Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Overpopulation crisis
Causes for overpopulation essay
Negative effects of overpopulation
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Overpopulation crisis
It’s a scary thought to think that the day will come when all the food, water and oil in the world isn’t enough for the population to survive on. Of course, that’s already a reality in several overpopulated countries like China and India. Moreover, there are numerous opinions on overpopulation, some say that it can be stopped, while others think that the human species will come extinct due to lack of resources. According to Gilland (2008), overpopulation is sometimes defined as the lands inability to feed its population. This lack of resources can be explained by the social-conflict theory which views overpopulation as not a problem of the number of people, but of the way resources are distributed around the world. The world’s rate of population growth is 1.2%, which means that the population will double its size to 14 billion in 58 years Pimentel (2012). The greatest concentration of human population can be seen in Africa and Asia. It is believed that about 75% of the world’s population resides within the overpopulated continents. Such as, the people there have accepted a new standard of living; where malnourishment and overcrowded cities are a familiarity.
The first cause of
…show more content…
Japan, for example, became overpopulated in the 1960’s, but they solved this with economic growth (Gilland, 2008). Japan increased its production of grain, thus developing a way to feed its people and help its economy. Those countries that found a way to the industrial revolution have left the others behind and the poorer nations were made worse because of this. There are still countries that have cultural traditions where families will have more than three children. This used to be a necessity because children would succumb to diseases and malnourishment. But due to the industrial revolution, vaccines have been developed and this has declined the overall death
The worldwide population is approaching 7 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 (Baird). This projected population number is down from a once predicted 16 billion (Baird) and while some are not concerned, others are worried about any increase in population. Population growth is discussed in the articles “Too Many People?” by Vanessa Baird; “Population Control: How Can There Possibly Be Too Many of Us?” by Frank Furedi; and “The Population Bomb Revisited,” by Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich. Baird and Furedi concur that a concern for population growth has been around since mathematician Thomas Malthus, in 1798, warned that overpopulation could lead to “the collapse of society” (Furedi). Furedi claims that too much human life is being used as an excuse, by population control supporters, for the world’s current and future problems. Baird tries to discover if “the current panic over population growth is reasonable.” For Ehrlich and Ehrlich the concern over population growth is very real, and they reinforce and support their book “calling attention to the demographic element in the human predicament” (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 63). While taking different approaches to their articles, the authors offer their perspectives on population growth, population control and the environmental impacts of a growing population.
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
There are three main factors that fuel rapid population growth in the world. Firstly, the increased production and distribution of food has now enabled more people to live longer lives. Initially, starvation caused high death rates, therefore inhibiting population growth. In our modern society, there is an abundance of food to feed the population. Improved distribution channels have enabled food to reach into dry places, thereby eliminating the risk of starvation. Secondly, there is an overall improvement of public health care. Poor sanitation and lack of clean water were the main causes of deadly diseases like malaria. These diseases often wiped
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 world’s population is rising rapidly from seven billion to the estimated nine billion in 2050 (Ellis, Overpopulation is Not the Problem). Every human being adds stress to the Earth’s resources. Numerous places like Africa and China maintain a copious amount starvation and poverty. There are days when people go without food, water, or shelter. There is even such happening in the United States. In such places, it is difficult to find contraception, or birth control, which leads to unplanned pregnancies. These situations are rooted down to overpopulation, which is when there are too many humans. However, there is a multitude of ways to reverse such negative effects. Population control is a necessary act that will benefit the world through sparing natural resources, decreasing famine, and controlling unplanned pregnancies. A worldwide effort would have to take effect in order for a successful future.
Did you know, according to the “Pet Statistics” from ASPCA, there were about 5,000 animal shelters in the United States? In those shelters, about 5-7 million animals were rescued each year and approximately 3-4 million of them were euthanized. That was nearly half to the animal rescued. In other words, thousands of animals were euthanized daily. However, many of these euthanized animals were healthy, treatable, and adoptable pets. What caused these adoptable companions to be euthanized in animal shelters? The major cause was the overpopulation of animals without a home. Moreover, the irresponsible owners and breeders that did not sterilize their animals caused the overpopulation of animals.
Today, as we near the 21st century, overpopulation, as some may call it, still seems to be a concern. There have been reports that, if the current rate of population growth were maintained, the world will be home to some 694 trillion people by the year 2150, almost 125 times that of today's population (Bender, p. 65). On October 12th, 1999, the world was presented with the associated press headline that the world population counter at the UN topped 6 billion. It is evident that our society is still concerned about the increasing population. The intent of this paper is to prove that there is not, and will never be, according to long-term trends, a situation in which it is impossible to provide everyone on earth a living standard at the subsistence level.
The main causes of population explosion are decreased death rates, total fertility rates, lack of education, and migration. The invention of modern medicine is one of the causes of the decline in death rates. Mortality rates have decreased over the years which is very helpful for many people but not really an advantage for the world population. Increase of birth rates are an issue as well. Due to science and new medicine, the infant mortality rates have gone down over the years but it also means there are more babies being born and increasing the population. However, some people, mostly in periphery countries, doesn’t have a lot of access to modern medicine as well as good education. Lack of education means not knowing about family planning, using contraceptives, and how constant births lead to overpopulation so it is important that people get the education they need. The causes of decreased population in low populated states (mostly the more developed countries) are because of aging population or more elderly which may or may not be a good thing. It also means that these countries are getting educated, using family planning, and having less
It is a known fact that the world population is increasing without bound; however, there is a debate if this increase is a good thing or if it will prove catastrophic. The article “The Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin discusses how the ever-increasing world population will exhaust the world of its natural resources, and eliminate human’s capability of survival. On the other side of the argument is Julian L. Simon who wrote “More People, Greater Wealth, More Resources, Healthier Environment.” This article proposes the theory that with an increase in population, human’s quality of life is amplified. One particular issue that they both mention and have drastically different views on is the future of agriculture and human’s ability to sustain it.
Today we live in an imperfect world where there are so many problems that we face day to day. In The Giver by Lois Lowry, the characters live in a time where all the world problems had been solved, without having to fear of any more arising in their regulated communities. One of the main troubles in our modern setting today is overpopulation. It has led to countless other complications like depletion of natural resources, pollution, and has made large conflicts and wars. Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources that are necessary in order for that country to thrive. “Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries.” The communities in The Giver also had many problems of their own with overpopulation before they entered Sameness and lived in Elsewhere. “Centuries back. The population had gotten so big that hunger was everywhere. Excruciating hunger and starvation. It was followed by warfare.” In both The Giver and our world today, we have many problems with overpopulation in common.
Humans have greatly impacted the global environment. Throughout the course of history, human populations have rapidly increased. Especially in Africa, these numbers have reached extraordinary proportions. Out of all the continents in the world, Africa’s population is increasing the most. The type of growth here is exponential. “Overpopulation is a condition when an organisms numbers exceeds the carrying of its ecological niche.” The growth rate of a population is equal to the birth rate minus the death rate. Therefore, for overpopulation to occur, the birth rate must surpass the death rate (Wiley). The current population of Nigeria is estimated to be 155,215,573. Most of the population consists of the younger generation. More specifically, 41% of the population is between the ages of 0-14. 56% of the population is between the ages of 15-64. However, only 3.1% of the population is 65 and over. This age group represents a very small part of the population. (CIA)
Global Overpopulation causes a variety of other problems like Resource Shortages, Overcrowding and Personal Freedoms, and Social Problems.
When you have people in developing countries who have far too many children than they should and don’t have the means to take care of them you get overpopulation, when you get overpopulation you get less job opportunities, and when that happens you people who can’t take care of themselves or their children. Two factors have been shown that correlate with overpopulation, which is poverty and education. When you have higher education in a community you will tend to have a decrease in birth rates because when people get education especially in women you will have a decline in birth rates because when they get their education they usually want to get a good job. poverty and overpopulation in the United States. Poor living conditions and over population can cause many forms of disease and unclean living conditions, and with poor living conditions you get the spread of airborne diseases such as tuberculosis and respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
Human population growth was relatively slow for most of human history. Within the past 500 years, however, the advances made in the industrial, transportation, economic, medical, and agricultural revolutions have helped foster an exponential, "J-shaped" rise in human population (Southwick, Figure 15.1, p. 160). The statistics associated with this type of growth are particularly striking: "Human beings took more than 3 million years to reach a population of 1 billion people...The second billion came in only 130 years, the third billion in 30 years, the fourth billion in 15 years, the fifth billion in 12 years..." (Southwick, p. 159). As human population has grown, there has been simultaneous growth within the industrial sector. Both of these increases have greatly contributed to environmental problems, such as natural resource depletion, ecosystem destruction, and global climate change. Also linked with the increasing human population are many social problems, such as poverty and disease. These issues need to be addressed by policy makers in the near future in order to ensure the survival and sustainability of human life.
Overpopulation is a growing problem all over the world. This is a very important environmental issue and needs to be dealt with. This environmental problem is affecting many countries around the world, but mostly the poor and impoverished countries that don’t have the resources to help deal with these issues. It also affects the environment like plants, animal life and air quality. When the population of people expands we need more natural resources from the environment, so we consume more than we can produce.