Worried about over population?
Unless you’ve been spending your time under a rock or at a remote cabin, you have likely heard the continuing debate about whether our planet is becoming overpopulated or not. There seems to be just as many experts and organizations saying we are putting our planet in danger if we do not exercise population control as there are those that say the problem of overpopulation is a complete myth. This list gives websites from both sides so that you can do the research and decide for yourself which you believe. The sites are listed in order by their Alexa traffic count rating.
1. Worldwatch Institute: http://www.worldwatch.org/nine-population-strategies-stop-short-9-billion
Global Alexa Rating: 210,505
The Worldwatch Institute is involved in programs regarding climate & energy, food & agriculture and environment & society. They offer the latest data and analysis about such things as energy & transportation, environment & climate, food & agriculture, global economy & resources, population & society and other trends. The link given is an article they offer in which they explore nine policies designed to help stabilize the growth.
Global Alexa Rating: 241,751
The Conserve Energy Future site includes topics such as solar, wind, geothermal, global warming, recycling, nuclear, fossil fuels, pollution and energy. The link shown is to an article about overpopulation. It discusses the causes, effects and potential solutions to overpopulation.
3. Population Research Institute: http://www.pop.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 605,473
The Population Research Institute considers that people are a great resource and that population control programs end up abusing the very people that they claim to assist. They work to uncover human rights abuses by pulling U.S. tax dollars away from coercive population control programs in Peru, China, India and other countries. They opt instead to provide genuine humanitarian aid. They believe that overpopulation is a myth that paves the way for abusive population control programs.
4. Population Matters: http://www.populationmatters.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,083,396
Population Matters is involved in raising awareness of the cost to humanity and other species of unsustainable human numbers and promoting smaller families as part of a sustainable future. This is a membership organization that has been in existence for over 20 years. Their vision is of a sustainable future. They promote sustainable family size and mindful consumption. One of the quotes on their site is by Bill Gates, “The problem is that the population is growing the fastest where people are less able to deal with it. It’s in the very poorest places that you’re going to have a tripling in population by 2050.”
5. Population Connection: http://www.populationconnection.org/site/PageServer
Global Alexa Rating: 1,165,208
Population Connection is concerned with the connection between population and three main issues: protecting the planet, ensuring social justice and defending women’s rights. One feature on the site is quite popular – their famous “dot” video tracking world growth since 1 AD. It is a little over 7 minutes in length and amazing to see the changes and when and where they have occurred. There are a number of fact sheets offered for each of the three main issues examined.
6. Overpopulation is a Myth: http://overpopulationisamyth.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,734,777
Obviously you can tell what their stance is by the title – they believe overpopulation is a myth that has caused human rights abuses around the world, forced population control, denied medicines to the poor and targeted attacks on ethnic minorities and women. The site has a number of topics including where the myth came from, why poverty isn’t caused by overpopulation and scientific arguments defending their stance. They also sell merchandise to support their efforts.
7. Poverty Cure: http://www.povertycure.org/issues/population/
Global Alexa Rating: 2,872,845
This organization is another one that doesn’t feel there is an overpopulation problem. They do not believe there is any correlation between population growth and extreme poverty. The main goal of this organization is to fight the battle against global poverty. The site includes a number of well written articles by key voices in support of this organization’s goals and against control methods.
8. Overpopulation.Org: http://www.overpopulation.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 3,214,956
This organization believes that overpopulation is a serious problem that is getting worse every year. They feel it is the root of most, if not all, environmental and many economic issues including timber overharvesting, loss of arable land, food shortages, water shortages, water pollution, air pollution, global warming, unsustainable debt-based economies, plant and animal habitat loss and more. They offer statistics, demographics and philosophies on this issue.
9. How Many?Org: http://www.howmany.org/big_picture.php
Global Alexa Rating: 4,472,049
This organization’s contention is that population growth is a choice, not an inexorable force of nature. They offer five things that will reverse population growth nationally and worldwide that they feel we should be doing anyhow. The site includes recent and archived news articles. There are also plenty of references and links that explore the fundamental issues regarding population growth and the impact to people, other species and the planet.
10. Negative Population Growth: http://www.npg.org/
Global Alexa Rating: 5,082,274
Negative Population Growth, Inc (NPG) is a national nonprofit membership organization that was founded in 1972 to educate about the devastating effects of overpopulation on our environment, resources and standard of living. The site includes publications such as forum papers, newsletters and journals. They have posted 10 principles for a responsible U.S. population policy.
Although this list may seem slanted because there are more sites and organizations concerned about overpopulation than those that want to debunk the concept as a myth, that is not intended. There simply are far more organizations involved in addressing an overpopulation issue than there are those that do not. Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two. You decide what you think once you read over the arguments for each side.
