The world is overpopulated, and responsible people know this, so they should not reproduce.

Thank you very much for taking the debate. Rebuttals: My opponent claims that:“P1. Reproduction causes more humansP2. The number of humans has been risingC. The rising population is a result of reproduction.” While I certainly have no problem with the above logic, I do find fault in his subsequent conclusion that: “Overpopulation is not the result of the factors [] listed, but a result of people reproducing.” This falsely equates population increase with overpopulation. It equates a trend (population increase) with a snapshot (overpopulation). And, most importantly, it totally ignores the fact that overpopulation is not defined as a trend, and it is not even defined solely as population density, but rather as the population density that exceeds the environment's carrying capacity. Considering that every region has a different environment (climate, resources), a different population density, different agricultural practices, and yields, and that environmental management and population conditions vary by region, we can see that overpopulation is a regional, and even sub-regional, phenomenon. The same population density can be sustained (carried) in a specific environment while it is not sustainable in another environment. Asking people from a non-overpopulated region to stop reproducing, mind you, not even to reproduce below replacement level but to flat out STOP reproducing, will not solve overpopulation problems in another region. Asking people to stop reproducing creates population ageing, which brings about another series of problems. You do not ask a person who has one foot in a bucket of boiling water to correct the situation by putting their other foot in a bucket of icy water. Overpopulation has to be corrected in the affected region. Adoption will not solve overpopulation in problem areas. It only applies to unwanted children, and even then, mass adoptions of orphans are not feasible due to legal regulations. Besides, international organizations advise, and set as a priority, for children to stay within their communities, their ethnic group and their cultures. Adoption is a measure that yields minimal results, and any desire to expedite it, or increase its scope can produce children trafficking, and other human rights violations. The issues with "cowboy adoptions" in Haiti after the earthquake are a case in point.I agree that responsible people know about the population growing, but they also should know about the specific situation of their environment to make responsible decisions to prevent population issues, such as overpopulation in some cases, and population ageing in others. Allow me to present an example to illustrate my point: The population density of Netherlands and India are very similar, but it is India the one that is overpopulated, suffering from massive environmental deterioration. If a Dutch family decides not to reproduce and adopt instead, it will have no impact on India’s overpopulation. As a matter of fact, Netherlands has had a below-replacement fertility rate for years, and India keeps being overpopulated. To correct the two elements of overpopulation: density and environment, there needs to be a change in population and economic policies, and environmental management, in the affected area, not in overpopulation-free areas. ___________________ http://www.facebook.com... http://news.bbc.co.uk... www.oecd.org/dataoecd/51/60/2958654.pdf http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com... http://longevity-science.org...