How Population Growth Effects On Environment - Research Paper Example

?Is Population Growth Affect On Our Environment? Human population growth is regarded as one of the most significant causes of the sophisticated problems (such as resource scarcity, poverty, and climate change) that the world faces today. By the year 2050, the global population is expected to have grown by approximately 2.7 million to 9 billion. Africa and Asia along with the rest of the world will experience most of this increase. The world will experience strain on the already scarce resources. Aggressive economic competition, increased consumption, and sustained population growth will lead into intensive pressure and exploitation on the resources (Collodi and M’Cormack 1). It is worth noting that between the years 1960 and 1999, the earth’s population increased from three billion to around six billion people. Between the years 1960 and 1999, the earth’s population increased from three billion to around six billion people. The increase reflected an important era in humanity. This is because life expectancy increased, child mortality rates dropped, and individuals were on average healthier and nourished than any period in history. However, several changes in the global environment began to happen. Pollution increased, resource depletion persisted, and the risk of rising sea levels was obvious (Rand 1). Population growth has a number of features, which include urbanization, changing demographics, and persistent international migration. All these features are thought to affect the environment in a negative manner. In the feature urbanization, majority of the people will live in the cities. It is estimated that by 2035, close to 60% of the global population will be living in the urban areas. Most of the cities in the developing nations are already experiencing problems in offering basic services such as waste treatment and transport. It is thought that the new urban residents will largely inhabit regions that defy nature such as the low-lying regions in the coast, and this will be a significant environmental risk (Collodi and M’Cormack 1). In the feature changing demographics, it is estimated that the overall world population is ageing despite the fact that the current population is very young (majority of the people in the world are below the age of 28). Majority of these people (the ageing population) are found in the developed nations, however, by 2050 a third of the population in the developing nations is estimated to be over the age of 60 years, and close to 80 percent of them will be living in the developing nations. On the other hand, some of the developing nations and regions will experience an increasingly young population. Both trends indicate a decreasing working population, considerably changing the balance between economically inactive and active members (Collodi and M’Cormack 1). In the feature persistent international migration, the number of individuals living outside their nation of origin will likely to grow or increase to 230 million from the present 175 million by the year 2050. Migration will mostly happen between the developing nations and will grow in response to the environmental pressures, natural disasters, and extreme poverty. The aforementioned features will be motivated by the impacts of climate change, uneven distribution of resources, environmental changes, the consequences of disease, the incapability of the authorities to respond, and climate change (Collodi and M’Cormack 1). The accessibility and flow of energy, water, and food will be very important. Resource challenges will increase in regions where population growth has the greatest consequence, relative to economic growth and local resources (Collodi and M’Cormack 1). It is expected that by 2035 that the Sub-Saharan Africa population will grow by around 81% and that 15 percent of them will likely to be under-nourished. Competition for all forms of resources will increase and the threat of humanitarian catastrophe will also increase in most of the vulnerable areas because of climate change (Collodi and M’Cormack 2). Human activity and population growth is placing unsustainable and exceptional stress on the natural environment. The intensification of agriculture, the growing demand for natural resources, the generation of hazardous wastes, urbanization, and a rapidly globalizing and growing economy, all contribute to the degradation of the environment. These alterations may decrease the access to and fertility of the arable, and affect the quality of air (Collodi and M’Cormack 2). It is important to note that population dynamics play a significant role in the environment. Complex relationship exists between the size of population and environmental change. However, as the population of the universe continues to grow, there has been strong emphasis on global resources such as forests, fisheries, potable water, and arable land. From the mid twentieth century, declining farmland contributed to the increasing concern of global food production limits (Rand 1). Datta-Ray (48) argues that unchecked population growth affects environment because more individuals tend to consume more and their overall impact on the environment is significant, therefore, putting at risk the survival of the coming generations. Lehner (5) states that scientific studies of climate change have began to include the significance of population growth on the environment. It is argued that population growth creates part of the context for the scientists to project the climate’s future. It is suggested that climate change will likely lead to increased ocean and land temperatures causing a rise in the sea levels, receding ice, snowpack, melting glaciers, intensifying droughts and heat waves, frequent floods and storm activities, changes in animal and human habitats, irreversible species extinction and the spread of diseases (insect-borne). It is also predicted that climate disruption will minimize agricultural yields, undermine the habitability of most areas, and impair the capability of natural resources (Lehner 5). The effect of overpopulation together with the unsustainable patterns of consumption is apparent in the way it mounts stress on the global environment. Under the present conditions of quick population growth, there is rapid utilization of renewable resources than they can be restored. For instance, the global population is having deleterious impact in environmental areas such as erosion of watersheds and arable land, extinction of animal and plant species, and the pollution of land, water, and air (Jefferson and Zuckerman 82). Marine and coastal resources are not resistant to human pressures and associated poverty. Coastal cities and coastal systems are generally destination regions for migrants, and most of the world’s biggest cities are situated along the coasts. It suggested that population growth and migration are the causes of fisheries and coastal resource degradation. Varied impacts on the common pool resources can be felt when the number of the resource users increase. Furthermore, the relationship between coastal ecosystems and population is largely intervened by social relations and institutions that govern the local resource utilization (Bremner, Carr, and Davis 71). A growing coastal population can have significant indirect impacts on the coastal resources through means such as increased pollutant and sediment runoff, a better market demand for the coastal resources, and land-cover alteration for development. Most of these impacts are on the local resources, however, the increasing demand for fisheries resources triggered by consumption references and population growth in distant markets can instigate the local resources consequences as well (Bremner, Carr, and Davis 72). As aforementioned, the demographic trends play a crucial role in susceptibility to climate change. It also contributes to climate-induced migration. It is worth mentioning that population is generally overlooked in the creation of climate change adaptation strategies (this is inclusive of the efforts to address migration that is climate-induced). Rapid population growth leads to resource scarcity and ecosystem degradation, which are the main factors in climate-induced migration. At the present, population growth is straining the world’s inadequate supply of fresh water (Population Action International 2). Based on the projected rates of population growth, it is estimated that by the year 2025, between 2.9 and 3.3 billion individuals will be living either in water-stressed or water-scarce conditions. Additionally, population growth together with land tenure policies, income distribution and other factors, regularly pushes individuals to live on marginal lands. Under these conditions, they are increasingly susceptible to climate change impacts and restricted in their capability to support livelihoods in changing climatic conditions (Population Action International 2). Most of the nations that are least capable of coping with climate change effects are experiencing rapid population growth rates. The population groups and the poorest nations are most susceptible to climate change effects. Population growth is happening most quickly in the developing world, escalating the scale of susceptibility to climate change. If the present population growth rates remain the same, the population in thirty of the nations with low flexibility ratings would double in a period of less than thirty years. Therefore, it will greatly increase both cross-border and internal migration pressures. These susceptible nations include frail states such as Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen (Population Action International 2). Geographic regions that are most susceptible to climate change generally overlap with regions of rapid population growth. For instance, the effects of sea level rise and extreme weather are particularly important due to high population density within low elevation coastal regions. Such zones or regions cover 2% of the earth’s land area, but include 10% of the global population. Evidence indicates that in most regions of the world, the populations in these regions are growing at a rapid rate, revealing the growing number of individuals to the negative impacts of extreme weather and sea level rise, and the growing pressure to move to higher elevations (Population Action International 2). The Habitable Planet (1) states that poor nations devote less energy when addressing environmental problems than nations, which are wealthy. It is estimated that future population growth in poorest nations will lead to environmental deterioration. As stated before, the relationship between environment and population growth is sophisticated. It is important to note that the human societies’ effects on the environment are characterized by three major elements; technology, consumption or affluence, and population size (The Habitable Planet 1). The society’s environmental impact takes two main forms. First, individuals consume resources such as food, soils, land, water, and services from strong ecosystems such as water filtration via wetlands. Overconsumption utilizes or rigorously depletes provisions of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels, and reduces renewable resources such as forests and fisheries if the individuals utilize them up quickly than they can restock themselves. Second, individuals release wastes as products of their consumption activities. They include water and air pollutants, greenhouse gases, excess nutrients, and toxic materials (The Habitable Planet 1). Some wastes like untreated sewages, and other pollutants threaten the health of human beings. Other wastes disrupt the natural ecosystem functions. For instance, surplus nitrogen in water supplies leads to the development of algal blooms that exhaust oxygen and kill fish. Big societies use more resources than the small ones. However, technology choices and consumption patterns account for the majority of environmental issues than the number of individuals. The United States population is approximately one-fourth huge as that of India or China (The Habitable Planet 1). In such a case, it is worth mentioning that the United States uses more energy because they are wealthier, and use their richness to buy energy-intensive products such as electronics and cars. On the other hand, India and China are growing and getting wealthier, therefore, their environmental impacts will augment because of the consumption levels and population in the coming decades (The Habitable Planet 1). The exponential growth of traditional industrial technology and population has led to an exponential growth in environmental impact. For instance, the world consumption of fossil fuel has increased exponentially because of the growing global population and the distribution of technologies that utilize fossil fuels (McKinney, Schoch, and Yonavjak 16). As population and consumptive technology grow, more energy and materials move within the society. Therefore, both population and technology growth accelerate the decline in the environmental resources. Furthermore, water and air pollution, solid waste and other by-products are disposed into the environment. In a nutshell, there are two types of environmental impacts, pollution, and depletion. Both have grown in number because increasing consumption of resources enhances pollution. In such a case, the throughput is accelerated. The leading causes of the increased throughput are attributed to the growth of consumption and population (McKinney, Schoch, and Yonavjak 16). As aforementioned, population growth has caused and is still causing severe consequences on the global environment. In the biological environment, the growth of human population has strained majority of the biological systems, which comprise of the flora and fauna and the biological diversity. Majority of the natural resources have been changed seriously by population growth and this has led to severe imbalance in the ecosystem. To expand cultivable land, large portions of forests have been cleared. These activities have depleted the forest resources. To accommodate urbanization and the establishment of industries, forests have been further cleared, therefore, leading to the depletion of environmental resources. Mining and intensive agriculture has also contributed to the large-scale destruction of the environment (Mishra 1). Human population growth has increased significantly the use, misuse, and overuse of physical resources. As mentioned before, an increase in population suggests that more mouths are to be fed and this requires increased agricultural production. Increased agricultural production requires two things; advanced agriculture and more cultivable land. Through the clearing of the forests and reclamation of wetlands, a considerable amount of cultivatable land has been made accessible. Advanced agriculture needs use of more pesticides, more fertilizers, and more water. The application of pesticides and fertilizers renders the soil infertile. The clearing of the forests causes imbalance on the environment and it has its own serious implications (Mishra 1). A growing population suggests that more space is needed to construct houses and that more consumer goods should be available. It also indicates more consumption of fossil fuel, more pollution of land, water, and air, and more means of transport. Therefore, the growth of population results in the pollution of water, land, and air. Different forms of pollution are causing more problems in the physical environment, which in turn affect the biological environment severely (Mishra 1). It is evident that population growth is straining the environment through various ways. Therefore, population growth affects the environment. The need for more space and more food have forced the human population to inhabit areas once considered uninhabitable. Coupled with technology, population growth has made it possible to produce more resources and wastes. However, the wastes released into the environment have affected both the health of the human beings and other living things in the environment. They have made living conditions in the environment unbearable. Population growth has had a few positive impacts on the environment. For instance, the reclamation of lands that is unusable. However, the negative effects have surpassed the positive effects. Population growth projections give a vivid picture of how the environment would be affected in several decades coming. It is estimated that most of the resources in the environment will be strained and depleted because of the huge population depending on it. Unless precautionary measures are taken to stabilize human population growth, there will be no environment for the living things. Works Cited Bremmer, J., Carr, D., & Davis, J. “Population Growth, Ecology, and Poverty.” Springer Science+Business Media (2012): 65-78. Print. Collodi, Jason & M’Cormack, Freida. “Population Growth, Environment, And Food Security: What Does The Future Hold?” Horizon (2009): 1-4. Print. Datta-Ray, B. Population, Poverty, and Environment in North-East India. New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing Company, 2000. Print. Jefferson, David & Zuckerman, Ben. Human Population and the Environmental Crisis. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 1996. Print. Lehner, Eliza Ann. “Conceiving the Impact: Connecting Population Growth and Environmental Sustainability.” BA thesis. Harvard College, 2011. Print. McKinney, M. L., Schoch, R. M., & Yonavjak, L. Environmental Science – Book Alone. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2012. Print. Mishra, M. P. Growth of Human Population and Its Impact on Natural Environment. Ecosensorium.org, 30 March 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Population Action International. “Climate Change, Migration, and Population Growth.” Policy & Issue Brief (2010): 1-4. Print. RAND. “Population and Environment: A Complex Relationship.” Population Matters (2012): 1-4. Print. The Habitable Planet. Unit 5: Human Population Dynamics // Section 5: Population Growth and the Environment. The Habitable Planet, 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. Read More