Although I disagree with the anthropomorphism, @Coloma‘s statement is a summary of the Malthusian trap.
However, I fail to see how the one child policy means that the Malthusian trap is a real threat in China. It’s evidence that there is a large population in China and that’s about it. The US consumes far more resources per person than any other nation. With rising competition from abroad – notably China and the far East, we could expect that, if the situation remained as it is now, food and other commodity prices would eventually spike as other nations – notably China – develop technological infrastructure and the expecations of their populations increase. Increased competition for energy and food resources will drive prices through the roof, leading to severe economic problems and possibly conflict. This is not propaganda – we saw oil and gas prices spike in 2007, which caused a spike in home energy bills and road fuel prices.
If the US continues to turn over arable land to biofuel production, the next spike in food prices for staples such as wheat will be exacerbated in the US domestic market. Just imagine the civil unrest if the poorest 20% of the population suddenly can’t afford to feed itself.
However, this ignores techonlogical advances in food and energy sciences. There is a reason that the majority of Western governments are sponsoring research and investment in renewable energies and GM foods – increased crop yields and energy independence are critical areas of both domestic and international policy for the next 50 years.
It could get very, very nasty – if the energy requirements of the US, EU or China are not met by fair means in the next century, I would fully expect any of them to go to war to secure them. I see no reason why food is not the same.
The jaws of the Malthusian trap will snap shut unless we can innovate our way to something sustainable. The US is not immune.