In the video Arithmetic, Population, and Energy by Dr. Albert A. Bartlett, he discusses in length the problems with the growing population and additional problems that it causes. He believes that the biggest contributing factor to our problems is that we don’t or can’t understand the exponential function (or steady growth). Through multiple examples he proves that the population is growing according to the exponential function. He then goes on to provide examples of how much energy and resources the population uses and applies that to his growth rate of the population. On the surface his conclusions seem to be that we must all do our homework and not take others’ word for what’s happening to the resources on earth. Through his examples, it …show more content…
With that, comes the possibility of advancements in Art, Culture, Science, and Self-discovery. Dr. Bartlett dramatically proves that the population will reach an endcap; there is only so much room on this planet to hold humanity. During the video I found myself thinking about what the advancements in science and technology have been like in the past 60-70 years. Well, we have the onset of computers, the internet, landing a man on the moon, and more recently, exploring the possibility of sending people to Mars. That brings up an interesting concept; a human colony on Mars. Even if we did create other places to live though, the exponential function still applies, and growth would still occur. It is likely though, by that time other events would have taken place to alter the outcome. The exponential functions are only accurate so far before they become improbable and something changes. Switching topics, the Dr. also reviewed the population’s use of resources. I would like to point out that I don’t disagree with anything that Dr. Bartlett said; I just see a different future. I believe that solar energy is the way to go. Covering approximately 20% of my property is solar
Population continues to grow and is expected to reach an all time high in future years. There are tons of different reasons for why population is rising so quickly. In document d, it says, "Every second 5 people are born and 2 people die, a net gain of 3 people. This fact from document d shows one reason why population growth is at all time high. Document d, also states "At this rate, the world population will double every 40 years and would be 12 billion in 40 years, 24 billion in 80 years, and more than 48 billion in 120 years." This will create tons of difficulties, like the amount of food and supplies needed for the world, which will make it nearly impossible for supplies to keep pace with the population growth. Document a shows
Is it right to think that population is a threat to the global environment? Is there indeed a direct correlation between population and environment? Is there such thing as overpopulation and who has the power to say that there is what they called overpopulation? These are some of the questions that are running through my mind. Now, in response to the question “Is limiting the population growth a key factor in protecting the global environment?” I with all conviction say no to that. I believe that it is the behavior of the people and not the population growth itself that affects the environment.
In, The Population Bomb by, Paul R Ehrlich, he explains the problem of population increase, and how there are people everywhere! The feeling of feeling over populated. He talks about how if there are more people then there is more food that needs to be produced then ate. He explains on the rich people becoming wealthier and the poor are going to be even poorer and there is going to be a starvation. Population is doubling every year and how our energy is turning into
The rise of humanity has become one of the most extreme events in Earth’s history. We have altered nature to fit our desires. However, at this rate, we will ultimately suffocate under our own weight. We are beginning to devour more than the Earth and nature can provide. Unless we scale back our dependence on Earth’s resources, our way of life is almost certainly doomed.
At the U.S. Science Convention of 2011, the dire prediction was made that by 2050, we will have an “unrecognizable” planet by virtue of a huge population competing for a deficient number of resources. It is envisioned that the global population will climb to nine billion by 2050. Due to the increasing population, “we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000,” said Jason Clay at the yearly meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The only effective solution is to “minimize population growth…through more effective family planning”. We are now witnessing the truth that lied behind the theory of the economist, Thomas Malthus, who foreshadowed the increase of population with minimal resources to support it.
Our population continues to grow on earth so that means we have more people that need the resources to live. I think Malthus is correct because we cannot support an exponential amount of more people on earth if we do not produce more food. More people would be without food unless we use our techniques wisely to grow more food. That is why I believe we should not engage in fracking because it will damage the environment. Why should we destroy areas that will be needed in the future so we can grow crops? we will have less areas to be able to grow products that are needed to support a growing
”(-Hagel). The article by Jared Diamond called “The End of The World as We Know Them” explains to us we have the chance to change our future from previous civilianization like Mayans. One alternative that we can infer is a stronger focus on benefiting the earth and not our self. For example instead of using war to gain more resources from other countries and cause more damage to other civilization, we should all live in peace and live natural energy from the sun like solar panels. If we keep the ground that we live on, we can keep our lives that we dwell on.
Population Paradox In the film, Population Paradox, populations of various countries were analyzed to explore the growing or diminishing fertility rates in developed and underdeveloped countries. Some of the analyzed countries included Japan, India and Saharan Africa. The film begins with the country, Japan. Over the decades, Japan has seen a rapid decline in population due to the economic recession that plagued the country in the 1980’s.
Garret Hardin, a well known philosopher/scientist, in 1968, writes an article, Tragedy of Commons, elaborating on the population problem. Tragedy of the Commons is an economic problem in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a source. What many people don’t understand is that everyone cant get a profit off one good, because of this every individual who consumes an additional unit directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the economic growth/benefit. The Tragedy of Commons reminds me so much of imperialism and colonization. Many philosophers implicate that America is a melting pot, because of the different cultures, traditions and ethnic groups.
The human population growth rate is an alarming issue that brings with it irreversible consequences, that will likely effect the way of life for future generations to come. With the serious incline in population statistics comes catastrophic processes such as global warming and deforestation that have major ‘knock on’ ramifications. It’s issues such as these that need to be considered when we think about the growth of the human population, and we must take into account why these issues are occurring. We must also explore the options available to us that may assist in limiting the problems, or eliminating them all together, to provide a better place, not only for us in existence now, but also those who will walk this earth in the future decades and centuries to come.
About ten years ago while in a science museum, I saw a counter that estimated what the world population was at that given moment. Innocuous at first glance, since a number in excess of five billion is difficult to comprehend, what became alarming after watching the counter for a minute was the continual increase in the population. Thinking about the circumstances related to the population rise logically made the problem seem apparent. The earth is finite both in terms of physical size and in resources but the population is growing towards an infinite value. At some point the steadily rising population will move from being a problem that is geographically distant to one that is immediate and more salient than just an increasing value on a faceless counter.
One of the major effects of the huge population increase has been the depletion of natural resources and the destruction of ecosystems. In the 1960's, theorist Paul Ehrlich predicted that, given the skyrocketing figures of human population, the amount of food produced would not grow at a fast enough rate for human survival (Professor Carr Everbach, personal communication). He predicted mass starvation and death by the year 2000 as the result of uncontrolled population growth. Clearly, this did not occur. Ehrlich did not foresee the advancements ma...
Human population growth is becoming a huge issue in our world today. The population is increasing rapidly. The reason that it is becoming a concern is because it has affected the economic, environmental, and social aspects of our world. In the film Frontline: Heat, we can see how there might not be a future for our planet unless we are able to reduce the emissions and make our world a safe place. Not only for the present but also for future generations so that they are able to live long and healthy lives.
Our world is too small for our ever rapidly growing population. One day resources will run dry and vanish, which will bring death and loss to all nations on this planet. Many researchers and scientists have confirmed that the population will reach 10 billion by the end of the century and will continue to stream upward. There are many different ways in trying to decrease population to contain global warming and assist our environmental changes. The only way to steadily succeeding, families must be the regulators of their fertility and future. Environmentalism can head in a negative direction, which may result in population control and even anti-immigrant policies. Can the developing effort of ‘population integrity’ protect our world while recognizing birth moralities?
One of the problems facing our world is population. It began about ten thousand years ago when the humans settled and began farming. The farming provides more food for the people thus making the population grow. Now we are about 6 billion in population and in a few years we will be around 10 to 11 billion. Therefore, our population will almost double in size. This means that we will need more food to support us. A study in 1986 by Peter Vitonesk, a Stanford biologist, showed that the humans are already consuming about 38.8 of what is possible for us to eat. Thus, if the population keeps increasing, the percentage will increase also, making us closer and closer to the biophysical limits. By studying the earth's capacity, Dr. Cornell, another biologist, believes that we are already crowded for this would. He believes that our world can only support two million people. Not only this, but population can cause complicated problems to the countries with very high population. These countries will need more schools to educate its people, they will need more hospitals and public health to take care of their people, and they will need more water and more soil for farming to feed all the people. In order to solve the population growth problem, the people should be educated. Once the people are educated they will be aware of the problems they ca...