Posted on 03/09/2007 8:38:29 AM PST by westcoastwillieg
Cities at the tipping point - overpopulation destroying major U.S. cities.
Ref: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html
Ref: http://www.carryingcapacity.org/
A common fallacy is to equate existing and seemingly open or "unused" spaces with the kind of resources and ecologically productive land needed to support human life under modern conditions. In fact, the criterion for determining whether a region is overpopulated is not land area, but carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity refers to the number of individuals who can be supported in a given area within natural resource limits, and without degrading the natural social, cultural and economic environment for present and future generations. The carrying capacity for any given area is not fixed. It can be altered by improved technology, but mostly it is changed for the worse by pressures which accompany a population increase. As the environment is degraded, carrying capacity actually shrinks, leaving the environment no longer able to support even the number of people who could formerly have lived in the area on a sustainable basis. No population can live beyond the environment's carrying capacity for very long.
The average American's "ecological footprint" (the demands an individual endowed with average amounts of resources, i.e., land, water, food, fiber, waste assimilation and disposal, etc. puts on the environment) is about 12 acres, an area far greater than that taken up by one's residence and place of school or work.
The CIA World Factbook lists the total land area of the United States (includes the 50 states and District of Columbia) as 9,161,923 sq km---converted to acres, the total land area of the United States is 2,263,911,173 acres. Dividing total area by the 12 acre ecological footprint per person yields a sustainable population of 188,659,264. Even if we lower the ecological footprint to 10 acres per person the calculation will yield a population of 226,391,117 far lower than our current population of 300 million. By this measure, the United States is overpopulated by well over 70 million people.
While some may quibble with the method used, the math is irrefutable. This back of the envelope calculation is one that every American should be aware of. Immigration is largely responsible for our population growth. Immigrants don't travel by covered wagon anymore, the majority congregate in our cities. The demands on our cities are overwhelming. Anyone who lives in a large city can see the results of overpopulation on their roads, schools, hospitals, courts and jails. While many reasons are given for electrical outages and the high price of oil, the root cause (usually not stated) is simply overpopulation. The amount of energy we require is largely a function of population. Just as two people require more water than one person so it is with energy in a modern society.
By the year 2050, census estimates predict that our population will be almost 500,000,000 and by 2075 may reach ONE BILLION. Behind China and India, the U.S. is the third most populous nation in the world and we’re fast catching up. According to the U.S. Census Bureau our population was 297,821,175 on January 1, 2006 an increase of 2.71 million in only one year. Unless we elect politicians who have the courage to reduce population growth, the future is grim.
Yes, for example, look at Los Angeles. Where is that massive population spike coming from??
PUH-LEEEEEEEZE! Is 'science' turning into 'That 70s show'?
What a load of crap.
I thought major cities are LOSING people. I'm so tired of these scare stories. YAWN YAWN YAWN.
While some may quibble with the method used, the math is irrefutable.
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Irrefutable? We have 300,000,000 people and the highest living standards on earth...Yet the author states that the country is overpopulated by 70 million.
I am guessing he votes democrat.
Oh Please Al Gore Save Us!!!!!
Yeah, It's overpopulation that's ruining Detroit and Cleveland, that's the ticket...
Where did they get this number?
From out of their tuckuses.
I thought major cities are LOSING people. I'm so tired of these scare stories.
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Do the research. Remove the number of ILLEGALS coming into this country. Then measure the growth.
The problem isn't too many people. It's the kind of people who live in these cities: Too many welfare parasites and criminals.
If we had a country of 300 million hard working, independent people there would be no "overpopulation" problem. But no, we have to have millions and millions of useless gaping mouths, which the rest of us must work hard to feed.
"Carrying capacity refers to the number of individuals who can be supported in a given area within natural resource limits, and without degrading the natural social, cultural and economic environment for present and future generations."
Who determines this? Another researcher looking for a grant?
>>The average American's "ecological footprint" (the demands an individual endowed with average amounts of resources, i.e., land, water, food, fiber, waste assimilation and disposal, etc. puts on the environment) is about 12 acres, an area far greater than that taken up by one's residence and place of school or work. <<
Yeah, that's why cars have radiators. The detonation chamber cannot dissipate the heat fast enough so it is carried off to where it can be released.
We have land fills, mountain rivers, etc. The planet was made for this stuff - literally.
Except that we feed much more than that 500 million right now. With a lot of land in CRP.
Did this guy just learn how to use a calculator? Sounds like an eight year old kid - "Hey Dad, guess what 11,213 times 516 is!"
The US had a population of just over 200 million in 1970...today its 300 million +...US Census Bureau estimates a US population of 420 million by 2050
What's the answer? Abortion and euthanazia!
Here are some census figures:
1970--203 million Americans
1980--227 million
1990--249 million
2000--281 million
Today--301 million
2030 [Projected]--364 million
2050 [Projected]--400 million
Imagine, since the last census in 2000, we have added 20 million people or more than the combined populations of NYC, Chicago, and LA. In the 1990s our population increase of 32 million is about the size of California, our most populous state.
More than likely, these Bureau of the Census figures understate the true population given the fact that many illegals did not participate. Some estimate that if the Senate bill is passed, we have at least 500 million people by 2050 because of the chain migration effect. The number of legal immigrants who would enter the country or would gain legal status under S. 2611 falls from 103 million to around 66 million over the next 20 years.
More than three quarters of our current population growth comes from immigrants, legal and illegal. Moreover 10% of all babies born in the US come from illegal immigrants.
Yeah, cities are so crowded, nobody goes there anymore!
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