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Overpopulation is probably one of the main causes for some of our current world problems like global warming or climate change, poverty and hunger, clean drinking water and crude oil scarcity, pollution of air and drinking water, ecological disasters and some health problems.
Our planet is like a space ship with only limited resources. The current world population amounts to about 7 billion (a clear indication of overpopulation), and its number grows by more than 80 million every year! We cannot go on like this much longer without making the related problems even worse!
Because of growing population pressures, more and more forests are being wiped out in search for agricultural land, fertile land is being overexploited and thereby partly rendered infertile, pests are getting more resistant and aggressive because of monocultures. In addition, a growing population needs more energy with the result of increasing CO2 content in our atmosphere and speeding up of global warming or climate change. Even fighting could start between countries for the last resources and water. A further problem is that refugees from poverty and hunger are tempted to move in increasing numbers to other countries, which are still better off but can be overwhelmed and may also suffer in the long term because of this.
To slow down and eventually reverse the trend of overpopulation over the next decades, every family should have no more than 1-2 children. This has been achieved with more or less success in China, and it is more a matter of changing peoples traditions and habit, lifting their living standard, educating them and making them aware of the dire consequences of overpopulation.
Some of the reasons for people having too many children are:
1. Poverty
2. Tradition and habit
3. Little or no access to contraceptives
4. Little or no education
5. Lack of incentives
In the following I will try to come to new ideas as first steps to solve or at least alleviate the problem of overpopulation. I would be happy to help anybody with providing more ideas and concepts including preparing a detailed plan as described on my web page World Problems .
Ideas and concepts for solving the problem
Financial help for families
Poverty could be the main cause for overpopulation. Many parents in poor families in developing countries are dependent on their children, first to get free help from them with their small business or on their farm, secondly to be supported in high age. Therefore some parents may think the more children – the better! This problem can perhaps be solved with financial help. If those people have a small business or a farm, give them young assistants, also acting as apprentices, recruited from the jobless pool and part of their wage paid directly by the help organization or by their community leaders, the money coming from the organization. There should be a system established to get a better price for their products as well.
A pension should be provided for elderly people above working age, partly from their own savings and partly from the tax pool as done in other countries. (Possible financial gaps can be closed by foreign aid.) This should convince the people, that having fewer children is overall better for them, since their costs for raising their children are then lower, and their own financial security is guaranteed.
Overcome obstacles from tradition and habit
Having many children can come from ethnic, religious or traditional beliefs or simply from long established habits. These obstacles – I think – are rather difficult to overcome but it can perhaps be done by better education, especially focussing on the bad effects of overpopulation for our planet and the bad consequences for their own community in the long term. Discussions about this problem with religious leaders should take place as well, so they can then advise their followers accordingly. (I think providing people with electricity and a minimum living standard would help, also giving them low cost or free computers and television sets as medium for spreading the message.)
Free distribution and advice for contraception
In some countries poor people simply cannot afford buying contraceptives. In that case contraceptives should be provided free of charge, preferably to the leaders of the communities or to the health experts in this field, visiting the communities on a regular base. They can then distribute contraceptives to the people and - while doing this - can take the opportunity to inform the recipients about their use and advise them about other relevant matters. Various contraception treatments should also be free and even with some rewards involved.
Provide specific sex education and on overpopulation
In developing countries there should at least basic schools be established with free learning in easy reach to the communities, if not yet done. Schoolchildren should be taught and made aware about the dire effects of overpopulation on the environment and on our planet as a whole. In addition, there should be sex education for students from a certain age including informing them about the various kinds of contraception.
Give incentives for fewer children
To reduce the chances for getting too many children, women should get incentives for marrying not before they reach a minimum age, e.g. 25 years. There should be financial rewards and/or certain privileges for parents with no more than two children, even greater rewards for parents with only one child.
As mentioned before, China has already a one-child policy since of number of years, though with less success in the country. It is probably worth studying the details of their policy more closely and to refine and adjust the concept for other populations in order to achieve an even better success rate for them.
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