The Concerns Regard to the Population - Research Paper Example

Population Concerns Teacher               Population Concerns It is a fact that “life would be easier if we didn’t have the kind of population growth rates that we have at the moment” (as cited in Taylor, 2013). According to information from the World Bank, everyday there are 200,000 more people born in the world, and that within the next 35 years, it is expected that the world would have had 2.5 billion people more, thus making the population around 8.5 to 9 billion (Population Growth Rate, 2013). There are consequences to overpopulation. These consequences may either be scarcity of resources and environmental degradation. According to the pilot issue of Horizon: Future Issues for Development, in an article entitled “Population Growth, Environment and Food Security: What Does the Future Hold?,” human population growth is “the most significant cause” of many of the problems that the world faces like climate change, poverty and scarcity of food resources. By around 2050, the growth of the world’s population will be by 2.7 billion thus resulting in an estimated total of 9 billion people by that time (Collodi & McCormack, 2009). This significant increase in the human population will definitely outrun the supply of natural resources and will definitely force man to exploit the natural environment for the sake of survival. In the table below from the United Nations Population Fund, one can see that the projected population of the world by 2050 is either 7 billion still, or 10.5 billion as the upper limit, or ideally at 9 billion. Table 1. World Population Growth, Actual and Projected, 1950-2050 (http://www.unfpa.org/6billion/pages/worldpopgrowth.htm) One of the problems caused by overpopulation that will most likely affect the world on a global scale is environmental degradation. The overwhelming growth in population is expected to lead to unsustainable demands on the environment as well as natural resources. There is also a consequent production of hazardous waste and an intensified level of urbanization, both of which are expected to contribute to the degradation of the environment. There is also climate change due to the increase in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by around 52% by 2050. Aside from this, water is expected to be scarce, and that 90% of freshwater supply will be gone even by 2030. Moreover, there is also an expected doubling of the demands for energy all over the world even 20 years from now. There is also a considerable loss of biodiversity, destruction of many ecosystems, and renewable environmental resources because of excessive draining of wetlands, clearing of forests and expansion of infrastructure (Collodi & McCormack, 2009). Another global problem that overpopulation will bring is the lack of food resources. The food shortage or food security problem is not just about the lack of food resources for a massively growing population but also for the lack of investment in the production of cereals and the establishment of fisheries. Although there is a 50% increase in the current production of food in 2013, there is a possibility that there is a decrease in food production by 2050 due to the effects of land degradation, losses of crop and cropland due to non-food production, the scarcity of water, urban expansion and other factors that destroy every chance to produce more food (Collodi & McCormack, 2009). The issue of food shortage vis-à-vis a rapidly growing population was once echoed by American biologist Paul Ehrlich, who is also the author of the 1968 bestseller The Population Bomb. According to Ehrlich, “…human beings are smart, and picked the low-hanging fruit first; thus each added individual, on average, must now be fed from more marginal land, supplied with water from more distant or more polluted sources” (as cited in Eng, 2011). Indeed, this world does not need a Paul Ehrlich to exactly say that a huge population leads to the competition for high-quality resources and thus leads to the consumption of substandard ones in the process. Even at the level of the nuclear family, where the family is considered a microcosm, one realizes that the addition of even just one child will definitely not only reduce the food allocation of one member and the parents will therefore have to sacrifice quality if they buy a greater quantity of food at the same cost. Another insight about the food problem is that it is actually not caused by merely a competition for resources due to an increase in the size of the population. Actually, the food shortage problem is something that is due to the fact that as the population rise, incomes also rise, thus resulting in greater purchases of food and naturally, greater consumption as well. In fact, the logic is very simple: more people, more money, more consumption, but the same planet,” and it just does not work (Afp, 2011). The changes that should be done must therefore be on the methods of food production, since it is a fact that the increase in population and the corresponding increase in incomes are basically hard to control. Nevertheless, the solution to the food security problem is the regulation of the prices of commodities and larger cereal stocks. Another is to shift to the use of biofuel based on waste. This is usually done by removing subsidies intended for the first generation biofuels. A third solution is the promotion of climate-friendly systems of agricultural production and policies for the use of land. Agricultural production systems that are climate-friendly will not experience stress during unprecedented shifts in climate and will therefore be able to continue providing food supply efficiently without much operational costs. Another solution to this is to minimize the loss of food energy used during harvest, processing and consumption of raw food materials. One last solution to the food security problem is recycling because even replacing cereal with fish discards as animal feed could possibly free up food energy that could be used to feed over 3 billion people (Collodi & McCormack, 2009). Moreover, according to Alfred Spector, Google Vice-President for Research, another problem that is brought about by an overwhelming growth in population is the restricted access to information technology and education. The problem is not necessarily a shortage of resources but the lack of resources to educate everyone with regards to information technology, thus what results from overpopulation is a large population who is ignorant of technology (as cited in Eng, 2011). Moreover, poverty, unemployment and the consequent competition for natural and man-made resources may also lead to the lack of education of a majority of the population who are financially below average. The solution to this, however, could be the decreasing costs of gadgets and thus their increasing availability. Through relatively less expensive gadgets, even a low-income consumer may be able to avail of a cell phone unit. This can be a good chance to become educated in terms of technology. Moreover, according to Eng (2011), another problem caused by overpopulation is the violation of women’s rights and an increase in the incidence of gender inequality. The fact that the population is increasing is rather a symptom of another social ill, which is the lack of consideration for women and the act of regarding them as mere producers of children. The powerlessness of women and their low social status may in fact be one of the factors that lead to overpopulation. Moreover, in several parts of the world, girls and women are considered second-class citizens and thus are taken out of school early and cannot complain to their husbands about having too many children. The solution to this social problem is rather obvious – the support of programs that promote positive attitudes towards women. When change is gradual and not forced, eventually the deeply ingrained prejudice against women will most likely improve. According to Hays (2008), another problem brought about by overpopulation is an increase in unemployment and underemployment. As often as there is a competition for resources, there is also a competition for employment opportunities. The immediate result of this could then be poverty and the consequent desire to compete with those who have more, thus resulting in either crime or the illegal use of natural and man-made resources. Lack of space is another problem (Kanter, 2007). According to Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, the demand for resources at present is almost 22 hectares for each person. However, the sustainable limits are only presently 15 to 16 hectares, and considering that some people naturally have more lands and resources than others, there is therefore an overwhelming shortage of space even now. It will therefore be definitely worse by 2050. Moreover, according to Roger Martin, chairman of Optimum Population Trust, “Space and resources on this planet are finite, so we know that growth will end one day because it cannot go one forever” (as cited in Taylor, 2013). The immediate result will be famine, disease and war as well as an increase in poverty, considering that those countries most affected by lack of space are the poorest (as cited in Taylor, 2013). Space is definitely a problem and it definitely compounds other problems brought about by overpopulation. The five nations in the world with the biggest population in 2050, as predicated by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Population Division, are the following: India (1,528,853,000), China (1,477,730,000), the USA (349,318,000), Pakistan (345,484,000) and Indonesia (311,857,000). They are closely followed by Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Congo, which are mostly African countries (The twenty most populous countries in 2050, 2013). The other countries in the top twenty list are found in the table below: 2050 Rank Country Population (in 1,000) Percentage of world total 1 India 1,528,853 17.2% 2 China 1,477,730 16.6% 3 United States of America 349,318 3.9% 4 Pakistan 345,484 3.9% 5 Indonesia 311,857 3.5% 6 Nigeria 244,311 2.7% 7 Brazil 244,230 2.7% 8 Bangladesh 212,495 2.4% 9 Ethiopia 169,446 1.9% 10 Dem. Republic of the Congo 160,360 1.8% 11 Mexico 146,645 1.6% 12 Philippines 130,893 1.5% 13 Viet Nam 126,793 1.4% 14 Russian Federation 121,256 1.4% 15 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 114,947 1.3% 16 Egypt 114,844 1.3% 17 Japan 104,921 1.2% 18 Turkey 100,664 1.1% 19 United Rep. of Tanzania 80,584 0.9% 20 Thailand 74,188 0.8% World total 8,909,095 100.0% The environmental problems brought about by overpopulation are also numerous. According to a March 2012 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, by 2050, the population of people on Earth is expected to increase from 7 billion now to around 9 billion, resulting in a “growing demand for energy and natural resources” (Kitamori, 2012). This means that although GDP growth rates are expected to slow down in countries with the largest populations namely China and India due to the aging of a significant portion of it, Africa will have the highest growth rate in the world as well as other countries with a young population. Moreover, by the year 2050, “Nearly 70% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050,” thus aggravating already existing problems, namely air pollution, waste management, and transport congestion (Kitamori, 2012). This means that the population of the world by the year 2050 is perhaps expected to use more vehicles fueled by gas, and perhaps expected to produce more solid wastes. These things are inevitable and unavoidable. These consequences are also brought about by higher standards of living, higher levels of consumption, and the increasing consumption of synthetic, non-biodegradable products. Another environmental concern brought about by the enlargement of the population by the year 2050 is the inevitable increase in the use of fossil fuels especially by emerging economies of the world like Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, China, India and South Africa. These countries become major energy users because their population is not only growing but also needing more complex dietary preferences and higher levels of technology for entertainment preferences (Kitamori, 2012). Still, another environmental concern is the “continued degradation and erosion of natural environmental capital” most likely accompanied by irreversible changes (Kitamori, 2012). This means that some cases of erosion and land degradation are inevitable and should remain without any solution. The lack of changes, however, may be brought about either by actual destructive environmental practices or just ineffective government laws for the protection of the environment, or the inefficient implementation of these laws. Nevertheless, regardless of the efforts of the environment when it comes to implementing these laws and despite the effectiveness of these laws, there is perhaps a certain point in the growth of a country’s population where it becomes unmanageable. A fourth environmental concern as brought about by an increase in the population by 2050 is a “more disruptive climate change” brought about by the increase of global greenhouse gas, or GHG, by 50%, which is primarily due to the 70% increase in emissions related to energy consumption of coal, oil and petroleum by 2050 (Kitamori, 2012). Once more, this will depend on two things: the actual amount of destructive chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs that people consume and the effective implementation of laws that protect the environment. Failure in either of these will most likely result in the predicted outcome as presented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Moreover, if population were to continue growing by the year 2050, which is most likely anyhow, “Biodiversity loss is projected to continue” especially in Asia, Europe and the southern part of Africa at an estimated cost of “between USD 2 and 5 trillion per year” (Kitamori, 2012). Moreover, terrestrial biodiversity, which serves as an indicator of the stability of a natural ecosystem, is expected to decrease by 10% by the year 2050. Mature forests too, which are a source of diverse forms of life, are expected to shrink by 13%. Other pressures on biodiversity which reduces it include the conversion of the land to agricultural areas, the expansion of commercial forestry, the development of infrastructure, human encroachment and fragmentation of the natural environment where animals and plants live, and naturally, pollution and climate change. In fact, “Climate change is projected to become the fastest growing driver of diversity loss by 2050” (Kitamori, 2012). Thus, the implementation of effective laws concerning climate change may actually be instrumental in preserving biodiversity. Also, by 2050, the availability of freshwater will be further strained in a number of regions, with a projected 2.3 billion or more people experiencing water stress, particularly in North and South Africa, plus South and Central Asia. The main cause of freshwater becoming less available is threefold: the growing demand of the manufacturers and factories, increasing by 400%; thermal electricity generation increasing by 140%, and domestic use of freshwater with up to 130% increase. Moreover, in some regions, eutrophication and damage to the aquatic biodiversity will most likely result if there is continuing nutrient pollution coming from urban wastewater and agriculture (Kitamori, 2012). Furthermore, the harm that the increase in population will most likely bring to freshwater resources translates as the eventual destruction of all businesses concerning fish and other products from the sea. Lastly, one last concern is the prediction that “air pollution [will] become the world’s top environmental cause of premature mortality” (Kitamori, 2012). According to the OECD report, the concentrations of air pollution in some Asian cities have already exceeded the safe levels set by the World Health Organization. In 2050, the prediction is that the number of deaths due to exposure to particulate matter will double at 3.6 million a year globally (Kitamori, 2012). Considering that overpopulation indeed causes environmental degradation, steps should be taken to remedy its negative consequences. Nevertheless, the most important thing to remember and the one thing that should serve as a rationale for everything that should be done to alleviate overpopulation is that “acting now makes environmental and economic sense” (Kitamori, 2012). This means that the best time to start implementing changes that will help improve the environment is as early as possible. However, since the root cause of environmental degradation is overpopulation, then it is the overpopulation issue that should be dealt with, not the environmental concerns. One measure proposed by McDougall (2010) is that everyone should be given access to family planning and reproductive health services, based on the moral framework of sex education. The introduction of a wide choice of contraceptives should therefore be considered an essential step in helping to reduce population growth. In fact, 200 million women in the world and who are in a sexual relationship have limited choices when it comes to contraceptives. Moreover, the fact that every minute of the world 190 out of the 380 who get pregnant did not intend to do so somehow implies the urgency of taking these measures against overpopulation. Condoms and pills as well as other types of contraceptives can do something in order to reduce population growth (McDougall, 2010). Another measure that should be taken is to make everyone aware of the necessary connection between environmental sustainability and population growth (McDougall, 2010). This is not necessarily to create fear in someone in order to become more responsible for the environment, but if the result is fear, then this hopefully becomes a useful motivation. The point of this step is that while efforts at reducing population through contraceptives may or may not succeed, at least the world can benefit even from a huge population that is responsible towards the environment. Another scare tactic that may be employed by governments of the world in order to possibly reduce population growth is emphasizing the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS as well as other extremely harmful chronic and acute sexual diseases (McDougall, 2010). Although scare tactics may cause some degree of psychological harm on someone, the benefits that may ensue from such a fear will definitely be useful in reducing population growth. As for nation states, they can definitely formulate population policies that are environmental sustainable. Such is the case of 75 countries in world with an official policy to reduce fertility. However, some countries that have decided not to reduce their national fertility levels anymore, and these countries include China, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Venezuela, and many more (McDougall, 2010). The problem now is that because of the irrational fear of some countries’ governments that their population is dying out, these countries have opted out of the goal of reducing fertility. Thus, the efforts of many countries as well as all other efforts of responsible people to reduce population growth will simply be cancelled out by the growing populations of those countries who foolishly believe that there should always be more people. Personally, I believe that the a priori principle is to protect the environment in order to sustain people’s lives, not in order to help maintain the population or to even make it bigger. Certain countries and even religious groups would consider this as something detrimental to the development of the human race. There governments would even rationalize their decision to opt out of a family planning program by fallaciously justifying that “family planning programs will eventually result in fewer children and therefore in the extinction of the human race, so if all people in the world disappeared, would a clean and sustainable environment suffice?” Nevertheless, this slippery slope fallacy about is not only unrealistic but also unbelievable. The world will always have human beings and will never run out of these. Indeed, the world will suffer from so many problems if there is an increase in population that will outrun the natural resources as well as space. The environment will also experience so many problems like climate change, air pollution and loss of freshwater as long as the population continues to increase. Nevertheless, there is still hope. Among the solutions presented by the United Nations and concerned groups include the introduction of more options for contraception, the development of better ways to produce food, and various efforts to establish laws that will limit births. Considering that these measures are not perfect and are not a guarantee that they will reduce the population growth rate, it is important that each citizen should at least be responsible for himself and his own resources. References Afp (2011). Earth Could be ‘Unrecognizable’ by 2050. Retrieved from Discovery: http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/earth-unrecognizable-2050-resources-110220.htm Collodi, J. & McCormack, F. (2009). Population Growth, Environment and Food Security: What Does the Future Hold?. Retrieved from Horizon: http://www.eldis.org/vfile/upload/1/document/0908/Horizon_Briefing_August2.pdf Eng, J. (2011). Seven big problems for 7 billion people. Retrieved from NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44990504/ns/us_news-life/ Hays, S. (2008). World Population and Population Issues in the Developing World. Retrieved from Facts and Details: http://factsanddetails.com/world.php?itemid=2179&catid=57&subcatid=379 Kanter, J. (2007). UN issues ‘final wake-up call’ on population and environment. Retrieved from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/world/europe/25iht-environ.4.8056185.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Kitamori, K. (2012). OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction. Retrieved from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: http://www.oecd.org/env/indicators-modelling-outlooks/49846090.pdf McDougall, R. (2010). Too many people: Earth’s population problem. Retrieved from Optimum Population Trust. Retrieved from Optimum Population Trust: http://www.populationmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/population_problem.pdf Population Growth Rate. (2013). Retrieved from The World Bank Group: http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/modules/social/pgr/index.html Taylor, I. (2013). Population Overload. Retrieved from Science Focus: http://sciencefocus.com/feature/environment/population-overload The twenty most populous countries in 2050. (2013). Retrieved from the United Nations Organization: http://www.un.org/esa/population/pubsarchive/india/20most.htm#2050 Read More