<p>It's important to understand that this problem is a bit more nuanced.</p>
<p>Population growth in every species is exponential (as much as exponential growth can exist, in reality almost nothing is proven to grow infinitely, therefore at some point stops growing exponentially).</p>
<p>Check out this for a description of carrying capacity. In a lot of ways it shows that human population growth is not much different than any other species... but we do it on such a grand scale, and that is something to consider. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_capacity#:%7E:text=The%20carrying%20capacity%20of%20an,water%2C%20and%20other%20resources%20available" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_capacity#:~:text=The%20carrying%20capacity%20of%20an,water%2C%20and%20other%20resources%20available</a>.</p>
<p>The biggest problem in the future may not be our exponential growth, but our increase in carrying capacity for our specific environment (which for humans is the entire Earth). The most significant cause of this is the Green Revolution (agricultural improvements, not environment).
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution</a></p>
<p>We certainly don't want to see that carrying capacity drop.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-16T12:08:30.430Z
Population growth in most species is not exponential: typical populations are *stable* as they have reached limits imposed by their environment. The human population is even more limited and will start declining in a few decades if current family sizes don't grow. we are already past peak children.
matt_black
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-30T20:02:50.620Z
I should clarify a new successful species in a new ecosystem often grows at an exponential rate until an inflection point where population grows starts to slow towards stability (population capacity, k). 

But as I mention in brackets above, exponential growth is actually not common. As most things have a stable cap. Thus if you see the entire event from introduction of a species to it's stable population, it looks sigmoidal.  But cut the curve in half (temporally), then it "looks" exponential, which is where we are in human population.
Drew Heasman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-14T22:13:20.537Z
2020-12-14T22:13:20.537Z
Drew Heasman
<p>Measures to control human population that have been tried so far have been unpalatable and very unpopular. Everyone want's their own &quot;tribe&quot; to survive.</p>
<p>Wars and other significant conflicts caused millions of deaths &amp; the world is still in a precarious situation. <a href="https://www.positivenegativeeffects.com/world-war-2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">World War 2</a> resulted in the <a href="https://www.thebalance.com/world-war-ii-economic-impact-4570917" rel="nofollow noreferrer">death</a> of 75 million people. It had a particularly devastating effect on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union" rel="nofollow noreferrer">population</a> of <a href="https://web.williams.edu/Economics/faculty/brainerd-rfwomen.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Russia</a> and its economy has suffered since. Deaths resulting from <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/10-facts-stalins-great-purge.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Stalin's purges</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ukraine Famine</a> added to the devastating result.</p>
<p>During the 1970s, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emergency_(India)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Emergency in India</a>, lead to nearly 11 million people being sterilized, mostly forcibly sterilized. A 1970 law lead to the <a href="https://time.com/5737080/native-american-sterilization-history/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mass sterilization of native American women</a>.</p>
<p>In 1980, China introduced its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">One Child policy</a>, the results of which are <a href="https://theconversation.com/africa/topics/one-child-policy-4536" rel="nofollow noreferrer">still being felt</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-14T08:18:36.170Z
2020-12-14T08:18:36.170Z
Fred
<p>Is there any solution to deal with the overpopulation of our species at the same time protect the natural environment of ours? (other than finding a inhabitable planet?)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-14T08:18:37.720Z
I think we need some more details on this: Which issue coming with population growth are you talking about? How do you define overpopulation? How do you define environmental protection?
Erik
<climate><earth-history><environmental-protection>
Solution for the coexistence of overpopulated human species with nature
VGB
# Solution for the coexistence of overpopulated human species with nature

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-14)

Is there any solution to deal with the overpopulation of our species at the same time protect the natural environment of ours? (other than finding a inhabitable planet?)

**Tags:** climate, earth-history, environmental-protection

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think we need some more details on this: Which issue coming with population growth are you talking about? How do you define overpopulation? How do you define environmental protection?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-12-14. Score: 3

It's important to understand that this problem is a bit more nuanced.

Population growth in every species is exponential (as much as exponential growth can exist, in reality almost nothing is proven to grow infinitely, therefore at some point stops growing exponentially).

Check out this for a description of carrying capacity. In a lot of ways it shows that human population growth is not much different than any other species... but we do it on such a grand scale, and that is something to consider. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying\_capacity#:~:text=The%20carrying%20capacity%20of%20an,water%2C%20and%20other%20resources%20available](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_capacity#:%7E:text=The%20carrying%20capacity%20of%20an,water%2C%20and%20other%20resources%20available).

The biggest problem in the future may not be our exponential growth, but our increase in carrying capacity for our specific environment (which for humans is the entire Earth). The most significant cause of this is the Green Revolution (agricultural improvements, not environment).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution>

We certainly don't want to see that carrying capacity drop.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Population growth in most species is not exponential: typical populations are *stable* as they have reached limits imposed by their environment. The human population is even more limited and will start declining in a few decades if current family sizes don't grow. we are already past peak children.  
> **username_2**: I should clarify a new successful species in a new ecosystem often grows at an exponential rate until an inflection point where population grows starts to slow towards stability (population capacity, k).   But as I mention in brackets above, exponential growth is actually not common. As most things have a stable cap. Thus if you see the entire event from introduction of a species to it's stable population, it looks sigmoidal.  But cut the curve in half (temporally), then it "looks" exponential, which is where we are in human population.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-12-14. Score: 2

Measures to control human population that have been tried so far have been unpalatable and very unpopular. Everyone want's their own "tribe" to survive.

Wars and other significant conflicts caused millions of deaths & the world is still in a precarious situation. [World War 2](https://www.positivenegativeeffects.com/world-war-2) resulted in the [death](https://www.thebalance.com/world-war-ii-economic-impact-4570917) of 75 million people. It had a particularly devastating effect on the [population](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union) of [Russia](https://web.williams.edu/Economics/faculty/brainerd-rfwomen.pdf) and its economy has suffered since. Deaths resulting from [Stalin's purges](https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/10-facts-stalins-great-purge.html) and the [Ukraine Famine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor) added to the devastating result.

During the 1970s, the [Emergency in India](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emergency_(India)), lead to nearly 11 million people being sterilized, mostly forcibly sterilized. A 1970 law lead to the [mass sterilization of native American women](https://time.com/5737080/native-american-sterilization-history/).

In 1980, China introduced its [One Child policy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy), the results of which are [still being felt](https://theconversation.com/africa/topics/one-child-policy-4536).


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