The planet will start to recover once people start dying off. I don't think there's anything we can do at this point to avert a crisis.

RIGHT! ANNNNNND.....which groups are breeding the most? Let's see....could it be....Muslims, Mormons and Fundamentalists? Just so we can look forward to a mob of Mormons at the doors.....gahhhhhh.

Where is the 'love' button???? I so agree! It makes me sick to see people with an arm full of babies when we are already having problems supporting ourselves.

I'm a little more hopeful about the problem. Things that make me hopeful: Vertical Farming (look up a comparison to traditional farming), increased use of renewable energy (wind/solar/hydro), and birthrates dropping in industrialized countries (a trend worth noting! with more countries joining that category every day), and re-designing of urban landscapes to reduce the carbon footprint and bring back green-spaces to urban areas. Continuing the list: Most cities are growing, but population is reducing in rural areas because of lack of jobs and resources, which bodes well for those rural areas and saving the planet. As medical technology increases, we will turn away from pharmaceuticals (toward nano-tech, 3d printing, gene-editing), which will turn us from lifelong use of the ever-polluting "band-aid" pharmaceuticals to true cures. Additionally, as technology increases, we will find ways to undo damage already done to the earth, such as the great garbage patches in the oceans. All this tech stuff can sound terribly ridiculous, but it IS happening, and right now! However, as to the detriment of other living things... I unfortunately agree that the balance in biodiversity will change. Returning to truly "untouched" and natural habitats and balances is likely impossible. But, we ARE successfully reintroducing apex predators into US wildlife areas (grizzlies and wolves, etc, with decent success), and we're trying to save bats with moldy noses. Minds ARE changing, slowly but surely toward conservation or re-engineering. But there will be much that must change in the process (perhaps quite a bit will be lost)... I expect that the new balance will be more akin to a man-made lake... it is engineered, and somewhat different from truly natural space, but it does function as a habitat. Welcome to the Anthropocene period in Earth's history! Let's just hope that the Anthros' technology can keep up with their growth. I have great hope.

I agree it's a problem. In order to solve it without violence, we need to decrease birth rates and find more sustainable ways of life. We need to teach people about sex properly and allow widespread, low-cost access to birth control. Adoption needs to be an option for all people who are willing and able to treat children right. Better abortion rights would also help. We need to pay attention to our chemical footprint on the planet and advocate for the world and all its creatures as hard as we do for ourselves. Green energy should be thoroughly explored and taken full advantage of. If we don't do something soon, we are all going to be in real trouble.

Population growth rates are known to decline with economic development (at least as a correlation). How do we get economic growth that is sustainable? Western societies have reached the stage where the population growth rate is sustainable, but the process is the root cause of today's problems. Asian and Sub-Saharan countries who are on the growth path have a tough choice to make. I assume that you agree population growth rate is the parameter that needs to be controlled rather than the total population, as the latter would mean killing people. On the consumption side, the per capita energy consumption in developed world is ridiculously high and that needs to be drastically lowered.

All these types of comments must, by extension, include the OP.

Large percentages of the Earth resources are used and refined by corporatist in vulture capitalist...escalations in populations overseas are in war torn countries. People reproduce more where death is imminent from famine, wars, and natural disasters. Western politics have created destabilization in many countries. Old colonial policies and puppet dictators have set up the premise for structural failure in many impoverished countries. GMOs-Monsanto and Syntex have depleted agricultural in places like India, North America etc where people can't sustain there crops without going in debt. Patriarchal Societies has thrown this planet out of balance. Women must educated, put back in the market place, and given control over their reproductive system.

My 2 cents: 1) most of the world's religions have the phrase 'be fruitful and multiply', or phrases like it -- can't change people's beliefs easily -- look at abortion; 2) the only way to reduce population is war, famine, or disease -- intelligent control is hard to regulate -- ie. Nazi Germany eugenics; 3) technology has been allowed the sharp increase in population. The micro plastic in our oceans has begun entering the food chain, so I think the solution is fast approaching.

Education, education, education! Women need education which will give the ability to choose and change their family dynamics. Major religions, politics, wars, patriarchal societies must be balanced by Motherwit.

I agree with you.
Others say that the planet can support a much larger human population.
I think personally, we're reaching the tipping point where nature will re-balance us. And it won't be pretty.