Overpopulation’s Effect on Environment

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In today’s society there are many economic problems, such as pollution, global warming, and overpopulation. These problems have taken a toll on the environment, and its resources. Although all of these issues have an impact on our society, overpopulation stands to have the greatest impact on our environment, due to the large masses of people and the limited resources. There are many solutions to this problem but the common factor is the human race. The human race has to put controls in place and take care of the environment, so the required resources do not become extinct.

What causes Overpopulation?

Overpopulation is excessive human population in an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources and environmental deterioration (Dictionary.com, 2009). Right now there is estimated to be 6.765 billion people in the world. Based on several causes of overpopulation this number is expected to increase to 8.9 billion by 2050. These four causes are the decline in death, the rise in birth rate, migration and lack of education. The death rate is low because science has created ways to prolong life for people so they live past eighty-five. With the new discoveries in nutritional science there is a huge rise in the birth rate. With the increased births people migrate to places with enough resources to provide for their families. One of the other causes of overpopulation is illiteracy. Many lacking education do not understand the harmful effects of overpopulation and thus do not take family planning measures. (buzzle.com, 2009)

This increase will be seen mostly in undeveloped countries like Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda, because these countries have the highest birth rate in the wor...

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...s not our basic food and clothing existence which is causing the unsustainability problem - its our understandable desire to increase quality of life through a higher standard of living (air conditioning, a car, big house, lawn, more meat, lots of clothes, vacations, movies, smooth roads, and so forth).

The human population has to limit its resources, decrease waste by recycling and decrease the birth rate. The planet is worth it for generations to come. We need to continue to improve resource efficiency and pollution control so that standards of living can rise without negative impact and keep human population to numbers that are sustainable.

http://www.booksaboutthefuture.com/problems-of-overpopulation.htm

Tribes of the Orange Sun, problems of overpopulation

http://www.associatedcontent.com

The Problem of Over-Population

November 30, 2007 by Birdie

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