How long do you honestly think humans as a species will last?

[QUOTE="themajormayor"][QUOTE="kuraimen"] Decreasing population is an economic problem, increasing population is a physical problem. You know nothing can grow indefinitely in a finite space and finite resources are, well, finite. If your solution to save the economy is famine then I can't take you very seriously.kuraimen

And at the same time the Western society wastes 50% of the food it produces. Okay 50% is a number I pulled out of my ass, but I'm sure the amount of food wasted in every household, restaurant, etc. is absolutely huge. Also, you could be producing more food if you wanted to, but then prices would go down which is a no-no for producers. So it's better to keep food production at a certain level.

The problem is not overpopulation, it is the distribution of resources. Some have too much, some have too little.

[QUOTE="themajormayor"][QUOTE="kuraimen"] No offense but it is obvious that you know little to nothing about developing countries. I'm not saying the US doesn't trade with developed countries, I'm just saying there's no way developed countries came to be this rich without exploiting developing ones. It has happened in each and every instance.kuraimen

For a country to become developed the beneficial part has to be heavily one sided. Honduras is not going to become developed by trading with Guatemala they would eventually have to find a much weaker trade partner that they can exploit and rip the most benefit. There's a reason why Europe became so powerful when they had colonies and the US when it had slave labor from Africa and raw materials from the rest of the american continent. They get much more benefit than those they exploit which will hardly happen it they are in equal terms.

[QUOTE="themajormayor"][QUOTE="kuraimen"] Then? with what? whatever it is it will become worse as long as the population keeps increasing.kuraimen

You may be right on items such as clothes, electronics, but not food. Most of the food I eat comes from my own country, or neighbour European countries. Some food comes from far away such as tropical fruits or coffee, but most does not.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]

[QUOTE="themajormayor"] Well obviously because of the first rule of microeconomics: TRADE IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL. How many times do I have to say it??? If the developing countries would become developed they would continue to "exploit" each others because TRADE IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL.themajormayor

For a country to become developed the beneficial part has to be heavily one sided. Honduras is not going to become developed by trading with Guatemala they would eventually have to find a much weaker trade partner that they can exploit and rip the most benefit. There's a reason why Europe became so powerful when they had colonies and the US when it had slave labor from Africa and raw materials from the rest of the american continent. They get much more benefit than those they exploit which will hardly happen it they are in equal terms.

Again I'm not talking about countires that are ALREADY developed, I'm saying countries that want to become developed exploit poor countries that has always happened and will continue to happen. Why do you think China is so into Africa now? they need poor countries to exploit to provide raw materials for them to become powerful enough. That is what every developed nation has done, used other poorer nations for resources and labor.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="themajormayor"] I'll admit I'm not knowledgeable about this specific subject but since you're making the claim the burden of proof is on you. My guess though is that it has more to do with politics than population size. Europe's population has increased yet people are much healthier and there is no starvation practically anywhere. Compare this to hundred years ago. My guess it has more to do with governments/guerrillas closing roads, confiscating property, war etc. you see Africa are not just a big dessert there are plentiful of natural resources. Probably much more than europe. It's politics that's the problem. Also they're not as technologically advanced. With increasing technology there is more reason to use more land.nunovlopes

You may be right on items such as clothes, electronics, but not food. Most of the food I eat comes from my own country, or neighbour European countries. Some food comes from far away such as tropical fruits or coffee, but most does not.

Not long look at the world today insanity.

Crap, this stuff is impossible to predict. What say you?

gamerguru100

They find new planets everyday capabele to sustaining human life. Now if we all stoped the fighting and became THE WORLD UNITED or something eheheh im sure all of the smart people of this world would figure out a way to travel light years :)

Zelgadiss

{They find new planets everyday capabele to sustaining human life) This is news to me.Andgood luck getting to the speed of light. Sorry i cant see anything other then lightgoingthat fast. But i wont be around to see them try.But in star trek they can travel 9 billon Km per sec So who knows

Kuraiman, please read a book on positive economics. Please. You still don't have a basic understanding of what wealth is, and you still don't understand the economic concept of competative advantage and comparative advantage. I could write an essay for you on the subject, but I'm not, sorry. You can educate yourself by reading books and articles from websites, who can explain it in a much more eloquent way and in a way which is very easy to understand.

Wealth isn't objective, it's subjective. That's my point...

Which is why both parties who trade benefit. If they didn't, then they wouldn't trade in the first place...

The problem is not overpopulation, it is the distribution of resources. Some have too much, some have too little.

nunovlopes

However, that isn't to say that overpopulation is a non-issue. I think one of the best ways to counter overpopulation is a much more widespread, unclouded knowledge of contraception and abortion.

[QUOTE="themajormayor"]

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]

For a country to become developed the beneficial part has to be heavily one sided. Honduras is not going to become developed by trading with Guatemala they would eventually have to find a much weaker trade partner that they can exploit and rip the most benefit. There's a reason why Europe became so powerful when they had colonies and the US when it had slave labor from Africa and raw materials from the rest of the american continent. They get much more benefit than those they exploit which will hardly happen it they are in equal terms.

kuraimen

Again I'm not talking about countires that are ALREADY developed, I'm saying countries that want to become developed exploit poor countries that has always happened and will continue to happen. Why do you think China is so into Africa now? they need poor countries to exploit to provide raw materials for them to become powerful enough. That is what every developed nation has done, used other poorer nations for resources and labor.

China is using resources from Africa because Africans don't put those resources to use. They're just matter, and not resources to them. If Africa became a developed nation, they could extract those resources and put them to use much better than China could and trade with other nations. Africa would be in a much better position if they didnt' have such oppresive governments. And I don't know if you've heard or not, but China is a HUGE trading partner with the US and Western nations, which *gasp*, are developed! The US also had a ton of natural resources (and still does), which is a main reason explorers came here in the first place.

Resources are only considered resources if humans develop a way in which the matter/energy is turned into something useful. If I have a bunch of trees but have no knowledge in how to put those trees to use for something that I want (or others want), then I essentially have no resource.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"]

[QUOTE="themajormayor"] Because of specializations they can still gain the same benefit and even more even if both would be developed. Developed countries today trade more with each other than with developing countries.

SpartanMSU

Again I'm not talking about countires that are ALREADY developed, I'm saying countries that want to become developed exploit poor countries that has always happened and will continue to happen. Why do you think China is so into Africa now? they need poor countries to exploit to provide raw materials for them to become powerful enough. That is what every developed nation has done, used other poorer nations for resources and labor.

China is using resources from Africa because Africans don't put those resources to use. They're just matter, and not resources to them. If Africa became a developed nation, they could extract those resources and put them to use much better than China could and trade with other nations. Africa would be in a much better position if they didnt' have such oppresive governments. And I don't know if you've heard or not, but China is a HUGE trading partner with the US and Western nations, which *gasp*, are developed! The US also had a ton of natural resources (and still does), which is a main reason explorers came here in the first place.

Resources are only considered resources if humans develop a way in which the matter/energy is turned into something useful. If I have a bunch of trees but have no knowledge in how to put those trees to use for something that I want (or others want), then I essentially have no resource.

Humanity will be here for at least another 50 millions years from now I think. But not me though, I will be long long dead.

200 years. The world should be really polluted by then.