Overpopulation
Have you begun to notice the longer lines at Starbucks, the increase traffic on the freeway, gas stations fuller and the market parking lots increasingly crowded? This is all due to the overpopulation we are facing in the world. Overpopulation is caused by increase in births and a decrease in deaths; people are living longer and having much more children then expected. In return, we began to become overpopulated. According to the United States Census Bureau every eight seconds a birth occurs and every thirteen seconds a death occurs. Which shows how more people are being born at a faster rate, then the rate for death to occur. In a news release from the United States Census Bureau, they have said that seniors, sixty-five years old and over, are going to reach at least eighty-three point seven million in 2050, which is more the double the amount in 2012, which was forty-three point one million. But, is all of this information about overpopulation, really a problem to the world today?
Many would argue, yes it is. With overpopulation comes: the exceeding amounts of new cars on the freeways, more food being bought, increase oil use, etc. Which in return has an affect on our air quality, on our supply of food and energy, and affects our oil and gas usage; which many have projected will one day run out. All of these make overpopulation a key problem because they all have the potential to run out and also put harm onto the environment.
The environment is threated because of the overuse of its resources and by the pollution caused by humans. The more people in the world, increases the damage done to the environment. Studies have shown that due to the improper use of our environment, the average temperature in the U...
... middle of paper ...
... sources of energy. Seeking out renewable energy sources, will help decrease the impact overpopulation is projected to have in the future on our environment. It will decrease air pollution; it will also prevent levels of nitrogen and carbon dioxide from increasing in years to come. It will also be able to elongate the life of both oil and gas.
Clearly, as of now, there is no precise solution to overpopulation that is being implemented; but there are things being done slowly to halt overpopulation: such as the use of eco-friendly cars, and the hundreds of scholarly articles, websites, and books, addressing overpopulation. All that is needed next, is to get the world educated on this issue, to read the articles and websites and books, and become aware of overpopulation. Overpopulation is a key problem in the world today, and it should not be overlooked any longer.
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.
Overpopulation and the debate of population control will continue to go on as the earth continues to age. Whether or not this issue will continue to be ignored or not remains to be seen. Many people see this growth as a threat while others interpret it a different way. But with people out there as concerned as they are, and with our resources running shorter every day, eventually a solution may have to be put into place.
...that increases to worsen by every year, month, day, hour, minute and second. Consequences of overpopulation could even result to making earth not even livable anymore and force to look for another planet to reside in. This is a problem that will take the effort of everyone in our population to solve and make it as not as much of threat that it is now. Hopefully we realize the affects overpopulation can have on our world and the people in it, and find a way to resolve the issue. Though from my research, the effects of overpopulation look inevitable and sooner or later will take course.
Overpopulation is the idea or belief that the population of the earth is growing and cannot grow much more without more food being grown or made. Overpopulation would help control growth by having only one baby born or no children at all. This would help limit the population and allow the world to grow and the population does not get out of hand.
Overpopulation describes a condition where the number of people uses the resources in a closed environment so that it can no longer maintain that population (Elliot Institute). Around the early 1900 's, the world population had grown to a billion people, and English scholar, Thomas Malthus and partner economists predicted that mankind would outgrow its available resources because a limited amount of land wouldn 't be able to support a population with a limitless potential for growth. Today our population is more than 7 billion. Despite the fact that better health care and medicine along with advances in food production and easier access to freshwater and sanitation have given us the ability to feed ourselves and fight many sickness 's, some
The human population has increased by 4.5 billion since the last sixty years (Engelman 1), this tremendous growth in the human population has startled numerous individuals. As a matter of fact, the biosphere’s population of humans is expected to grow additional, resulting in a total of nine billion by 2050 (Pearce 1). Some individuals may see this as a concern for the planet, whereas others assume that there are other more imperative hitches that humans should deal with. Although Erle C. Ellis agrees that overpopulation is not a problem for this planet, conversely, Fred Pearce and Joel Kotkin argue that there are other more vital problems to mend; unlike Ellis, Robert Engelman disagrees, proclaiming overpopulation
Overpopulation has become a drastic issue, for no one knows how many people the earth
The world as we know it is slowly being depleted of its natural resources. Habitats are being destroyed, and wildlife animals are facing extinction, these are just a few of the effects of over population. Over population not only affects nature and the planet but the human way of life. Imagine a world where the water is polluted, the soil produces no crop and the air is so toxic that we can’t breathe; this is where the world is heading. Due to the fast growth of people, humanity itself faces great danger. There are solutions to over population such as Family planning and sexual education.
The first consequences for the overpopulation is the over consumption of the global resources and this includes the Earth’s fresh water, fossil fuels, food, arable land, energy, and frontier forests. According to Norwich University (n.d.), by 2050 and 2030, the world will experience water, food, and energy supplies, which means 66% of the global population will live with a lack of water so they need more water, more food, and more energy (p. 2). The deficiency of resources will lead to competitions between countries for natural sources, which is a reason for having wars. Another effect by overpopulation is that expensive life which leads to poverty and unemployment people. As Norwich University (n.d.) noted, “If the threats of overpopulation are not solved 3 billion people will be living in poverty” (p.
How they contribute to overpopulation is seeing all around us and we as well experience. For Example, the place one grew up with, has many new buildings, people, and cars all over. Isn't it petrifying having the thought of being an old person going outdoors trying to enjoy a good day looking at trees and nature and instead you wake up to seeing buildings and roads with cars parked
The size of population tends to exceed the environmental resources an area can sustain because of increased birth rate, lowered death rates and increased migrations. Consequently, the over populated world encounters global crisis such as global warming, depletion of natural resources, unemployment and slower economic development. A report from The Nation, talks of overpopulation in the world in the following manner.
“If we do not voluntarily bring population growth under control in the next one or two decades, the nature will do it for us in the most brutal way, whether we like it or not.” - Henry W. Kendall. This quote is just a small factor of what overpopulation around the world is doing. Each and every single day more and more people are born into this world, and the population increases rapidly every second. For example, the population right now in the United States is approximately 325 million people. The population in India today is about 1.25 billion people. The country with the largest population in the world right now is currently India, with 1.35 billion people, and China is not that far behind. With overpopulation in the world, there are less natural resources around the world, because all of the farmland is being taken up by new housing, buildings, and factories. Another problem it causes is air pollution. With all the factories being built, so many
Around the world, people are concerned about overpopulation issue. Population growth mean the increase in the number of people that reside within the state or country (The law dictionary n.d.). Population growth is the root cause of most current global problems. Is not it? Different individuals have varied opinion about human population growth. This issue is the essential topic to debate all over the world. According to Garrett Hardin (1989, pp.11-13) famous essay called 'There is no global population problem ', he wrote: We are not faced with a single global population problem but, rather, with about 180 separate national population problem. Population growth is one of the reason of global issue but is not the root cause of most current global
Individuals can play a role in helping with the fallouts as outlined in the previous paragraphs though. Whether this is volunteering to help clean up a dirtied beach littered with garbage or switching to a water efficient nozzle so less water is wasted when you shower, these are just a few examples of immediate solutions that can make a collective difference. It ultimately won’t help the issue of overpopulation but can help deter the consequences as in the end, the concern revolves around the ability to sustain our world as more bodies are introduced. Keeping in mind that as society grows, the world makes advancements that work as viable solutions that tackle these problems. There just needs to be a mindset of utilizing more efficient measures into our daily lives right now so that we can make a positive difference. Even if it does not solve the issue in the long run, it does influence those around us and pushes the world towards a common goal one step at a time. It was said by Brundtlan (WCED, 1987) that:
Overpopulation is going to continue to be a growing problem all over the world unless we come together and help each other out. This is a difficult task but it can be dealt with. This is the most important environmental issue because it leads to many others. It leads to loss of species, shortage of land, lack of resources, deforestation, health issues, pollution, and famine. Overpopulation is a growing problem we can stop. The only way this is going to be stopped is by humans taking action and trying to help each other.