Too Many People Part VI

As incomes rise in traditional low-income societies, meat production from poultry and livestock will rise from 211 million tons in 1997 to 513 million tons in 2050 This seems like a positive development until one considers that 37% of the grain harvest in 1998 was used to feed livestock and poultry. The increase in total meat consumption will put additional pressures on the supply of grain which, as noted above, is rapidly falling behind population growth. Some like to argue that there are vast tracts of undeveloped land available to accommodate population growth. Some of this land is currently reserved for recreational purposes and national parks, monuments and forests. On every continent human encroachment has reduced both the size and the quality of natural recreation areas and wildlife habitat. The Serengeti in Africa and Everglades National Park in the U.S. are facing collapse from burgeoning populations in their vicinities.