Human beings are arguably the most successful organisms on the planet. Some may disagree; afterall, our existence on this planet is minute compared to the length of time other species have been around. But it can't be argued that our species has dominated the world in a unique way. We have, quite literally, changed the face of the planet. Agriculture and industrialisation certainly had an impact for a start, but our presence here has other implications.
There are too many of us to continue living in a sustainable, comfortable way. Our numbers mean that wildlife can no longer live alongside us safely. Humans have adapted to all of the world's habitats, from deserts and tundras to grasslands and oceans. Because of this, there are very few true wildernesses left where wildlife can exist undisturbed. There exists a conflict between humans and tigers in Asia - people are moving into established tiger territory at an alarming rate. Tigers are thought to occupy just 7% of their historic range.
As a species, we are overpopulated.
It is a very real problem. Wikipedia even has a page devoted to human overpopulation (see below).
What's the solution?
The only way to stop the growth of a population is to slow the fertility rate. To do this, family planning must be encouraged. The effects of this have already been demonstrated. The People's Republic of China has a one-child policy, which means that for a minority of families there is a limit of one child per family. As a result of this policy, the fertility rate in China decreased significantly:
1970s: +5 births per woman
1980s: +3 births per woman
2008: 1.8 births per woman
An extreme view on the effect humans have had on the planet is held by VHEMT - the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement - which argues that the world would be a better place without humans. Their motto: "May we live long and die out". The organisation does not condone suicide, nor does it promote abortion. It simply encourages people to stop reproducing so that the human race eventually dies out. What do you think? Have we caused so much damage that it is best to leave the world altogether? Is this even possible with such a diverse range of opinions and religions?
Sources
Wikipedia's page on Overpopulation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation#Effects_of_human_overpopulation
CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html#People
VHEMT: http://vhemt.org/
WWF: http://wwf.panda.org/
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