Should it be legal for race to be a criteria in sperm donor request?

[politicus]

People still think the world is overpopulated? 

It is getting more and more overpopulated every day, so still is a weird phrase in this context.

We consume more resources than we generate. The amount of arable land is shrinking and deteriorating in quality and drinking water becomes scarce in many areas. Wildlife halved in the last 40 years (important for some of us). CO2 emission growing at rapid pace.

[politicus]

We consume more resources than we generate.

SOME resources we are using up, but we're not going to run out of "resources", ever.

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There are areas humans shouldn't live in as many numbers as they live, but that's really only a problem for the people living in those areas.  They can move to places more suitable to human beings, as they should.

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I'm going to need a cite for that too.  And where?  Certainly not where I live, you know, 'murica, with all our waste and guns, you'd think there wouldn't be anything left alive if you listen to a certain group of people.  Sure, some species are under more pressure than they were 40 years ago, other species are doing a lot better.

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and it will have to be tackled.

We are certainly over populated in certain areas, but the planet can hold, feed, shelter, clothe and entertain a LOT of people.

Regarding wildlife it is an estimate based on this report:

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29418983

You are not addressing the "still" part, which is what puzzles me.

We are rather close to the limit of the Earths carrying capacity according to experts. For a quick intro see:

http://www.livescience.com/16493-people-planet-earth-support.html

The current estimate is that world population will stabilize around 11 billion, which is above that, but hopefully manageable, but the trouble is that this number keeps getting upgraded. African and Middle Eastern population growth does not decline as fast as expected just a few years back.

(the article is from back when the prognosis was more optimistic than today)

If world population had stopped at 3-4 billion, we would have virtually no serious environmental problems, so I think it is obvious that we are over populated compared to an ideal state - and increasingly also compared to the maximum carrying capacity.

Generally it is undesirable to get too close to the carrying capacity since most of us want room for "the good live" and developing countries needs room to improve their living standard.

Whether we will be "running out" of resources is irrelevant, it is scarcity and the conflicts and loss of life (and quality of life) that leads to, which are - and increasingly will be - the problems.

[politicus]

I suppose we're just at different levels of harm we're willing to inflict on this rock/Mother Earth.  Lets say it is a problem, what do you suggest we do about it?  Educated people in the west choosing to not have kids isn't going to help unless by doing so they convince 100 women in sub-Sahara Africa to do the same.

Massive increase of funding for family planning and education of girls in developing countries (the last one is generally the single most important factor). Combined with micro loans to poor females to start their own small businesses etc. Independent women gets fewer children.

Easier access for poor countries to our markets (higher average income = reduced families).

I agree Western middle class people stopping to have kids is not all that important (high resource consumption than in poor countries, but a relatively small group).

You started out ridiculing the entire idea of over population, which is what I think is wrong. Especially the notion that the problem is any less relevant today than it used to be.