine, our population started up that J-Curve trend again. But Nature is still trying to assert herself and get us back onto the more realistic S-Curve! We now have E Coli, Salmonella, Swine Flu, AIDS, Cancer, and the new "super-bugs" that are highly resistant to antibiotics. Who knows what NEW tricks she has up her sleeve?

COMPETITION

Animal populations will modify their behaviors when resources become limited, by laying fewer eggs, by changing gender (seen in frogs and other amphibians). Which brings me to homosexuality. Everywhere you look these days, there are increasing references to homosexual relationships. It *seems* more and more people are realizing they are attracted to the same sex, but it's well-established that the rate of homosexuality has NOT increased, it's just less *suppressed* than it used to be. More psychologists and scientists are coming to the conclusion that homosexuality is not, in fact, a "chosen" lifestyle, but one you are born with as naturally as left-handedness. It is MY opinion that it is also a *natural* way of limiting the population, and should be accepted and *welcomed* as such. It only *seems* unnatural to those heterosexuals who somehow feel threatened by it because it's different (us/them mentality). In fact, over 1500 species of animals exhibit homosexual orientation. It IS natural.

MIGRATION

This worked when there were uninhabited areas of the planet and/or areas not critical as natural resources. As the untouched parts of this planet continue to disappear, our only other option is off-planet, but first we need to break our dependency on oil and coal, because those resources do not exist on our neighboring orbs.

CONCLUSION

Even with natural controls working against over-population, it is *still* a problem that needs to be dealt with. In college, my Forest Ecology class invited some Chinese scientists along on a field trip to the Appallachian mountains. I chatted with one of those scientists for most of the drive while all the others slept. It was an amazing exchange of "well, in OUR culture, we do this..." He told me how their government, concerned about population growth, had made it socially unacceptable for each couple to have more than ONE child. Even with that limitation, though, they just surpassed the United States as the number one consumer of energy on the planet. That threshold would probably have been reached *well* before 2009 if they had not put the one-child-per-family stipulation in place!

The world is at a Crossroads (or a Precipice, depending on if you're an optimist or a pessimist). I don't think we should just STOP having children. They are important. They are a miracle. So is the birth of *every* other living organism. We are all part of a larger ecosystem, all inter-connected like a chain, and we need to be *constantly* aware of how breaking one link of that chain causes larger ripples elsewhere. When you throw away a piece of garbage, think about how 6 billion pieces of that garbage will impact the environment. Can you reuse or recycle it? When you flush the toilet, your waste is conveniently whisked away. Do you ever think about what 6 billion people's waste might look (or smell) like?

Currently, the more developed countries are more educated and have *slowed* their growth rates, for the most part, but studies show the world population will exceed 9 billion by 2050! Where will they all live? More importantly, HOW will they all live? We're already facing energy & water shortages within decades. Should they live by killing off others? What/who decides which ones get to survive and which ones must go? Will it take a catastrophic event after which Nature's "survival of the fittest" rule comes into play?

I think the scenario above is a much more worrisome heritage to pass down to our children and grandchildren than any amount of national debt. Money is not important in the long run. It won't do you any good in the hereafter. So, please, if you have children, or are *thinking* of having children, PLEASE teach them to be good stewards of the Earth, and lead by example by first becoming one yourself!

Help to educate others who may not know these things. If everyone begins to adopt these attitudes, the human race MAY be able to continue thriving on Planet Earth and not follow the path of the dinosaurs.

"We must cultivate a universal responsibility toward each other and extend it to the planet that we have to share."
--His Holiness the Dalai Lama

ADDED: Other Interesting Related Articles:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928015.400-biology-nobelist-natural-selection-will-destroy-us.html