Crowded Out, NY Times (Primary Source)
Hania Zlotnik, Chandran Nair, Fred Pearce
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What is the best solution to overpopulation and overconsumption? Why? What are the flaws of the solution?

I feel as though there are many ways to go about the eventual issues of overpopulation and overconsumption. Many people aren't even aware of the topic let alone thinking of a solution. These problems aren't brought up to the attention of the public frequently because it isn't an issue that will happen to this generation or even the next. They are eventual problems that society will have to deal with in the future. But instead of waiting until the problems arrive, we should be proactive and act now so we can be prepared when the time comes, or even to prevent the occurrence in the first place. I think the best ways to prevent these problems are by controlling the growth of the population not having as many children and relying more heavily on renewable resources. We can't change peoples morals or desires but we can change their ways of thinking. In the current society we live in there are many things restricting the government from putting a limit on the amount of children people are allowed to have. It may solve the problem but in a democratic society, the central government just isn't powerful enough to enforce it. I also view it as unconstitutional and think it restricts peoples freedom. It would do nothing but cause protests as well. The thinking behind the idea is correct though, but it is enforced in a wrong way. If we educate the people of America and the world we can teach them that their current state of mind is incorrect. If we educate people about not only overpopulation but the risks of pregnancy and how to prevent it through birth control methods as well, we wouldn’t need to have restrictions set. We would know better than to have many children. The main parts of the world that should be educated first, as a priority, should be underdeveloped, growing, and densely populated areas of the world, such as Africa. That is where we can start. The only flaw I can see