HUMAN OVERPOPULATION

Human Overpopulation

Human Overpopulation

Introduction

Too many people living in an area in which the resources—land, food, water, fuel, and an acceptable infrastructure—are inadequate to support them without hardship. More than 150 people are born on Earth every minute. According to the United Nations, the total global population surpassed six billion shortly before 2000. To many, global population growth has alarming implications for natural resources and quality of life worldwide. Others, however, say that such fears are exaggerated (Bodden, 2011, pp.96-105).

For the past few centuries, global population growth has increased dramatically, primarily as the result of advances in medicine and other fields. Beginning in the middle of the 20th century, those advances spread to the developing world, where traditions such as large families still prevailed. Declining death rates combined with high birth rates led to a surge in the population of the developing world.

"The main issue of the 21st century is whether our actions have resulted in the last century to irreversible changes in the environment. And if - yes, what should be done," - says the report (Einspruch, 2013, pp.55-64).

The root of the problem, according to the report's authors - too rapid population growth in poor countries. About 60% of women in the world have access to some means of birth control. Even if we exclude China, where birth control was elevated to the rank of state policy, is about 40%.

Currently, the vast majority of the world's people live in developing countries. The rate of population growth is much higher there than in most developed countries, where growth rates have slowed or are in decline. One of the few developed countries that maintain a high rate of population growth is the U.S.

In 1999, the United Nations revised its earlier estimates of population growth. The U.N. now predicted that the global population could stop growing by the mid-21st century. Population is expected to grow substantially in the meantime, however, particularly in developing countries.

The high rate of population growth in the developing world has been cited by many as a major problem plaguing poor countries. To combat the problem, the U.N. offers family-planning services to people in those countries. In addition, the U.N. helps developing countries analyze population data and plan ways to keep population at sustainable levels.

Those who support family-planning programs to curtail global population growth argue that growing numbers of people put a strain on resources. Commodities such as ...