Stephen Chonoles, age 12, of albany, N.Y., for his question;
Will the earth ever become overpopulated?
The human family has been growing bigger since the first people came to live on the earth. Lately we have heard a lot of talk about overpopulation and the population explosion. We hear scary forecasts about life in the future, and we wonder what all this will do to us.
It is true that the human population of the earth is increasing at a great rate. Every year the number of North Americans grows by 2.3%. Asia is growing by 2%, and the world population is increasing each year by 1%. In the past 175 years our population has multiplied by 49. If the present growth rate continues, there will be more than twice as many Americans in the next century.
The population is growing for several reasons. Medical science has conquered or controlled many diseases that were once fatal. Fewer babies die, and older people uve longer. Better homes and living conditions give us longer lives. As more babies survive, the percentage of children increases, but this does not mean that we are overpopulated with children. Of every 100 Americans, 27 are under 15, and you can bet your boots that America welcomes and needs every one of them.
In a way, this overpopulation we hear about has nothing to do with the number of people on the earth. It is concerned with how these people can get along on the Earth and whether our planet can provide enough to support them all in a good way of life. Overcrowding is uncomfortable, and it leads to all kinds of stresses and strains, but too little food to go around is a far more serious matter.
This is an age of improvement in every field. Our cows yield more milk, and our chickens yield more eggs. Our farms yield better crops, and our ranches produce more meat. Industry has made more jobs for people to earn money to buy these things, but some countries are less lucky. They do not produce enough for their people, and as populations grow, things get worse. Overpopulation occurs when countries fail to provide enough food and proper living conditions for all the people.
The gloomy prophets tell us that someday there will be a person on every foot of ground. This is silly, because people will lower the birth rate long before such overcrowding occurs. Sensible countries will strive to increase and improve production to keep pace with their people. They also must learn to farm the sea and explore other sources of food. The earth may become crowded, but it will become overpopulated only if all the people become foolish and lazy.