Impact of Population Explosion on Environment

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    Impact of Population Explosion on Environment

    Introduction

    Approximately 6.6 billion humans now inhabit the Earth. Notably, the human populationhas grown nearly ten-fold over the past three centuries and has increased by a factor of

    four in the last century. This monumental historical development has profoundly changed

    the relationship of our species to its natural support systems and has greatly intensified

    our environmental impact.

    Population Explosion is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying

    capacity of its habitat. The worlds population has significantly increased in the last 50

    years, mainly due to medical advancements and substantial increases in agricultural

    productivity.

    The recent rapid increase in human population over the past two centuries has raised

    concerns that humans are beginning to overpopulate the Earth, and that the planet may

    not be able to sustain present or larger numbers of inhabitants.

    The scientific consensus is that the current population expansion and accompanying

    increase in usage of resources is linked to threats to the ecosystem. Many environmental

    problems, such as rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, global warming, and

    pollution, were aggravated by the population expansion.

    The world is at its highest population ever.

    The rate of growth is more than 75% higher in less developed countries than that

    of more developed countries.

    Our average life span is higher than that of our ancestors.

    The number of young people is at an all-time high.

    The population has a great impact on our environment, economic development,

    health issues and more.

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    Each of our lives is tied to the Earth and the resources it provides us. The water (and

    other beverages) you drink, the food you eat, the air you breathe, energy powering our

    homes and schools, gas for cars and school buses - it's all part of nature's resources. Now

    let's think about the numbers. We're at our highest population ever and growing. We're

    living longer than ever before. The number of people under the age of 25 is at an all-time

    high. This all adds up to more and more people on Earth, using the resources it has to

    offer.

    People are living without running water. Others are living without access to safe drinking

    water. And not all of these people are living in less developed countries. Imagine walking

    several miles to collect water for your family, only to become ill from it. Water supplies

    are often contaminated. In fact, millions die each year because of contaminated water.

    People living in developed countries like ours use resources much faster than we can

    replenish them. Think about deforestation, water shortages, and water and air pollution.

    Every time we build a new neighborhood or a new shopping center -- that has an impact.

    While it is providing needed shelter and access to foodstuffs and other materials, it's also

    taking its toll on the local environment. And this toll has a larger affect, worldwide. As

    we deplete our resources here in the United States, we look to other countries and their

    lands for more resources.

    Effects of human overpopulation

    Some problems associated with or exacerbated by human overpopulation:

    Inadequate fresh water for drinking water use as well as sewage treatment and effluent

    discharge.

    Depletion of natural resources, especially fossil fuels

    Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and noise

    pollution. Once a country has industrialized and become wealthy, a combination of

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    government regulation and technological innovation causes pollution to decline

    substantially, even as the population continues to grow.

    Deforestation and loss of ecosystems that sustain global atmospheric oxygen and carbon

    dioxide balance; about eight million hectares of forest are lost each year.

    Changes in atmospheric composition and consequent global warming

    Irreversible loss of arable land and increases in desertification: Deforestation and

    desertification can be reversed by adopting property rights, and this policy is successful

    even while the human population continues to grow.

    Mass species extinctions from reduced habitat in tropical forests due to slash-and-burntechniques that sometimes are practiced by shifting cultivators, especially in countries

    with rapidly expanding rural populations; present extinction rates may be as high as

    140,000 species lost per year.

    High infant and child mortality. High rates of infant mortality are caused by poverty.

    Rich countries with high population densities have low rates of infant mortality.

    Intensive factory farming to support large populations. It results in human threatsincluding the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria diseases, excessive air

    and water pollution, and new virus that infect humans.

    Increased chance of the emergence of new epidemics and pandemics For many

    environmental and social reasons, including overcrowded living conditions, malnutrition

    and inadequate, inaccessible, or non-existent health care, the poor are more likely to be

    exposed to infectious diseases.

    Starvation, malnutrition or poor diet with ill health and diet-deficiency diseases (e.g.

    rickets). However, rich countries with high population densities do not have famine.[185]

    Poverty coupled with inflation in some regions and a resulting low level of capital

    formation. Poverty and inflation are aggravated by bad government and bad economic

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    policies. Many countries with high population densities have eliminated absolute poverty

    and keep their inflation rates very low.

    Low life expectancy in countries with fastest growing populations

    Unhygienic living conditions for many based upon water resource depletion, discharge

    of raw sewage and solid waste disposal.

    Elevated crime rate due to drug cartels and increased theft by people stealing resources

    to survive

    Conflict over scarce resources and crowding, leading to increased levels of warfare

    Less Personal Freedom / More Restrictive Laws. Laws regulate interactions between

    humans. Law "serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people." The

    higher the population density, the more frequent such interactions become, and thus there

    develops a need for more laws and/or more restrictive laws to regulate these interactions.

    Population explosion and growing needs

    A jump in the number of vehicles and their increased use causes traffic jams and puts

    pressure on the transport system. The time taken to reach from one place to the other

    varies in a day due to these traffic jams.

    Ttrees are ruthlessly cut down either o increase the road size or to build hoses.

    Shortage of water is leading to the depending of bore wells exhausting our groundwater

    resources.

    Similarly, the living areas (which are called the habitats) of different living species get

    affected as human population increases alarmingly. This is because growing population

    has growing needs; needs of food, housing, clothing, other social and economic needs

    and so on. You will notice that while the density of population living in an area is on the

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    rise, there is no increase in open space. It is in this context that the cities and villages are

    extending beyond their known borders to accommodate the growing population.

    Family income and size

    The sizes of families with low levels of income differ greatly from those with levels of

    income. In earlier times, the poor considered more number of children as an insurance

    against death. The rich thought that any children would mean more visions of property,

    which would bring down the average income. So, they had smaller families.

    Growth in learning

    The number of children of school and collage gong ages has increased ten-fold in thelast few decades, requiring establishment of many more schools and collages.

    As the number of students increasing in a school or collage more classrooms are needed.

    This leaves no places for other amenities like playgrounds, urinals and lavatories.

    Geometric growth in population has pushed our country into population explosion

    leading to number of serious consequences. Some of them are:

    Decreased availability of food and clothing.

    Decreased per capita food availability despite phenomenal increase in their

    production.

    Decreased per capita GMP and reduced standard of living due to ever increasing

    population.

    Increased pressure on resources like land, water, natural forests, animals etc.

    leading to many far reaching effects like

    o Fragmentation of land below the economic level.

    o Acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water.

    o Denudation of forest (Deforestation) to increase the area under agriculture.

    o Pollution of water, land, food materials etc.

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    Urbanistaion beyond a healthy developmental limit as more rural people shift to

    towns / cities in search of better work / earning. Urbanization has led to may

    problems such as

    o Increased housing problems in cities / towns.

    o Very high vehicular movement in cities / towns leading to accidents,

    pollution, etc.

    o Serious problem connected to vast urban waste generation and its disposal.

    o Serious drinking water shortages.

    o Unending demands for civic amenities like roads, transport, markets, etc.

    Unemployment problems of serious dimension both in urban and rural areas

    leading to reduced per capita earning, poverty, etc.

    Hunger deaths - because of reduced per capita food availability and poor

    distribution of food.

    Acute shortage of medical facilities including qualified doctors, medicines,

    dispensaries, modern health care facilities etc - due to high population.

    Shortage of education facilities including schools, colleges, qualified teachers.

    Serious shortage of power and problems connected with its distribution.

    Increased inflation. Increased borrowings from international organisations.

    Reduced care of young ones leading to increased child health problems as well as

    vulnerability of children to many diseases.

    Reduced health care to mothers.

    Difficulties encountered in implementation of all national and state developmental

    programmes.

    Increased government expenditure.

    Increased density of population.

    In India, the over population has engulfed almost all our achievements in industrial

    growth, agricultural production, supporting services like medical care, housing, transport,

    education, banking etc. It has put serious pressures on every sector of our economy and

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    every section of society. Almost all our national problems can be traced back to have

    their roots in overgrowing population.

    At global level, China and India are facing overpopulation issues of highest magnitude.

    But rate of growth of population has reduced in China substantially in recent years. In

    India, the rate of growth of population has reduced in some states - while in others it is

    yet to be reduced. However, rate of growth may not be the only yard stick to evaluate

    overpopulation. Total available population and density of population are important

    features to decide whether rate of increase in population really affects the country's

    progress. For E.g., in many African countries like Madagascar, Mozambique, Somalia,

    Zambia, Angola, Chad, Gabon, Botswana, Namibia, the growth rate is double than that in

    India.

    Population Pressure: The force exerted by a growing population upon its environment,

    resulting in dispersal or reduction of the population.

    The major impact of human population on the environment is that more and more land

    must be converted to agricultural purposes. This severely limits the habitat and food

    sources available to animals, and any "weeds" (native plants) are often kept out of

    agricultural fields with chemical herbicides. Cities and roads usually entail paving overotherwise arable land, too.

    Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge: As the century begins,

    natural resources are under increasing pressure, threatening public health and

    development. Water shortages, soil exhaustion, loss of forests, air and water pollution,

    and degradation of coastlines afflict many areas. As the worlds population grows,

    improving living standards without destroying the environment is a global challenge.

    Most developed economies currently consume resources much faster than they can

    regenerate. Most developing countries with rapid population growth face the urgent need

    to improve living standards. As we humans exploit nature to meet present needs, are we

    destroying resources needed for the future?.

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    Forests:Nearly half of the worlds original forest cover has been lost, and each year

    another 16 million hectares are cut, bulldozed, or burned. Forests provide over US$400

    billion to the world economy annually and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems.

    Yet, current demand for forest products may exceed the limit of sustainable consumption

    by 25%.

    Food supply: Will there be enough food to go around? In 64 of 105 developing countries

    studied by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the population has been growing

    faster than food supplies. Population pressures have degraded some 2 billion hectares of

    arable land an area the size of Canada and the U.S.

    Biodiversity: The earths biological diversity is crucial to the continued vitality of

    agriculture and medicine and perhaps even to life on earth itself. Yet human activities

    are pushing many thousands of plant and animal species into extinction. Two of every

    three species is estimated to be in decline.

    Global climate change: The earths surface is warming due to greenhouse gas

    emissions, largely from burning fossil fuels. If the global temperature rises as projected,

    sea levels would rise by several meters, causing widespread flooding. Global warming

    also could cause droughts and disrupt agriculture.

    Conclusion: If every country made a commitment to population stabilization and

    resource conservation, the world would be better able to meet the challenges of

    sustainable development. Practicing sustainable development requires a combination of

    wise public investment, effective natural resource management, cleaner agricultural and

    industrial technologies, less pollution, and slower population growth.

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