Our planet, “Earth” continuously contributes treasures to human beings, but no one knows for how long this silent but inflamed planet will respond to human needs. This question has caught the attention of environmentalists and caused controversy, due to rising population.
Among the serious environmental concerns, such as pollution, deforestation, global warming etc., population growth is one of the main environmental problems. Earth's population is approaching unacceptable boundaries, resulting in a lack of resources such as water, fuel and food (Mayer). Population explosions in less developed and developing countries are devouring these scarce resources.
One of the most important effects of overpopulation is the scarcity of natural resources. “The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs” (What is Overpopulation?). Humans are constantly damaging forests, hunting animals, using coal, oil, natural gas, and other bounties of the earth. As population increases, the use of vehicles and industries increase, as a result, they cause damages such as Co2 emissions, global warming, melting of polar ices, rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and other harms (Mayer). In addition, overpopulation causes unemployment, and consequently crime rates in communities increase. Moreover, “Poverty is the biggest hallmark we see when talking about overpopulation” (What is Overpopulation?). Therefore, it’s necessary to note, “most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the growing number of people on the planet” (What is Overpopulation?). As a result, this pervasive problem can be achieved through some solutions for population control, such as providing a family planning program, educating sexual knowledge, adopting tax policies by governments.
In order to clearly understand the problem of excessive population growth and environmental degradation, we need to perceive the reasons behind this phenomenon. The first major cause is lack of family planning. “Most developing nations have large numbers of people who are illiterate, live below the poverty line and have little or no knowledge about family planning ” (What is Overpopulation?). These people are unable to understand the detrimental effects of population growth due to low cultural levels and in many cases resist birth control programs. Another important factor is migration. In recent years, we have witnessed a wave of migration from poor or developing countries to developed European countries, US, Canada, etc., because these countries have more advanced security, medical services and other facilities for a better life. Since the immigrants usually have more family members, the population density becomes higher and higher, even if the general population of the world remains the same (What is Overpopulation?).
Further, “technological advancement in fertility treatment” could be another reason for population growth. Today, pregnancy is much safer than before because of effective drugs and new techniques (What is Overpopulation?). Finally, reducing the death rate is another major reason for the world's population to rise.”The root of overpopulation is the ratio between the overall birth rate and death rate in populations. If the number of children born each year equals the number of adults that die, then the population will stabilize” (What is Overpopulation?). However, following the industrial revolution and advances in medical science, there has been a major disruption in the balance of these two parameters. For instance, many diseases that have led to the deaths of humans in the past can be cured today, with the discovery of numerous drugs. Therefore, there isn’t only one factor, but rather a variety of reasons affecting overpopulation. Overall, it is essential to examine the various causes of population growth to control further damage to nature.
The first advice to counter population growth is providing family planning program. As the world's population is growing rapidly, having a family planning program aiming to minimize unwanted pregnancies can help control this increase. These programs are usually implemented with government guidance and people's initiative. Of course, this planning takes time to inform the public and implement it on a large scale but because of the "raising awareness among people regarding family planning and letting them know about serious after effects of overpopulation can help curb population growth" (What is Overpopulation?). As well as providing family planning, counseling services and contraceptive methods can also have a positive impact on improving the living conditions of every household. In general, the implementation of a family planning program and the efforts of families to carry out this plan responsibly in each country can play an important role in controlling population growth and consequently less environmental damage.
The second serious effort to curb population growth is the provision of sex education and knowledge. "Imparting sex education to young kids at elementary level should be must"(What is Overpopulation?). Most families refuse to discuss sex with their children, and this may cause teens to seek out information online or among their peers, which is generally incomplete and thus in sexually active teenagers unaware of contraceptives (What is Overpopulation?). Therefore, it is necessary for teachers as well as parents to provide the adolescent with the necessary knowledge. In addition, women in any society can have a decisive role in controlling population growth. Fertility rates are directly related to women's education in any society (5 possible solution). Population growth is greater in poor or developing countries, where girls are less educated and marry at a younger age. Conversely, in developed countries where women are more educated and active in different social environments, the age of marriage increases and therefore fertility declines. Obviously, the level of social culture and education of the masses, especially from an early age and among women in any society, can play an important role in controlling population growth.
The third important step is the implementation of tax and concession schemes to control the population by governments. Governments in different countries may have various plans to deal with this crisis, but the fertility rate will not decrease without government planning and policies.” One of them might be to waive of certain part of income tax or lowering rates of income tax for those married couples who have single or two children” (What is Overpopulation?). Since money plays an important role in human life today, and human beings in general tend to have more money, this may have positive effects.
Governments should incorporate population control into the country's economic programs and form a standing committee to address it (5 possible solution). In developed countries today, government incentives to control the population have been somewhat helpful, but unfortunately in poor and developing countries due to the low cultural level, governments have often failed to contain the population and there is still a concern. As a result, controlling population growth, in addition to educating and informing the public, requires economic and financial planning from governments.
To summarize, population control is one of the most serious issues in human societies, especially when considering the relationship between population growth and depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation. Population expansion, increasing demand for agricultural land, energy and water resources and so on, resulting in drought, pollution, global warming, loss of forests, animals and other environmental damage. Human desires are unlimited but Earth's resources are limited. In this regard, Mahatma Gandhi said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed”.
Population control programs have been implemented in most developed countries and have been successful in most cases, but are unfortunately still a serious problem among poor and developing countries due to the low social culture, lower education and training. Educating and informing people can play an important role in understanding the importance of this phenomenon. Humans need to understand that if population growth is not seriously hampered, in the not too distant future it will lead to a resource crisis. That puts future generations at risk of dying. Therefore, we must hold each one responsible for controlling the population and preserving the environment for our future generations and ourselves.
Works Cited
“5 Possible Solutions to Overpopulation.” Positive News. July 10, 2017.
Mayer, Melissa. “What Are Environmental Problems Due to Population Growth?” Leaf Group
Ltd. June 11, 2018.
“What is Overpopulation?” Conserve Energy Future. 2019.
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