The Pros And Cons Of Human Overpopulation

Overpopulation should be considered Earth’s top priority in terms of current and future threats. Reverting back to the interview with Richard Fitzpatrick (2016), sociology and criminology professor at Western Kentucky University, Fitzpatrick discusses the negative aspects and possible outcomes of human overpopulation. Fitzpatrick states there are many issues that are currently more important than overpopulation, such as the collapse of the political crises and the bombings in Aleppo. Essentially, overpopulation is of far less concern for society than terroristic acts and the potential collapse of our own political system. The funny thing is, at the start of the interview with Fitzpatrick, he states overpopulation should be addressed by all governments, because it could …show more content…
If his original idea of overpopulation leading our world into “war and suffering” was correct, solving overpopulation would make situations which are more important nonexistent. Furthermore, Barter’s (2000) article reaffirms this idea when he discusses a decrease in population correlates with decreased violence and ecological impact (p. 242). An important factor when it comes to discussing human overpopulation is how to address and solve it. Of the vast amount of possible solutions found after researching and discussing professionals in the field of this predicament, there are only two semi-ethical ways that could potentially solve overpopulation. First, laws should be passed nationwide preventing families from having an excess amount of children (one or two children per family). Those who refuse to follow these laws will be penalized by fines, sterilization, or other means. China, a country constantly resting in the overpopulated category, has had the “one-child policy”, a law stating that a family may not have more than one child, unless that child is female, for nearly thirty-five