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the affect of overpopulation on education
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In 2011, our world population reached a staggering 7 billion. Before then, our population was already concerned about limited resources and paranoia about the future. Many were and still are “going green.” Amongst coming to a population of 7 billion came the term overpopulation. The term basically speaks for itself, we might be over populated. But, is overpopulation a problem; if so, what can we do about it? Today, I will be presenting about overpopulation, including statistics, and the effects taken on the economy. Along with talking about the issue, I want to present to you possible solutions which may even take us back in history.
Overpopulation can be defined as the comparison of our population and the amount of resources used. We are overpopulated and have too many people for our amount of resources. “It seems we are running out of room on this planet of ours” (Flostro,1).
Our birth rates climb and we get bigger and bigger. We have our biggest issue, overpopulation. Many believe that expanding our areas and cities are the answer to any overcrowding issues. The more we expand the more natural resources we use. We are rapidly losing our natural resources (Flostro, 1).
On Earth our fresh water supply is disappearing. “There is more people consuming water, however, than being replaced” (Flostro, 1). Along with our fresh water disappearing so is our biodiversity. “As the population grows there is more demand for certain plants” (Flostro, 1). The damper on our biodiversity comes from the rapid demand for plants, trees, food, and crops. Landfills are also taking up lots of space and many communities are running out of room for their waste.
I decided to look into this theologically and read Kristen Johnston Largen’s article ti...
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...a major issue with balance and consumption. Solutions need to be taken into consideration. Whether it’s a defined law on population control, or simply having contraceptives readily available for those who can’t get access; something needs to be done. The solutions can be easy or hard but there is proof that their existence could work. We have options, now it’s time to do something about it.
Works Cited
Flostro. "Over-Population: The Most Serious Environmental Problem for Science." PlanetSave , July 2013. Web. 26 April 2014.
Kristof, Nicholas D. “The Birth Control Solution.” New York Times 2 Nov. 11 Web. 26 April 2014.
Largen, Kristen J. “The Theological Problem of Overpopulation.” Dialogue: A Journal of Theology 51.1(2012): 12-13. Web. 26 April 2014.
Xiaofei, Dang. “China Has Avoided Rampant Population Growth.” China Today 63.2 (2014): 24-26. Web. 26 April 2014.
Garret Hardin’s “Tragedy of the Commons” is an article that identifies the nation’s current problems and predicaments that can’t be resolved through the use of technical solutions. Hardin’s work heavily focuses on overpopulation, a prominent and unceasing issue that significantly distorts and affects the stability of the Earth and the abundance of the planet’s resources. In his article, he mentioned some reasonable and important solutions to overpopulation, but he also explained its downside and how the said solutions may not be ideal and practical. “Tragedy of the Commons” revealed that the human population will continue to flourish and how it will be greatly detrimental to our society unless individuals get the education that they need and
The worldwide population is approaching 7 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 (Baird). This projected population number is down from a once predicted 16 billion (Baird) and while some are not concerned, others are worried about any increase in population. Population growth is discussed in the articles “Too Many People?” by Vanessa Baird; “Population Control: How Can There Possibly Be Too Many of Us?” by Frank Furedi; and “The Population Bomb Revisited,” by Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich. Baird and Furedi concur that a concern for population growth has been around since mathematician Thomas Malthus, in 1798, warned that overpopulation could lead to “the collapse of society” (Furedi). Furedi claims that too much human life is being used as an excuse, by population control supporters, for the world’s current and future problems. Baird tries to discover if “the current panic over population growth is reasonable.” For Ehrlich and Ehrlich the concern over population growth is very real, and they reinforce and support their book “calling attention to the demographic element in the human predicament” (Ehrlich and Ehrlich 63). While taking different approaches to their articles, the authors offer their perspectives on population growth, population control and the environmental impacts of a growing population.
“We are burdensome to the world, the resources are scarcely adequate for us.” Tertullian, a philosopher from the third century had said this about our world when the population was mere 200 million. This statement can be taken two different ways. The first would be to think that our resources are limited and we need to be worried. The second would be to say people have been worried about overpopulation forever but everything seems to have worked out. There is no doubt that there are many people inhabiting this earth but the real question is if too many of us is a real threat to humanity.
In the 1940s, China viewed promoting a larger population as a positive improvement for political strength and to improve economic development. Consequently, in the mid-1950s, China realized it “hindered economic development.” They then concluded the government of China must regulate population control in order to solve a majority of their problems (Rile...
In 1994, the world population was 5 602 800 000. This population had a doubling time of only forty-one years (De Blij and Muller, 1994, p.527). The massive amount of people has had highly destructive impacts on the earth’s environment. These impacts occur on two levels: global and local. On the global level, there is the accumulation of green house gases that deplete the ozone layer, the extinction of species, and a global food shortage. On the local level, there is erosion of soils (and the loss of vegetation), the depletion of water supply, and toxification of the air and water. The earth is dynamic though, all of these aspects are interrelated, and no one impact is completely isolated. All of these destructive elements can be traced to our enormous population. As the population increases, so do all of the economic, social, and technological impacts.
In today’s society that we live in, there are countless of environmental problems that we face, such as global warming, fishing, pollution, and many other topics of that matter. These issues have affected our environment for the worse and have caused problems physically and economically. Yet, out of all the issues that effects our world on a daily basis, it is shown that overpopulation is one if not, is our biggest issue in our environment that is only getting worse due time, especially due to the rapid growth of the human population and the limited resources that are left on earth that we absolutely need to tend to our growing population. Even Dr. Charles A. Hall, who is a systems ecologist, states that, “Overpopulation is the only problem, If we had 100 million people on Earth or better yet 10 million, no others would be a problem.” Which helps prove that overpopulation is a major issue that we must act upon if we want to save our world.
In their book "The Population Explosion", Paul and Anne Ehrlich explain the problem of overpopulation could be solved with no change in the number of people, but by advencements of industrial production and changes in consumption, however difficult it might be (Avilés). According to the US Census Bureau, a total of 83 countries and territories are now thought to encounter below-replacement fertility (Eberstadt). Below-replacement fertility primarily means that the rate of people being born is less than the rate of people dying. Those places have nearly 2.7 billion people that are about 37% of the world population (Eberstadt). Global population growth is predicted to decelerate over the next generation. In fact, slightly fewer people will be born around the globe in the year 2025 than at any point over the last four decades (Eberstadt). A quantity-quality of correlation was discovered by Willis and Becker Lewis in 1973 discussing how the quantity and quality of children is related (Shah). They explained how the marginal cost of a child is higher the greater the cost is per child (Shah). On the other hand, the marginal cost of child quality is higher the more children there are. This pertains to why most poverty-stricken people who live in developed countries have much higher birth rates than higher-income people in more western countries because the impoverished parents tend to lean toward the quantity approach (Shah). Figure 2 demonstrates the quantity-quality tradeoff curve. The curve illustrates how as quantity increases past the maximum utility curve, the quality quickly decreases. This means when the people of developing countries begin to have increases in income, the quantity of children should decrease and birth rates should
The growing increase 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.
The human population has increased by 4.5 billion since the last sixty years (Engelman 1), this tremendous growth in the human population has startled numerous individuals. As a matter of fact, the biosphere’s population of humans is expected to grow additional, resulting in a total of nine billion by 2050 (Pearce 1). Some individuals may see this as a concern for the planet, whereas others assume that there are other more imperative hitches that humans should deal with. Although Erle C. Ellis agrees that overpopulation is not a problem for this planet, conversely, Fred Pearce and Joel Kotkin argue that there are other more vital problems to mend; unlike Ellis, Robert Engelman disagrees, proclaiming overpopulation
The world as we know it is slowly being depleted of its natural resources. Habitats are being destroyed, and wildlife animals are facing extinction, these are just a few of the effects of over population. Over population not only affects nature and the planet but the human way of life. Imagine a world where the water is polluted, the soil produces no crop and the air is so toxic that we can’t breathe; this is where the world is heading. Due to the fast growth of people, humanity itself faces great danger. There are solutions to over population such as Family planning and sexual education.
I am passionate about legislation and public discussion regarding women’s access to birth control. It is extremely important for the United States to protect women’s health. Considering that we are one of the most advanced countries in the world, it is important that we provide a major example in the protection of women’s health. The United States is falling behind 46 other nations that already provide free birth control to their citizens, even though we are the richest country in the world.
The size of population tends to exceed the environmental resources an area can sustain because of increased birth rate, lowered death rates and increased migrations. Consequently, the over populated world encounters global crisis such as global warming, depletion of natural resources, unemployment and slower economic development. A report from The Nation, talks of overpopulation in the world in the following manner.
"Overpopulation:." Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment and Society. N.p., 12 May 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .
Since the beginning of mankind, we have reached many great achievements. We have developed many technologies and theories to solve and explain many of our questions and to improve human life. Through our years of evolution, we have severely increased our own survivability. This has been a great achievement for us, but in the recent decade, overpopulation is becoming a great issue. In the recent years, the rapid increase in population growth has troubled many in the field of political sciences. Scientists like Ehrlich have calculated and expected our population to grow even faster if we do not act upon the increasing rate of population growth. The birth rate of our planet is increasing exponentially, meaning that the birth rate has surpassed the death rate and that the rate of growth will only increase if left alone. The politics of population is a debate that involves both the fields of sciences and moral and ethical considerations. Science may provide an insight of
Overpopulation is a growing problem all over the world. This is a very important environmental issue and needs to be dealt with. This environmental problem is affecting many countries in the world, but mostly the poor and impoverished countries that don’t have the resources to help deal with these issues. It also affects the environment like plants animal life and air quality. When the population of people expands we need more natural resources from the environment, so we consume more then we can produce. This leads to the lack of resources in many areas. When expanding we create a lot of pollution in the air, water, and land. The pollution affects many humans health. Overpopulation is doing more harm than any other environmental issue. Overpopulation also causes many of the other issues we are dealing with. This is very dangerous to not only us humans but the planet. Even though many wealthy countries are not affected by this overpopulation, I feel like they should help the cause. There is always two sides to an issue like this. Some people don’t think that overpopulation is a big problem and the ones who say it is an issue that needs to be dealt with.