The issue of global population growth has been a rising concern for many years, and currently is perhaps the most important environmental issue we face. Some of the toughest environmental problems today can be traced to overpopulation. Problems such as the emissions of green house gasses into the environment, and the over consumption of crucial water and land resources are thought to be primarily caused by our increasing population. The more people we have, the more strain we put on our natural resources, which are not infinite. The earth simply cannot sustain our increasing population and increasing consumption. There are different views on methods of easing the situation, but they can involve huge lifestyle changes of less consumption, or very personal issues, such as population policies. Since overpopulation affects the global community, it is crucial to address the problem at hand.
The earth simply cannot sustain our increasing population and increasing consumption. Currently, the 
We have finite sources of food, land, and water, which are all in danger of depletion as the population grows. The current amount of pollution in the atmosphere and on land is destroying habitats, and the more humans, the more pollution. This being a huge issue, one of the possible “solutions” to overpopulation is the reduction of pollution (mainly CO2) and drastically cutting down our consumption. Yet even if we cut our consumption levels by half, there still remains the problem of the growing population. Many countries are also not excited about the idea of retrofitting or changing industries to produce less pollution. It can provide to be very expensive; and as we saw in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, not everyone is convinced it will work. The
Another possible answer to overpopulation is to create new population policies. Currently, the
Unfortunately, there is no “right” answer to the problem of global population growth, but for now it is important that we acknowledge the issue,continue to think of ways to ease this situation, and educate citizens. The closer we get to finding answers to overpopulation, the closer we are to solving other pressing environmental issues such as climate change and over consumption.
I agree that our exploding population is increasingly threatening the Earth. It is unfortunate that it so negatively affects our planet by creating pollution, problems of access to basic needs, and environmental change. When one talks about population control, it can be a very sensitive subject. I personally agree that something must be done to combat Earth’s exponentially growing population. That being said, however, this can impede on societal ethics, norms, and religious values. We must find a way to control population in a way that does not threaten the freedoms and liberties of others. Many find that education is the key, because generally the better educated one is, the fewer children they are likely to have. Hopefully, one day we can find the correct way to limit and control our population so that we may address the multitude of issues that come as a result.
ReplyDeleteJames makes a good point. The key to reducing population growth is through education. While much of the growth in the United States is due to immigration, not a lack of education, the developing world is much different. Their short-term outlooks are rooted in the fact that they live subsistence lives. They in turn have children that can help them survive one day to the next, not knowing that increasing population only makes resources like farmland and water even more scarce. Our foreign aid policies need to be improved in two ways. First, more should be spent on foreign aid, as the U.S. trails most of the developed world in this matter. Second, we should aid nations in ways that have longer lasting effects than just food and money hand-outs. Teaching populations about family planning and local development and infrastructure should be coupled with basic survival programs like food aid.
ReplyDeleteIt is projected that our population will peak at about 9.2 billion as standards of living in developing countries catch up to developed countries.
ReplyDeleteI think eventually this population level will make life on earth very difficult for humans, but not before we find another planet to inhabit.