Humans on Earth are soon expected to reach the Earth’s carrying capacity. This topic can be sensitive to some readers, this is not meant to be offending. The human species is suffering from overpopulation, what can we do about it?

According to www.grist.org , it’s all about spreading the word. Many schools now are pushing to improve sex education. Teen birthrate has fallen slightly from this, but is still higher in developing countries. Teachers are urged to be more straightforward with kids about sex and contraception. In America, US has the highest fertility rate compared to wealthy nations. grist.org urges parents to talk to teens about this issue. They believe families should support abortion rights and family planning programs. Parents should stop pressuring kids to have kids. For future parents, consider only having 1 or 2 kids. Think about having kids later in life, larger gaps between generations means slower population growth. Future parents should also consider being foster parents. Be serious about having child and starting a family. Adults should know it’s okay to not have children, latest stats show 1 in 5 woman end up not having kids. The biggest thing we can do is to spread the word, but be respectful to other’s opinions.

What is the US doing about this global issue? According to www.us.news.com , they are promoting contraception and family-planning. The US is also pushing to improve education for  women. This idea empowers women by giving them the opportunity to choose how many children they want. By doing this, this staves off unhealthy rapid population growth. US pushes to educate women on general and reproductive topics, thereby building a stronger civil society.

Why is this happening in the first place? According to www.conserve-energy-future.com , a big aspect is because of our growing advances in technology each year. This includes better medical facilities, which leads to a decrease in mortality rate around the world. Today we have many cures to diseases than before. Our advance in technology has increased the overall lifespan of humans and growth of population. Science has also improved production of food. We have mass plantations and mass production of foods to feed families. This leads to families being able to feed more mouths. Another big aspect is advancement in fertility treatment. People that are infertile can undergo fertility treatment methods to still have babies. There are also effective medicines that can increase chance of contraception which makes birth rate even higher in the world. Also, modern pregnancies are much safer than before.

According to www.livescience.com, Earth’s maximum carrying capacity is 9 billion to 10 billion people. According to http://www.pewresearch.org/ , global population is expected to increase by 38% in 2050, from 6.9 billion in 2010 to 9.6 billion in 2050. What will happen when the world reaches carrying capacity? More people means resources go down. When resources go down, those resources become much more valuable than before. This can lead to mass wars, because of our progress in technology, these wars can increase mortality rate globally. Today we have great advances in weaponry. A nuclear war can wipe out humanity fast. World maps will be reshaped. In third world countries, people will starve, and die out with little defenses.

One of the biggest things we can do to help with this global issue is to spread the word, this issue can be sensitive, so try to be respectful of other people’s opinions. It’s not too late, this issue can still be solved to prevent problems.