Overpopulation has become a scientific fact

It exists when too many members of a species must compete for limited resources. We have reached that stage. Scientists have measured the impact that we are making on our planet. This measurement is called an ecological footprint. One footprint per person is sustainable, more are destructive. Our global average is more than 1.7, so at least 70% above sustainability.

Apologists for unlimited growth are quick to point out that there are flaws in the measurements. There undoubtedly are. But so far it is the best we have and serious critics nearly all agree that the present system underestimates rather than overestimates the size of our footprint. Besides this does not matter at all for comparisons of national footprints because any margin of error would be the same for all.

This means that to stay at our present level of development we would have to reduce the human population by more than one third or drastically reduce our standard of living. Both options are possible but extremely unlikely. That means that we are heading for steadily growing disasters, as more and more people consume steadily dwindling resources.

How excessive our numbers really are becomes clear when we examine how many people could survive in their natural state of hunter gatherers, something that might very well happen when we run out of the resources needed to maintain our high-tech society. Experts have calculated that in its present condition earth would not be able to sustain more than 300 million people, perhaps much less and that is a terrifying thought, bearing in mind that our current way of life is unsustainable.