Population Overpopulation Essay

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With Australia’s population rapidly nearing 23.5 million people, the issue of sustainability and the number of people Australia can allow to live comfortably without significant damage to the surrounding environment is extremely important. The misconception that Australia is underpopulated with plenty of room to accommodate the worlds rising population is widespread. With the majority of Australian land being arid and inhospitable, finding available land and resources to accommodate a rising population is placing a huge amount of pressure on the Australian environment. Australia’s population growth consists of two main components; births minus deaths and net migration. While Australia’s birth rate sits at 1.9, lower than the 2.1 needed to replace our aging population, our expanding population comes from overseas migration accounting for around 60 per cent of our growth (Department of Immigration and Border Protection). Currently the total migration rate is set at 210,000 people per year making Australia’s population quickly on the rise. This poses an important discussion regarding the impacts of such a rise and if there is a specific number that constitutes a sustainable Australia regarding population. The issues that may come to pass as a result of overpopulation are great and varied. These include and are not limited to; resource shortages, social conflict, overcrowding, pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss and a lowering in national health standards. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has put forward arguments opposing a rising population due to the predicted environmental damage we would face as an outcome. A few of the main problems associated with an unconstrained population are outlined in this essay.
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I believe the push for a ‘big Australia’ is perpetuated by large companies and wealthy capitalists with their own interests at heart and are the only people to benefit from a rapidly rising population. I do not believe that a higher population rate equals a beneficial economic growth because of the various costs associated with having such a rapid growth. As well as issues outlined previously other impacts include a higher crime rate, decreased open space impacting on mental health and social tensions and environmental disaster cleanup costs. Balancing Australia’s population size with renewable resources is the only way to ensure the survival of a healthy ecosystem and a having a good quality of life within our communities. By raising the number for refugee and humanitarian placements, Australia would be fulfilling moral obligations and remain a diverse nation.

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