The human population growth rate is an alarming issue that brings with it irreversible consequences, that will likely effect the way of life for future generations to come. With the serious incline in population statistics comes catastrophic processes such as global warming and deforestation that have major ‘knock on’ ramifications. It’s issues such as these that need to be considered when we think about the growth of the human population, and we must take into account why these issues are occurring. We must also explore the options available to us that may assist in limiting the problems, or eliminating them all together, to provide a better place, not only for us in existence now, but also those who will walk this earth in the future decades and centuries to come.
Human population growth tends to occur in developing countries, where education is poor, particularly among the women who do not want to have fewer children, and the economy is poor. These developing countries are rich with history and the women have ideologies and pressures from the surrounding communities to bear many children. Religion is also heavily practised by the nations, and in some of these religions multiple children is desired. A male may also have the right to marry several women, all of whom he has multiple children with.
India, the second highest populated country in the world after China, with 1.27 billion people currently recorded to be living there and equates for 17.31% (India Online Pages 2014) of the world's population, but is still considered a developing country due to it’s poverty and illiteracy rates. As these nations continue to grow at rates that are too fast for resources to remain sustainable, the government’s in these areas wi...
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...hich is an issue that simply cannot be ignored, due to the implications it has on our atmosphere. Our trees must be preserved as they are humanities biggest ally in the fight against the greenhouse effect, and if we continue to cut these trees down at rates faster than they can recover, the end for humanity as we know will be sooner rather than later. If deforestation is limited it will also limit the loss of biodiversity, which is an integral aspect to future survival.
It has become clear to me at how much trouble the earth is really in, and how ignorant governments and world leaders can be, and how easily influenced they are by the mighty dollar, and while population growth cannot be halted, it can however be monitored and somewhat controlled, which in turn will secure a better world for not only those existing, but for the many future generations to come.
As small mobile groups of hunter-gatherers adopted a sedentary lifestyle, they mastered both agriculture and animal domestication. These small settled groups quickly evolved into cities and towns that encompassed the entire globe. Today the estimated population of the world is over 6.2 million people.1 As the population has grown, it has had several deleterious effects on the Earth. These include climate changes, the spread of diseases, declining food production, deforestation, and environment pollution (particularly air pollution). As people have become more conscious of these harmful effects, they have begun to devise strategies to combat this problem. Among the suggested responses include a switch to renewable energy, a call for zero population growth, and adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
The increase in population and growth in population can be viewed in two ways. On one hand, it can be seen as harmful and an issue that should be dealt with, while others may argue that measures to try and reduce population growth are not necessary and can even be harmful when it comes to traditional cultures. Much like any argument or situation, it is important to see both sides of the argument in order to determine which one you agree with or lean towards. To start, when it comes to population growth, many people believe that there should be measures taken to deal with the issue. The idea that population growth can eventually become harmful, and it is important to put the human population on an environmentally sustainable path to prevent any potential complications.
Is population control the answer? There are two ways to go about answering these questions. Women are brought into the equation for both answers. As previously stated, over population and under population result in negative global economic effects. Population control should in theory attempt to keep the population at stable rates to ensure decreasing poverty rates as well as a blossoming global trade market. Where do women come into play now? In underdeveloped nations, the social standings of women are low within the community. Women are expected to perform certain duties of which, working for wages or partaking in higher education, are typically not concerned. Sernau demonstrates examples throughout the text, “The balance between work and family, and all the unpaid work that may come with providing for the needs of children and other family members, challenges people around the world, and is a key factor in gender inequality” (Sernau 14). This quote mainly focuses on gender inequality and not
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 for 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, humans’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.
Every year the human population grows, every decade it grows twice as much. In 2000, the global population was a little over six billion. As of the year 2014, the human population has grown over seven billion people. Although people live in different areas and are somewhat spread out, there are some regions where it is densely populated. A lot of problems can occur just because of overpopulation, for example there could be major environmental changes, a decrease in living space, which could lead to huge amounts of overcrowding. According www.slate.com, “John Beddington, the chief science adviser to the British government, has warned that by 2030 the interlocking trends of climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity may result in “major destabilization,” including street riots and mass migrations as people flee shortages of food and water.” This means that population growth could be a huge factor in what they call “major destabilization” and with the population already large by that year, many people will most likely try fight over food and water. Over time the world’s population has been increasing and has therefore begun to create major problems not only in countries with vast populations, but possibly the world.
...an HDI of 0.36. These discrepancies in levels of development have led to an exodus of people, from less developed areas to the areas that have been benefitted by development. This situation seems to depict that predicted by the Dependency theory in which the developed countries progressed due to the exploitation of peripheral nations; the same seems to be happening in India. The states that are wealthier are exploiting the poorer states. It would be difficult to imagine India having the economic status that it now has, if it was not for the terrible working conditions and wages at which the Indians are willing to work and the massive work force available in the country. Now that India has seen economic growth the government should start taking care of its citizens by implementing policies that protect the labor rights of the workforce.
...many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries. This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving people's social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts. "The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction."
The earth’s population is ever increasing; it is only a matter of time before there are not enough resources to support life on the planet and the population begins to die off due to lack of food, water, and other resources. With our current population increase rates the population will double within the next century. “Indeed, the world population did double in thirty-seven years from 1950 to 1987.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem with overpopulation is that even if we all reduce our impact on the environment, when the population doubles, so will the total impact on the earth will be doubled.
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.
In 1927, for the first time in history, the world’s population reached two billion people. In 2011, less than one hundred years later, it passed seven billion (Worldometers). Some may think that this is a positive increase, creating economic growth and significant innovations in fields such as agriculture, industry and medicine. However, the amount of difficulties our species will encounter over the next century because of this population increase, will greatly outweigh those few optimistic beliefs. For example, twelve to fifteen million hectares of forest are lost every year, the equivalent of thirty six football fields per minute (World Wildlife Fund). In 2011, there were an estimated nine and a half billion metric tonnes of carbon emissions put into our atmosphere (CO₂ Now). The list could go on and on, but ultimately, these are all just contributors to what might be humanity’s most challenging problem yet: climate change.
Human population growth is becoming a huge issue in our world today. The population is increasing rapidly. The reason that it is becoming a concern is because it has affected the economic, environmental, and social aspects of our world. In the film Frontline: Heat, we can see how there might not be a future for our planet unless we are able to reduce the emissions and make our world a safe place. Not only for the present but also for future generations so that they are able to live long and healthy lives.
India’s new economic policy has been quite successful in creating a favourable environment for rapid economic growth, but adequate attention has not been paid to basic health care and education. The education and health status of a vast majority of the population continues to remain poor even after a decade of reforms (Joshi 2006). India has made noticeable improvements in key social indicators on education and health since the 1980s, but even so the country lies at the bottom of the ladder of human development with a HDI rank of 136 of 187 countries (UNDP 2013) at 0.554, which is below the South Asian average of 0.0558. Though the HDI value is improving for India, the rank remains more or less stagnant, and neighbouring countries like China and Sri Lanka do far better.
One of the problems facing our world is population. It began about ten thousand years ago when the humans settled and began farming. The farming provides more food for the people thus making the population grow. Now we are about 6 billion in population and in a few years we will be around 10 to 11 billion. Therefore, our population will almost double in size. This means that we will need more food to support us. A study in 1986 by Peter Vitonesk, a Stanford biologist, showed that the humans are already consuming about 38.8 of what is possible for us to eat. Thus, if the population keeps increasing, the percentage will increase also, making us closer and closer to the biophysical limits. By studying the earth's capacity, Dr. Cornell, another biologist, believes that we are already crowded for this would. He believes that our world can only support two million people. Not only this, but population can cause complicated problems to the countries with very high population. These countries will need more schools to educate its people, they will need more hospitals and public health to take care of their people, and they will need more water and more soil for farming to feed all the people. In order to solve the population growth problem, the people should be educated. Once the people are educated they will be aware of the problems they ca...
The reduction of the Earth's resources has been closely linked to the rise in human population. For many thousands of years people lived in relative harmony with their surroundings. Population sizes were small, and life-supporting tools were simple. Most of the energy needed for work was provided by the worker and animals. Since about 1650, however, the human population has increased dramatically. The problems of overcrowding multiply as an ever-increasing number of people are added to the world's population each year.
India, the population of which is estimated to be 1.27 billion also ranks 2nd in largest population and 33 in population density. The social problems in India in the new