The Earth Is Not Overpopulated

It seems my opponent has misunderstood his burden. This debate is not about whether certain cities or countries are overpopulated. It is more broad than that. It is about whether the entire Earth is overpopulated. Thus, my opponent’s burden is greater than simply showing that certain areas on Earth are overpopulated. He has to show that the Earth as a whole is overpopulated. More clearly, he has to show that the current global population is unsustainable for Earth as a whole. It is beyond any doubt, as my opponent has shown, that certain areas on Earth are overpopulated. But he has to show much more than that. There are serious problems with my opponent’s first and second arguments. However, one point he makes does hold true – that certain areas of Earth are overpopulated. Nevertheless, like I explained above, these arguments don’t satisfy his burden, so there’s no point in me attempting to refute them, particularly considering that, while flawed, his basic conclusion is true. Thus, I will only deal with my opponent’s third and fourth arguments. I. Population TrendsThe population held relatively steady before 1800, continuously increasing at a slow rate (however, there were a few massive population declines corresponding to plagues). Beyond that, however, the population exploded sevenfold in just two centuries, far outpacing any population growth over any other two century timeframe. However, population growth has been declining for the last 50 years, and is projected to continue to decline. [1]A study by the UN predicts that the population peak will occur in 2100, with a number around 11 billion. A separate study by Deutsche Bank predicts that the population peak will occur in 2055, with a number around 8.7 billion (although this study assumes a rather low fertility rate). Citing the studies I showed in the last round, even assuming the number is more like 11 billion, the Earth produces enough food, and has enough water and materials for shelter for 11 billion people. Further, we are continuing to make strides in technology, like genetic modification for increased food production, desalinization and glacier melting for water, and artificial forests and synthetic materials for shelter, which means that we are able to provide for even more people every day. [2][3]Thus, the population increase is falling rapidly, and the population level will eventually stabilize in the latter half of this century. In addition, we have enough materials to provide for the number of people predicted to be on Earth in that time. Therefore, the population increase from 1800 until now is not going to be a problem in terms of overpopulation. II. PollutionPollution is not a symptom of overpopulation. However, it is exacerbated by overpopulation. He has shown that pollution exists and has correctly argued that, if the population were larger, the level of pollution would be worse. However, there are two problems with my opponent then claiming that the Earth is overpopulated because of this. One, the pollution level would only indicate overpopulation if it was so high that is was globally unsustainable. My opponent has not provided any evidence that it is, and I deny such a claim. And two, things can be done to combat pollution. It hardly indicates overpopulation if something can be done to stop it. III. Global WarmingTo my opponent’s favor, unlike his previous argument, that the current state of global warming is unsustainable in the long run is something that I won’t deny. However, this point still fails to refute the second point. Things can be done to counter global warming. It’s unreasonable to argue that the Earth is overpopulated just because the current number of people on Earth are committing some unnecessary detrimental action. We can, and are doing things to combat both pollution and global warming, with varying degrees of success. At best, it can be argued that our current living state is globally unsustainable, but it can’t be argued that the Earth is overpopulated from these two facts. Sources[1]: . https://ourworldindata.org... [2]: . https://esa.un.org...[3]: . http://www.cnbc.com...