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Overpopulation and its effects on the environment
Environmental impact of overpopulation
Positive and negative effects of population growth
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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...
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... 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.
While Garrett Hardin says there is no technical solution to the population problem, there are ways to delay overpopulation (Hardin). This was a major problem in Easter Island. There were tribes that populated that small island (Easter Island). This was one of the reasons all the trees got cut down. They had to cut the trees down to get food for all the people that were there (Easter Island). Easter Island was not fit to support that many people, so all the trees got cut down and the society went to turmoil (Easter Island). This was also a problem in The Lorax. There were so many people wanting thneeds that they had to cut down all the trees. When they were gone, there was no more business (The
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.
Mankind’s industrialization of the world has caused a drastic increase in temperature. This rise in temperature is caused by solar radiation remaining in our atmosphere because of gases produced by humans through the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and other human activities. These gases block the radiation from escaping into space therefore warming our planet. The result is raising of ocean levels, extinction of species and threatening of children’s health because of disease and less freshwater to drink. While many view climate change to be a more natural occurrence than others do, scientists have proven the average temperature rise of the Earth between 0.4 and 0.8 °C over the last 100 years.
Climate change, otherwise known as global warming, has grown more apparent in recent years, with increased natural disasters, significantly warmer temperatures and unreasonably long seasons. Global warming is one of the main concerns that scientists have been researching for the past century. Scientific evidence shows that global warming is caused by human behaviors. Due to the amount of human-induced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that have been released into the air, the earth is becoming a highly poisonous place to live on. Earth’s climate has been constantly changing ever since the Industrial Revolution, when innovations began and factories were built, which emitted mass air pollution. As more technological advances continued the years after, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air also increased. According to the UPI Space Daily News, “Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) - the main cause of global warming - increased by 45% between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010” (Writers 1). The 1900s through the 2000s is the time period in which humans caused the most air pollution by creating vehicles and other industrial machinery. In the contemporary time period, human activities that contribute to climate change consist of hydraulic fracturing, rice cultivation, the increase of fossil fuel burning, and the rise of deforestation.
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.
The realization of the world's population crisis is creating new and disturbing ideas by many people to solve our over population problem. Many ideas are being condoned as well as being criticized. Examples set by other countries such as China and India should help the United States establish a policy that is moral and can solve over population, if there is a problem at all.
Overpopulation has become a drastic issue, for no one knows how many people the earth
Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said, “Overconsumption and overpopulation underlie every environmental problem we face today” (“Population,” Internet). With the current statistics, Jacques could not be more accurate. Every second, 4.2 people are born and 1.8 people die, which would be a net gain of 2.4 people per second (“Population,” Internet). At this steady rate, the environmental health is spiraling downwards, and it is safe to assume humans are responsible for this. As the population increases, harmful effects on the land, water, and air also do.
Prevent dangerous climate change by phasing out fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) and replacing them with clean renewable energy such as solar.
Seven and a half billion. Enough steps to walk around the globe a hundred and sixty times. Our planet is trying to provide and sustain for a colossal number of people which is expanding every single second. Now the concern that has been put forth by scholars come from the idea that the consumption and effects to our planet by our current society is an international security risk that greatly compromises the future generations. Confucius even mentions this at the earliest start of civilization by saying:
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.
Global Warming One of the most substantial problems in the world today is global warming. This gradual warming of the earth is in occurrence at an extremely slow rate but it is happening. Many scientists believe that as human’s work and release greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, it can become dangerous for the long lasting life of humans and our environment. “Unless we take immediate action, the impacts of global warming will continue to intensify, grow ever more costly and damaging, and increasingly affect the entire planet - including you, your community, and your family” (“Global Warming Impacts”).
We as individuals do NOT understand the problems with overpopulation. We do not take the time or the effort to be educated enough; therefore we do not help in the prevention of future problems to keep our society as it is now.