Overpopulation
Overpopulation is a condition where the human population exceeds the carrying capacity of Earth. It is caused by a number of factors.
Causes of Overpopulation
Decline in the Death Rate-
Birth rate and death rates are at the root of what basically overpopulation depends on. For example, if the number of children born each year equals the number of adults that die, then the population will stabilize. If there are less people who are dying and more being born, it comes to no surprise that we will have an overpopulated planet.
Advancement in Medicine and Health Care-
Technological advancement was perhaps the main and prominent reason why the balance in population has been permanently damaged. Studies in science were able to help produce better such as improving the production of food, which allowed more of the impoverished to be fed. Medical science had made many discoveries through research that were able to cure and defeat many diseases. Because of the invention of vaccines, illnesses no longer took as many lives as they used to, which ranged in numbers in thousands or even more. In combination of the growing food supply and medical advancement, the tipping point had been reached and balance of population started to get out of control. Ever since the 1400's, which was the time of the Bubonic Plague, population growth had been continuously increasing. The ability to save lives and create better medical treatment for all and better living conditions directly resulted in an increase of lifespan and obviously, a growth in population.
Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment-
With the latest technological advancement and more discoveries in medical science, it has become increasingly possible for couple who are unable to conceive to undergo fertility treatments and have babies. Today there are even the invention of effective medicines which can increase the chance of conception. This all leads to a rise in the birth rate.
Immigration-
Many people have moved and are still moving to more developed countries such as the United States, The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. These countries have the best medical, educational, security and employment facilities and opportunities and because so many continue to settle in these few countries, they become overpopulated and overcrowded. This leads to more demand for things such as food, energy, clothing and housing, which gives a rise to shortage of these resources.
Lack of Family Planning-
Most developing nations still force their children to get married at early ages. Their lack of education and ignorance caused them to avoid family planning measures.
Effects of Overpopulation
Depletion of Natural Resources-
As we know, the Earth can only produce a limited amount of resources including, oil, water and food; and these resources are beginning to fall short of not only future needs but also current needs. We are cutting down too many trees, hunting animals in an inappropriate and selfish manner, etc. If we continue to overuse our resources at the rate at which we are, we will not even have enough oil by the year 2050 and the human population will have no other option than to find alternative energy sources for example.
Environmental Damage-
With the overuse of resources such as natural gas, oil and coal, there has been serious negative effects on our environment. The rise in the number of transportation vehicles/ships, industries and factories have also affected the quality of our air because of the greenhouse gas emission and fossil fuels being burned. The increasing amount of Carbon Dioxide emission also led to global warming and melting of polar ice caps, which not only destroys our environment but also does harm to endangered species in the Northern Pole. Changing climate patterns, and a rise in sea level are a couple of major consequences that we now have to face due to degradation of our environment from overpopulation.
War and Other Conflicts-
Because overpopulation causes a shortage of resources in the world, it puts developing countries in a difficult state. Tensions between different countries have already been formed over water conflicts and distribution, which could eventually result in war. We can imagine that the starvation issue will only get worse if overpopulation does not cease to exist. Overpopulation also causes more disease to spread and it makes it harder to control the diseases as they spread.
Rise in Unemployment-
When countries become overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there fewer jobs to support the larger growing number of people. This particular rise in unemployment tends to increase crime rates as people will attempt stealing basic necessities to support and feed their families.
High Cost of Living-
As supplies and resources become more scarce, the prices will go up. This means that the prices of commodities including shelter, food, healthcare, education etc.., will be more expensive, and some people will not be able to pay such high costs so that their families can survive and prosper.
Opinion:
In my opinion, overpopulation is destroying the natural environment, exhausting resources, and putting us at risk of societal collapse and destruction. For anyone who thinks that the continuous growth of the human population on Earth is not an issue to be concerned about need to be reminded that many civilizations had came before us, grew drastically in population and complexity, and then eventually collapsed. The problem is that we know the tragedy in which we are headed for but we are not taking any action. We have a world population over 7 billion that has increased demand for food, water, fossil fuels, electricity, and non-essential products, to such an unbelievable extent. I believe that overpopulation is a major issues that needs to be stopped not only because of the environmental damage it will cause but also because I believe that peace will not be possible with an overpopulated world. Too many people simply means too many uncontrolled mess and chaos. If the world cannot live in peace the way it is now, what makes us think that breeding more humans will make it any better? It is better for this world to decrease the human population so that it could be more controllable and so that we can live in peace. It's a little bit like a fresh start, getting rid of things that are unnecessary and keeping what is needed. Although the world is already overpopulated, by all means we should not be making it worse. Of course we can't just start killing people off to keep the Earth 100% in balance; population compared to resources but there are things we can do so that overpopulation does not continue on what seems like a never ending path. Teaching sexual education to younger kids at elementary level should be a must. Some parents feel like discussing such topics is inappropriate at a young age, but if we teach them earlier, they will be more aware of the effects of pregnancy and overpopulation and more likely will not contribute to the ongoing situation in the future. It is important for parents and teachers to let go of their old inhibitions and make the youths aware of solid sex education. We can also educate the older groups of people to help them understand that they do not need more than two children. Family planning and efficient birth control can help in women making their own reproductive choices; this includes abortion and voluntary sterilization. As the population is continuing to grow at such a rapid pace, raising awareness among people is probably one of the things we should be doing. But even regarding family planning and letting people know about such serious effects of overpopulation will not be enough. There needs to be laws and regulations set up or else people will continue living carelessly and not thinking about the future. Government systems of various countries for example could come up with policies relating to tax exemptions to stop overpopulation.
*An overpopulated world will simply destruct itself.*