We came across these overpopulation memes and thought we'd share! They nail the problem on the head.
Don't like overpriced, unafforable, poorly-constructed housing? Don't have kids.
What's crazy in Denver, is that, while we're building LIKE CRAZY, the quickly & poorly-constructed housing is NOT affordable to most of the people who live here, especially those experiencing homelessness. Don't like traffic? Don't have kids.
Don't like traffic? Don't have kids.
Don't like crowds? Don't have kids.
Don't like smog? Don't have kids.
Don't like lines? Don't have kids.
Don't like urban sprawl? Don't have kids.
Don't like sprawl? Don't have kids.
One of the most ironic things about people is that they complain about traffic, overpriced housing, smog, sprawl, and crowds – yet they have kids! People don't seem to think that their kids are going to add to the problem, but of course they are. Especially in the United States, where we consume many more resources than other countries.
Despite the recent media headlines, our population growth is NOT slowing down. Here's a chart above our our current population growth. No, it's not going down. Maybe less people are having kids percentage-wise, but there are a lot more people, so our population continues to go up, up, and up. Think about it, here is a quick comparison: If there are a 100 people and 20% of them have children, there will be 20 kids. Compare that to 1000 people and only 10% are having kids, you get 100 kids. Yes, the percentage of people having kids is LESS, but the population growth is still MORE. The idea that decreasing birth rates equates to decreasing population growth is failed logic.
Chart source: npg.org/library/population-data/colorado.html With the US population exceeding over 328 million people in 2019, Americans are consuming natural resources at an unprecedented pace. For example, between 1950 and 2005, America’s population nearly doubled. But in many cases, our consumption of resources more than doubled: Overall energy consumption nearly tripled. Petroleum consumption within the transportation sector rose more than 300 percent between 1950 and 2005. Wood consumption was up 171 percent between 1950 and 2002. Coal consumption increased by 128 percent from 1950 to 2005. Water use was up 127 percent between 1950 and 2000. Source: prb.org/resources/lifestyle-choices-affect-u-s-impact-on-the-environment
People always blame developers and people moving here for our overpopulation problems, but it is indeed our own self-created problem. Many of the friends that we grew up here with all now have 2-3 kids, and they're all about to go to college and need cars and homes of their own. And while Denver is in the top 10 cities nationwide for having built the most apartments in the past 10 years, there is still not enough room for all the kids growing up and needing housing, not to mention housing for everyone else who is moving here!
Despite what developers are touting, across the United States, there is more than enough housing to house everyone. Check out the chart from Lending Tree that shows the amount of vacant housing units.
Our urban sprawl can be seen everywhere across the country, and the pollution worsens as the population continues to increase. While our space is limited, our population is not – and continues to climb vastly, not just here in the United States, but everywhere around the world. How can we not see that the most simple solution is to stop having so many kids?
If you want children in your life, here are some great alternatives that will make a difference: adopt, foster, be a Big Brother or Big Sister, teach, or volunteer to work with kids. Let's help save the world for the kids of tomorrow by helping the kids that are already here, today. Priuses are not going to save the world, birth control is.
Here are some other reads on overpopulation: France going 'childfree' to control over-population, reverse global warming »