Human Geography: Overpopulation

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Human Geography Final Essay
Human Geography Honors
Humankind will always have to overcome challenges. Three key challenges that we are currently facing and require immediate action are overpopulation, land use, as well as cultural conflicts. These issues have been prevalent topics in the media in recent years. Unless we start taking the steps to address these concerns, we will continue to see these topics in the media for years to come.
Overpopulation is a relatively recent issue. The world’s population has grown exponentially over the past twenty to thirty years. For example, the country of Bangladesh, with a population density of 1,188 people per square kilometer, has a 1.2% annual growth rate. Comparing these numbers with the United States’ population density of 34, and its growth rate of 0.7%, it is no wonder the country has an extremely high poverty rate, 31.5% according to the World Bank. As a result of this, certain areas have not been able to adjust to their changing population. The consequences of such an inability to adapt are poverty, crime, and an overall lower quality of life. Lagos, Nigeria is a city that best exemplifies this problem. With too few jobs and such a high population (estimated at 21 million) and a density of 18,000 people per square kilometer, the people of Lagos are quite poor, with very few wealthy inhabitants. Due to their poverty, some people revert to more unorthodox ways of making a living: crime. These crimes include scams, robberies, and fraud. As a consequence of poverty, the inhabitants also experience a lower quality of life due to their incapability to afford any

kind of health care. Overpopulation can be extremely detrimental to the health of a nation.
Overpopulation can be addressed...

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... genetically modified crops or crops grown with pesticides to their customers without their knowledge. This may concern some consumers, and it is slowly becoming harder to purchase non-GMO products from small agricultural businesses. Therefore, regulations and taxes should be lifted on farming companies in order for these small alternative companies to make an appearance on the market. The government should also establish special offers or programs for the farmers who decide not to sell out their property to suburban developers.
Our world today has many issues that need dealing with. The issues of overpopulation, cultural conflict, and land use will not only effect us currently, but when not addressed, will most certainly effect us in the future. Therefore, we must undertake these challenges before us, in order to create a brighter and better future for us all.

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