Is Limiting the Population Growth a Key Factor in Protecting the Global Environment?

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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 many of the developing countries perhaps, another factor that they relate to population is poverty. If the number of population is high then there is the existence of poverty which ultimately leads to resource scarcity. But this is barely true, studies shows that there is no direct link between population growth and poverty. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in the United States concluded in its 1986 report, titled Population Growth and Economic Development as cited by Jan (2003) that it is misleading to equate poverty with population growth per se. It found that the claim that population growth led to resource exhaustion was mistaken and it pointed out that to a great extent environmental problems could be resolved by appropriate government policies designed to correct market failure. This study was later confirmed by the Independent Inquiry Report in to Population and Development (IIRPD) commissioned by the Australian Government in 1994. It acknowledged a positive correlation between population growth and sustainable development (Jan, 2003).

There might still be a push and pull factor as to why the environment suffer from exhau...

... middle of paper ...

...ially, economically and environmentally, and this would only happen if we prioritize and give importance on what people can do, as what community-based forest management says “people first and sustainable development will follow. Good governance among countries will trigger the development needed, not just any development but a sustainable one especially for underdeveloped and developing countries.

Works Cited

Bautista, N. D. (2010). Reproductive Health Bill. Truths and Dilemmas. A Position Paper.

Jan A. U. (2003, July 9). Overpopulation: Myths, Facts, and Politics. Available on http://www.albalagh.net/population/overpopulation.shtml.

Owens, James (nd). Is Limiting the Population Growth a key Factor in Protecting the Global Environment. Available on http://pcguy.qondio.com/is-limiting-population-growth-a-key-factor-in- protecting-the-global-environment.

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