The lack of space issue can be dealt with, well, SPACE. I believe that long before we run out of room and resources here because of a burgeoning population, there will be colonies on the other planets in this system, notably Mars. To give you some idea of how ridiculous this particular argument is, it is worth noting that the entire population of the world (thats right, all 6 billion of us) can fit neatly with standing room on the Isle of Wight. A very very small island of the coast of the UK. I therefore don't believe we will be running out of room soon.
The waste issues can be dealt with by appropriate environmental policies and attached enforcements. People need to learn how to recycle anyway, and if they want their children to live good lives then the incentive is there.
As for the argument that overpopulation would stress the current political and social, and economic systems. I say, bring it on. We need change, and radical change at that, I do not see how the human race can continue to strive with precisely the values it has at the moment, they continue to evolve and we alongside them. The systems will change to accomodate more of us. More of us means more geniuses, more awareness, more civilisation, and more work done on ourselves and our environment.
"If you divided the world's 6 billion humans into Texas's 261,914 square miles, each person could claim .028 acres of land. It is obvious, however, that the land in Texas, (or even the land in North America for that matter), would not be able to sustain these people. Resource experts say a minimum of 0.17 acres of arable land is needed to sustain a person on a largely vegetarian diet without the intense use of fertilizers and pest controls. An estimated 253 million people currently live in countries with scarce arable land--which have on average no more than 0.17 acres available per person -- and this population is expected to at least triple by 2025 if current trends continue. Only 11 percent of the Earth consists of arable land, and that area is rapidly diminishing due to erosion, salinization and a decline in the practice of fallowing land." http://www.zpg.org/Reports_Publications/Reports/report83.html
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