The Weight of the World: Overpoluation on Planet Earth

888 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Overpopulation and environment

According to the World census, as of 2012 there are seven billion people on planet Earth. Currently the weight of the population is relatively close to 300 million tons. All seven billion are contributing to an ever evolving world such as: technologically, medically, socially, and economically. Unfortunately having such luxuries at our fingertips it is only natural to take things like electricity and even water for granted, we are not looking at what will happen in the long run as a result of everyone using these things at their own personal leeway. In some places birth rates are very high as it is in Africa, which has the highest birth rates in the world, mostly due to lack of family planning knowledge and safe sex awareness. Interestingly, the growth from six to seven billion people things have actually slowed a bit, but that doesn't mean they won't pick back up again maybe very soon. And with that fact some argue that overpopulation and over depletion of natural resources won't be a big issue in the future. But the bigger question we seem to be facing is whether or not humanity really wants to risk this issue based on the few reporters and scientist that say so? In order to be successful we are going have to take various precautions and steps in order to preserve our natural resources we rely on such as incentives or rewards to families to keep our population from spiraling to a number that we can't control or sustain.
The needed number of children women need to have in order to sustain a reasonable and manageable population is 2.1 live births per woman. Currently, there are many countries including the U.S, that exceed that level of sustainability. On the contrary in many European countries the birth rate is declining. Rese...

... middle of paper ...

...on which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

Works Cited

Jowit, Juliette. "World Is Facing a Natural Resources Crisis Worse than Financial Crunch." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 02 May 2014.

Scheer, Roddy, and Doug Moss. "Oh, the Humanity: Is the Threat of Overpopulation Still a Big Deal?" Scientific American Global RSS. The Environmental Magazine, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 May 2014.

Wise, Jeff. "Forget Overcrowding. The World Population Could Start Declining." Slate Magazine. Future Tense, 9 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 May 2014.

Mason, Melinda. "Oh, the Humanity: Is the Threat of Overpopulation Still a Big Deal?" Scientific American Global RSS. Earth Talk, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 May 2014.

Dems, Kristina. "The Loss of Natural Resources Issue & Impact of Human Activities." Bright Hub. Bright Hub Media, 18 Apr. 210. Web. 22 May 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Veldt And There Will Come Soft Rains

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the past 50 years, life expectancy has increased tenfold. Technology has allowed people to live longer, stay healthier, and be able to reproduce; we are looking towards and currently in and overpopulation. Also, the standards of living in third world countries are increasing. People are becoming wealthier and having much more children. By 2050, at the rate at which we are growing, there will be approximately 10 billion people living on earth. Also at the rate of resource consumption, there will not be enough food for everyone. With fresh water already being scarce, there would be a shortage. Most bodies of water will be polluted and certain countries will become dictators. There could be a war just because resources are limited; do you think humanity is ready for

    Read More

  • Too Many People? by Vanessa Baird

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Brazil And China's One Child Policy

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    The growing human population, if not stabilized, will create a strain on the natural resources. Many countries realize this and have been making changes to family planning. Two of the more notable countries are Brazil and China. China has been know to have a controversial and straightforward policy responding to this problem. Chinese law prohibited families from having more than one child. In contrast, Brazil has no official government policies concerning family planning yet still sees a stabilized population as a result of various improved social programs. In the long run, both were effective in eventually controlling population growth, but at what cost?

    Read More

  • Is Limiting the Population Growth a Key Factor in Protecting the Global Environment?

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Owens, James (nd). Is Limiting the Population Growth a key Factor in Protecting the Global Environment.

    Read More

  • Population Growth Case Study

    3418 Words  | 7 Pages

    Educating the public about the importance of family planning is essential to reduce rapidly increasing birth rates. Human demographics have a profound effect on the population dynamics in both developed and developing nations. In more developed nations, there are significantly lower birth and death rates (Schneider). This would mean that the labor force of these nations is greatly limited. There is a risk of a bigger percentage of the elderly compared to the young generation. A higher older population undermines productivity, thereby inhibiting economic growth. In less developed nations, birth and death rates are high. Their economies struggle to maintain this high population. There is over-reliance on foreign aid. Labor is often transferred to the developed nations. The future of these nations is quite unpredictable (Das

    Read More

  • Environmental Movements in the United States

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Necessity of Conserving Our Resources." Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Population Control: Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world’s population is rising rapidly from seven billion to the estimated nine billion in 2050 (Ellis, Overpopulation is Not the Problem). Every human being adds stress to the Earth’s resources. Numerous places like Africa and China maintain a copious amount starvation and poverty. There are days when people go without food, water, or shelter. There is even such happening in the United States. In such places, it is difficult to find contraception, or birth control, which leads to unplanned pregnancies. These situations are rooted down to overpopulation, which is when there are too many humans. However, there is a multitude of ways to reverse such negative effects. Population control is a necessary act that will benefit the world through sparing natural resources, decreasing famine, and controlling unplanned pregnancies. A worldwide effort would have to take effect in order for a successful future.

    Read More

  • Atrocities Associated with the Eugenics Movement

    1243 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among the fears of many environmentalists is that of overpopulation. Acutely aware of the finite resources that the planet possesses and the limitations of renewable resources, there are concerns that the planet may soon reach its maximum caring capacity. Since the First Great Transition ten thousand years ago, the planet has experienced an astounding increase in population. Generations later, the planet is beginning to feel the effects of continual population expansion. Over the years, numerous methods have been proposed or adopted to ensure that the Earth will not exhaust its resources. One of the most frightening adapted solutions was the eugenics movement.

    Read More

  • Essay On Childlessness

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many scientist and specifically sociologists are concerned with the population on planet Earth. Many couples today are choosing not to have children. This choice does not just effect the couples personally, however it effects the whole country's demographic. The increase in childlessness among couples generates economic and social problems. Many countries are facing this problem. Hara in a journal article mentions that Japan and Germany are a couple of the countries that are going through childlessness (Hara, 2008).Today, more than 80 countries depend on immigration to prevent the populations from declining, due to the death rate being higher than birth rate. (Becker-Posner, 2013) How will declining birth rates affect demographics in many countries around the world? How will it affect the Global economy? How will it affect societies in different countries; will it raise social and racial tensions? Will it affect relations

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Vertical Farming

    2585 Words  | 6 Pages

    Overpopulation has become a drastic issue, for no one knows how many people the earth

    Read More

  • Technology is the Solution to Overpopulation

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    This problem of population growth leads to a number of solutions that could have significant implications on the quality of life. Taking no action and allowing population to grow unchecked could possibly risk the entire human species if food or clean water were to become unavailable worldwide. Aiming for zero population growth would in theory maintain the existing quality of life since a stable population would not increase their use of resources. However not all resources are renewable, so scarcities could still occur with a fixed population size. In an extreme case permanent resource depletion under zero population growth could have the same extinction effect that unchecked growth can lead to. Despite the escalating risk of unchecked population growth, technological advances necessitated by the increase in population will at least maintain the quality of life and could possibly improve conditions.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment

    2004 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stancheva, Tina. "Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment." Human Nature, Technology & the Environment. Swarthmore College Environmental Studies, 6 June 2003. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Overpopulation

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Overpopulation Is a Growing Problem

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is the most important environmental issue because it leads to many others. It leads to loss of species, shortage of land, lack of resources, deforestation, health issues, pollution, and famine. Overpopulation is a growing problem we can all stop. The only way this is going to be stopped is by humans taking action and trying to help each other. Works Cited Overpopulation is Everyone’s Problem, No author, 2013.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Population Growth on the Environment

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our world is too small for our ever rapidly growing population. One day resources will run dry and vanish, which will bring death and loss to all nations on this planet. Many researchers and scientists have confirmed that the population will reach 10 billion by the end of the century and will continue to stream upward. There are many different ways in trying to decrease population to contain global warming and assist our environmental changes. The only way to steadily succeeding, families must be the regulators of their fertility and future. Environmentalism can head in a negative direction, which may result in population control and even anti-immigrant policies. Can the developing effort of ‘population integrity’ protect our world while recognizing birth moralities?

    Read More

More about The Weight of the World: Overpoluation on Planet Earth

Open Document