One of the most fundamental problems facing mankind right now is overpopulation. There are just too many of us. The resources of the planet are finite, and we all know this, but in many ways we continue to operate as if those resources were infinite.
For one thing, we cling to the fantasy that unending economic growth is possible, even as our population continues to grow. By taking this irrational stand, we squander our remaining resources and jeopardize the viability of ecosystems around the world. We have the intelligence to do better, but for the most part, we lack the will or the wisdom.
The strain we're putting on ecosystems around the world is evident to anyone who cares to look. Despite what deniers might say, human activity is causing climate change. And the effects of this change – persistent droughts, flooding, sea level rise, ocean acidification, more erratic weather – will make it harder and harder to feed a growing global population. Fresh water availability is already a significant issue in many parts of the world and will only become more of a problem as our numbers rise. Biodiversity is decreasing. The 6th mass extinction known to science is underway.
With no new continents to develop, or should I say plunder, we're setting ourselves up for perpetual conflict over a dwindling pool of resources and likely, at some point, a major population crash. We might even become one of the species that goes extinct. Depends on how much environmental damage we cause and our ability to adapt and survive.
So what to do?
Heading out to the stars in self-sustaining space craft the size of cities would be one way to solve the problem, but it's hard to imagine that becoming a reality soon enough, or perhaps ever, given our fragmented approach to technological development. Even if we focused all our attention and resources on this one goal, I don't know that we could pull it off.
No, I think if we're going to avoid an ugly decline, we're going to have to change our relationship to each other and to the planet. We might be a mix of nations, cultures, races, and religions, but at the most basic level, we're the crew of Spaceship Earth revolving around the sun as our galaxy hurtles through the universe. Were we wise, we'd spend a lot more time taking care of the ship and a whole lot less time squabbling and competing with each other. And we'd figure out a just, ethical, and humane way to get the crew sized right.
I know, what am I smoking? Most likely, we'll just keep doing what we've been doing and it won't be pleasant for the vast majority. As Avner Offer (Chichele Professor Emeritus of Economic History at Oxford University) puts it:
“There is not a free market solution to a peaceful decline.”