what would happen if there were 10x the amount of people

Author Topic: what would happen if there were 10x the amount of people  (Read 1971 times)

what if one day we all woke up in the morning to find out that there are another 63 billion people (not aliens, civilized humans just like us), that just appeared out of nowhere. like they all came from one source and gradually wandered around the world in huge groups. what would happen to all the resources and food, and would the earth get too heavy and fall? i'm not sure, but this scenario has been givin me the spookers.

mass genocide will solve the problem

If we kill them we could use their bodies for fertilizer and extract natural resources.

If we kill them we could use their bodies for fertilizer and extract natural resources.
this is a good idea

Our world can barely support the amount of people we currently have on it, let alone 63billion.

These random people would have to be slaughtered to save what's left of the human race.

If we kill them we could use their bodies for fertilizer and extract natural resources.
mass genocide will solve the problem


you guys are pretty forgeted up tbh

you guys are pretty forgeted up tbh

no

this is a practical solution, unless you have a better idea


what if one day we all woke up in the morning to find out that there are another 63 billion people (not aliens, civilized humans just like us), that just appeared out of nowhere. like they all came from one source and gradually wandered around the world in huge groups. what would happen to all the resources and food, and would the earth get too heavy and fall? i'm not sure, but this scenario has been givin me the spookers.
It depends, are we assuming that they all appear in proximity to existing people in proportional numbers? (i.e., 120 million show up in NYC, 3 million in Anchorage) or do they all just show up in one location?

If it's the latter, then they'll mostly all just die. A bunch of people suddenly concentrated in one area would cause huge logistical problems as the group spreads out. Those on the outer parts of the group would quickly exhaust all edible resources in the area, and basically everyone would die except for the few lucky people able to get away from everyone else.

So, the Earth's population would momentarily increase substantially, and then decrease massively to a population only slightly larger than the one you started with.

xkcd tackles a similar scenario in this question:
https://what-if.xkcd.com/8/

The world becomes a thriving ball of flesh.

no

this is a practical solution, unless you have a better idea

it would be the only answer but you know hippies would flip on it

Invasive species of animals are put on the kill list.

An invasive species of 63 billion humans that are causing harm to the humans that were on the planet before this started would definitely be put on the kill list.

Also the entire planet would run out of oxygen.


it would be the only answer but you know hippies would flip on it
Technically this would save the most humans. What you have in this scenario is the beginning of the Tragedy of the Commons, where the new 63 billion people would quickly exhaust all of our resources and end up killing absolutely everybody.

If everyone started practicing cannibalism and using the 'new guys' as fertilizer, there'd be a momentary surplus of food, which might be able to support some of the newcomers. Most of the 63 billion wouldn't survive, but some might.

xkcd tackles a similar scenario in this question:
https://what-if.xkcd.com/8/

I like how this guy not only just answers some kid's stupid question he then goes in great detail with what would happen to the outcome of the human population of itself lol.

Totally not what that kid had in mind I bet when he asked that question.