Population and Global Warming

Population and Global Warming

In recent years, people have begun to realize the adverse affects of the technologies we use. The tools that humans use to harness energy change the face of the environment around us. When the industrial revolution began, I am sure that no one thought that the innovation taking place could potentially be the cause of a huge change in our surroundings. People were just doing what they thought was the best course of action at that time: the new utilization of resources for the growing population. Unfortunately, we have not retained the same sense of well being.

The shift in energy resources allowed for an increased population or, conversely, an increasing population required the invention of new tools to deal with the environment surrounding humans. Not only were more people needed to man the machines, but more humans could be supported because of the increase in agricultural yield and the new lands that had opened up for colonization. There was the feeling of continuous well being and expansion. I do not think that we are out of the expansionist mindset: the population boom figures prove this. For most organisms, a population grows and then reaches a plateau; in effect, an s-shaped curve. Humans are not following this pattern, or have not reached their plateau. Yet as of now, the human population is increasing exponentially and shows no signs of stopping. The use of resources has expanded to match the continued growth. Because of our history of degradation, growth just means more pressure on the earths systems.

The industrial age began a time in which humans were not just altering their visible surroundings, but began to change the make up of these surroundings as well. Without knowing it, ...

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...earth is able to contain. If the later is true, we are just fixing the problems as they occur, not finding a real solution to the problem.

The increased use of contraceptives and factors such as literacy and women's rights has decreased the population expansion (class discussion). It could be that our problem will be solved by the population actually decreasing. But before that happens, if we are not going to fix the root of the problem (that of climate change because of human use), we should find better ways of getting energy and using the resources that we have, such as renewable resources and green chemistry. Whatever it is, something must be done to stop the environment from changing so drastically.

[1] Freeman, Scott. Biological Sciences. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 2002.

[2] Freeman, Scott. Biological Sciences. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 2002.