Is the UK overpopulated ?

[GroundZero]

Some people will hold the notion that it is definitely not overpopulated, because there are vast spaces of of land that does not have housing on it. To bolster this there is the argument that it is the fault of the government for not building infrastructure etc.

Others will say it most definitely is overpopulated because its about how much space and resources an individual requires/demands whereby the UK is struggling to accommodate it. Also that the UK would struggle to raise taxes enough to be able to pay for it without placing vast numbers of people in to "income poverty".


Then there are the other social arguments, whereby one side will say that approaching the question of overpopulation will stray directly in to topics of racism.
And others will say immigration has a lot to answer for.

So is the UK overpopulated or is it a left or right wing agenda to give the impression that it is, or isn't ?

[GroundZero]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Phew, that was easy!



I can't claim all the credit but world population growth is falling rapidly and will quite possibly become negative this century. Population will peak and our grandchildren will be facing on a global scale what Europe and Japan are facing now. An aging population.

That is quite a large assumption extrapolation on that graph

The graph shows growth rate, so any line on the positive axis is still a growing global population.
It would take a significant drop of the curve in to the negative axis before any noticeable "improvement" in numbers or any visible effect on people's living.

[GroundZero]

Pan Pan Pan said:

if people want to see how populated the country is, announce a shortage of something from milk, to bread or petrol, and watch what happens, at the outlets for these items.
They say we are only a few square meals away from mob rule.

Very true I would say.

The UK is badly set up for its own self sustainability - arguably due to the sheer number of people living on the Island. Relying heavily on importing food and even relying heavily on the weather being typically British over the course of the year in order to meet the demand for water.

Have a shortage of either food or water for a certain period of time and due to heavy demand for what left available I would say being as far away from people would probably be the best thing for your own safety.

[GroundZero]

Johnnytheboy said:

Has anyone here actually tried to define "overpopulated"?

I would look at the definition based up on how personal freedoms and security are affected along with how sustainable the nation is with the numbers of people living within the borders.

[GroundZero]

Johnnytheboy said:

Digga said:

GroundZero said:

Johnnytheboy said:

Has anyone here actually tried to define "overpopulated"?

I would look at the definition based up on how personal freedoms and security are affected along with how sustainable the nation is with the numbers of people living within the borders.

In general, it is a highly subjective metric.

One remote countryman's vastly over crowded is another metropolitan man's idea of quiet suburbia.

That's what I meant. It's hard to argue about something without trying to define something first.

Also agree, it is very subjective on the individual level.
But on the national/government level I would say the ability of the nation to support its population securely and reliably.

So on that level it is things like infrastructure, housing, reliable food supply, reliable water supply, effective NHS, effective education system, etc.
I am not sure the UK is self sufficient in producing its own food to feed a population of what is now approaching 70 million.
The UK often quickly turns to water restrictions (hose pipe bans etc.) during some summer months, meaning that if the UK saw a summer time that incurred a prolonged drought then the numbers of people needing water would likely cause a bit of a scare (if not something more serious than that).

The infrastructure issue is all about the tax burden on the taxpayer. Make this burden too high and you quickly force people in to "income poverty". So as a nation the population can only grow in line with its ability to securely provide and accommodate that number.
So for the past decade or so I think the UK has been overpopulated and is continuing to get worse.