Detailed description of the problem



Human Population and Sustainability

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October 28, 2008

As of 9:08 a.m. EST on October 28, 2008, the world population was estimated to be 6,733,122,678 and increasing every minute (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). Human population is very much an environmental concern and needs to be addressed in terms of sustainability strategies and solutions. The impacts of human overpopulation can be devastating and though they must be addressed at the local level, international cooperation will be needed.

Overpopulation is defined as the condition where the number of organisms exceeds the carrying capacity of its habitat (reference). This means that though overpopulation can be interpreted to mean ‘too many people’ it not actually a function of size or density but of the ratio of population to its available sustainable resources. There are several factors that contribute to overpopulation. These include: an increase in births, a decrease in deaths, an increase in immigration into more developed areas, a decrease in emigration from more developed areas, and an unsustainable use of resources.

In the 18th century, Thomas Malthus examined the factors that limit population growth. He thought that as population increases, it puts pressure on the means of subsistence, throws it off balance and then the population collapses. Neo-Malthusians in the 1970s re-examined Malthus’ theory and stated that population numbers will increase until it encounters critical resources limits and then the population will collapse. The problem with both of these theories is that the problem is much more complex and these theories do not take into account the social and historic context of population growth (Barrow, 1999).

Tiffen (1993) stated that as population increases, there is an increase in technological innovation. This results in the quality of life improving and an increase in environmental degradation. However, in developing countries, it is the struggle to maintain a standard of living that leads to environmental degradation. When a population is focused on providing for basic needs, there is little time left to worry about the environment.

There are certain human behaviors that are direct contributors to the problem of overpopulation. These include: having too many children, over-consumption of resources, poor waste disposal, economic dependence on growth, depletion of soils by over-farming, erosion from land clearing, urban sprawl, over-fishing, and urban growth where water is scarce. This list reinforces the fact that the overpopulation problem is not just a function of population numbers but of the availability of resources.

At the United Nations Conference on World Population, leaders stated that population growth cannot continue at its current rate or people will begin to die. The solutions are to find some way to limit growth or increase the availability of resources. The theory of demographic transition states that after the standard of living and life expectancies in an area increase, the birth rate and family size decrease. This is seen in statistics from the United States comparing the number of children born per woman in 1950 to 2005. In 1950, the average number of children born to a woman in the United States was 5.02. By 2005, this number had dropped to 2.65. Almost all of the world population growth is in less developed regions and the world population is growing by about 75 million per year (United Nations, 2007).

There are social factors that contribute to trends in birth rates in different areas of the world. The role of women in society seems to have an impact on the birth rate of a country. In areas where women have more equal rights and more educational opportunities, the birth rate has decreased. In addition, in developed countries, more women are entering the workplace and postponing the birth of children until their careers are established. In areas that are male-dominated and women do not share equal rights where men, birth rates are higher. Pressure to produce children, particularly male children, is more likely to be greater in the less developed countries where these pressures exist.

Access to birth control as a means to control population is not equal in countries throughout the world. This access can be limited by social, religious, and educational factors. As an example, the Roman Catholic Church frowns on the use of any form of birth control, so countries that are heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic Church may have higher birth rates than other countries. Also, social pressures, like Marxism, supports higher birth rates. Governments can also influence birth rates in the opposite manner, such as in China where limits are placed on the number of children any couple can have in an attempt to curb the country’s overpopulation issues (Barrow, 1999).

Another factor in overpopulation is the increase in the average life expectancy. From 1950-1955, the global average life expectancy at birth was 46 years. By 2000-2005, that number had increased to 65 years and is projected to be 75 years by 2045-2050 (United Nations, 2007). There is a difference, however, between developed and less developed countries with respect to life expectancy. In developed countries, the average life expectancy is currently about 75 years. In the least developed countries, this number is under 50 years. These least developed countries, such as the nations in Africa, cite the HIV/AIDS epidemic has having the greatest impact on their population growth and life expectancy.

Overpopulation is just a function of birth rate or death rates, but of migration. Population movement from a less developed area to a more developed area can place stresses on the more developed area’s resource in the same manner than an increase in birth rate would. The United Nations (2007) estimates that the net immigration to more developed regions to be approximately 98 million people. In these more developed regions, the death rate is greater than the birth rate by about 73 million, so the population growth will be due to migration and not births.

As countries see their population increase and their resources decrease, nations are taking different actions to address the issue of overpopulation. China is well-known for their attempts to limit their growing population by instituting a mandatory limit on the number of children a couple can have.

In other countries, the focus has been more on family planning than on access to birth control (Smith, 2008). In June 2008, Egypt announced that it was setting aside $90 million to cope with overpopulation through family planning (IOL, 2008). A population specialist at the University of Cairo believes that the answer to controlling the birth rate in Egypt is to reduce poverty, change sexual taboos, and to promote women in the workplace. In 2007, 47% of developing countries and 70% of the least developed countries had policies in place to reduce the population growth rate (United Nations, 2007). Most of these policies are seeing a shift from focusing on fertility reduction and contraceptive use targets to establishing targets to reduce the unmet need for family planning. Though it is developed and does not face some of the social, religious, and ideological hurdles to address birth control, the United States could also benefit from improvements in family planning policy due to the fact that in 2001 half of the country’s births were unintended (Finer, et al., 2007).

Countries that are experiencing an increase in population due to migration are seeing their fresh water sources depleted, their food supplies decrease, and their energy needs increase. In addition, more people means an increase in water, air, soil, and noise pollution, as well as deforestation and loss of habitat. Many of these countries have tried local growth controls based on the principle “If we don’t build it, they won’t come”. So, communities have forgone the construction of new homes, new water and sewage facilities, reservoirs, and roads in an attempt to dissuade people from migrating there. Time and time again, this tactic has failed and communities are faced with overpopulation and a lack of sufficient resources compounded by the fact that nothing had been built or planned (Dasmann, 1984).

People leave their homelands for a number of reasons. In some places, they may leave for political or social reasons, while in other regions, it is the lack of resources such as food or jobs that force people to move. Thus, the countries with the initial problems are similar to a sinking ship and more developed countries with greater resources become the lifeboats. Unfortunately, the lifeboats begin to suffer from their own problems because of the added stress of a population that has grown without regard for the availability of resources.

A sustainability plan for human overpopulation would have a number of layers and tactics to address the problem. There are two focal points to the problem: human population growth and use of available resources. To begin with the issue of available resources, alternative energy sources must be found in order to fully meet the needs of the world’s population. In addition to the rate at which the world is using its fossil fuels, the burning of these fossil fuels for energy generation is adding to the global warming problem that could have further detrimental effects on the world population. This part of the plan must be approached globally as the climate is a global issue.

In terms of other resources such as water and habitat, the burden of management falls to individual countries and communities. Growth planning is a local issue and the use of the area’s resources must be addressed in terms of the local population. The carrying capacity of lands where water is scarce is much lower than areas where water resources are more abundant. To increase the carrying capacity of the water-poor regions, technological advances such as desalination could allow more people to live in a more sustainable manner.

Migration is a difficult variable in the planning process however and communities must come up with a plan to take this influx into consideration. The more developed countries that become the “life boats” for refugees from other less developed areas must find a way to deal with the stresses of immigrants. Unfortunately, countries may have to put policies in place to restrict how many migrants can come into any one area based on carrying capacity and available resources.

The control of birth rate is also something that needs to be looked at on a country-by-country basis. A guiding group such as the United Nations could look at areas where overpopulation is occurring and help the nation develop a population planning tool. In some places, this may be establishing family planning as a national priority. In other nations, it might be addressing women’s rights issues and promoting educational and career opportunities for women. Using the United Nations would provide a neutral sounding board rather than as dictating what a country should do.

Overpopulation is still an area that needs considerable work to develop a sustainability plan. Addressing subjects such as birth rate and mortality is difficult in some areas given social and religious constraints. However, overpopulation is more than just an increase in population. Overpopulation is the number of people compared to available sustainable resources. Using technology and innovation to increase the available resources would ease the pressure of the world’s growing population.

References

Barrow, C.J., 1999. Environmental Management Principles and Practice. Routledge:

London.

Dasmann, R., 1984. Environmental Conservation, Fifth Edition. John Wiley & Sons:

New York.

Finer, L. and Henshaw, S., 2006. Disparities in Rates of Unintended Pregnancy in the

United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health,

Vol. 38, No. 2. pp. 90-96.

IOL, 2008. Population Woes Weigh Down Egypt.

Retrieved October 23, 2008 from



Smith, Kerry, 2008. The Population Problem. Nature Reports. Retrieved October 28, 2008 from

Tiffin, M., 1993. Productivity and environmental conservation under a rapid population

Growth: a case-study of Machakos District, Kenya. Journal of International

Development 5(2), 207-224.

United Nations, 2007. World Population Policies.

United States Census Bureau, 2008. World Population Clock. Retrieved October 22,

2008 from

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