Overpopulation has been one of the greatest environmental issues in modern times. Wars were fought over natural resources. Millions died in attempted conquests. International borders were drawn and redrawn after each battle. Eventually, natural borders like oceans, mountains, and lakes served as more practical regional markers than imaginary lines.
It took all of human history to reach a global population of one billion just after the year 1800 A.D., continuing to increase exponentially as new technology and energy sources were discovered, hitting the four billion mark in 1974, then eight billion in 2042, before nearly hitting nine billion before the great Water Wars of 2035. You see, there is no such thing as infinite growth. That was a failed paradigm before we even realized the idea was a myth.
As humanity began to test the carrying capacity of our planet, it was almost as if each nation was promoting population growth as a way to reach the limit first. Each set the bar higher, not realizing that population growth could not be sustained, and that monetary wealth became irrelevant in a world that became more and more focused on physical resources that sustained life. During the 21st century, governments and corporations began making efforts to gather resource rights and use them to control populations. The dark reality was that the people tasked with defending the will of those in positions of power became impacted by the same limitations on natural resources as the population they were charged with defending against. Police and military forces around the world found themselves defending against the hungry and weak, often their friends and neighbors. It was only a matter of time before that paradigm collapsed, giving way to a rebirth of society, but still suffering overpopulation. Liberty was restored, but that was not enough to provide food and water to the ever-growing human population.
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