# population



## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

How do you see the growing population affecting the future of outdoor recreation? By my math there is only a little over 7 acres per person in the United States, and that includes emptiness of Alaska. Is the outdoor recreation way of life doomed to end? Or is the population doomed to crash? In other words, is there a balance to be achieved or will we keep growing until all the land is covered with subdivisions?


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

Lots and lots of open land. You could give every American 1/4 acre and fit everyone of them inside of Texas.......


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

There is obviously a breaking point, but I don't know what it is. Some say we are nearly there, I personally think at least here in the US we are not very close IMO. I think man will kill themselves off with our own stupidity before we deplete all of our resources.


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## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

proutdoors said:


> Lots and lots of open land. You could give every American 1/4 acre and fit everyone of them inside of Texas.......


that's not accounting for roads, schools, stores, factories, etc.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

True, but take a drive across any mid-west state, or any western state, there is mile after mile of nothing...........


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## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

I know there is, but our population has tripled in a hundred years, what will be left for my grandkids?


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Well, if global warming is man made, the more man the more warming and the oceans will start to dry up and give us more land :shock:  

Or if you believe in God and the bible the second coming will be here before we have to worry about over population.

I guess it depends upon your belief system.


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## bigred (Mar 5, 2012)

bowgy said:


> I guess it depends upon your belief system.


 That's true, it does depends on that, a whole different can of worms.


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

When you look at the facts of astrological bodies colliding with planets, it's inevitable the this planet will have many events that will completely obliterate any carbon based life forms. So I'd say our reign has an expiration date. Unless of course, we can colonize other planets. Then the sky's the limit!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

bigred said:


> I know there is, but our population has tripled in a hundred years, what will be left for my grandkids?


All of Wyoming and eastern Montana.


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

Populations scientists believe that with our current technology that the Human population will level off at about 9 billion by 2050. Counting births and subtracting deaths we are presently adding to the Human population over 200,000 new individuals every day. That requires a huge demand on our resources. Its not that the resources aren't there, but the distribution of those resources.
Population study after population study clearly indicate that once an animals basic needs of food/water/shelter are satisfied the next thing they do very well is reproduce.

I agree with Pro that there is plenty of room on the Planet, but my question is what kind of life will the vast majority of these individuals have?


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## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

bowgy said:


> Well, if global warming is man made, the more man the more warming and the oceans will start to dry up and give us more land :shock:


At the risk of sounding political - the concern with climate change is rising oceans. The polar ice caps melt and there will be more water in the oceans. Also, the molecules of water occupy more space at a higher temperature, also causing a rise in the level of the ocean.
Based on the trends, my property in Wasilla is gonna be beachfront and soon I'll be planting palm trees. It'll be the new San Diego.


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## campfire (Sep 9, 2007)

scott_rn said:


> bowgy said:
> 
> 
> > Well, if global warming is man made, the more man the more warming and the oceans will start to dry up and give us more land :shock:
> ...


And auto insurance will be cheaper because all the trees will be gone.


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## HunterGeek (Sep 13, 2007)

bigred said:


> I know there is, but our population has tripled in a hundred years, what will be left for my grandkids?


Let's use your figures and assume they're right (which they very well may be).

Today, the population of the U.S. is just a bit over 300 million. Assuming that 300 percent growth rate per century figure is correct and holds true down the road, we'll be at 900 million in 2112, 2.7 billion by 2212 and 8.1 billion by 2313. Well, there are only 2.3 billion acres of land in the U.S., and that includes everything from mountain ranges, to Arctic Tundra to the Bonneville Salt Flats to the millions of acres necessary to grow food. Within several hundred years, every single inch of the planet would be packed solid with human flesh.

In other words, something's got to give. Whether it's mass starvation, disease, genocidal wars, Jesus returning, widespread voluntary birth control or government imposed birth control measures (like China's one-child policy) something or a combination of all of these things will bring the growth to a halt in the not-to-distant future. Basic math dictates that exponential growth rates are impossible to sustain.

It will be increasingly crowded for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, but since it will be all they ever knew, they likely will do just fine. It will be solid city from Malad Idaho to Scipio, and there will be no breaks in population between, say, Paragonah and the Arizona Strip, but people will manage.

Still, at some point within the next two or three hundred years the growth will end, and like I said, it could be a very nasty set of circumstances that causes it.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

scott_rn said:


> bowgy said:
> 
> 
> > Well, if global warming is man made, the more man the more warming and the oceans will start to dry up and give us more land :shock:
> ...


Warmer weather means more food can be grown......colder weather means less food can be grown. Ice ages are far worse than warming ages for human life! Bring on the global warming!!!!!!

:-|O|-: -()/- -()/>- -~|- *()* *OOO* *(())* -*|*-


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