Population Control
Population Control: Effects on the Global Environment
Dependence of Man on the Environment
March16, 2009
Population Control: Effects on the Global Environment
The debate of population control is by no means a new phenomenon. Since early times it has been on the minds of many people. Population lies at the heart of this debate and while there is no argument that humans are increasing daily, the question arises in whether this is a problem or rather a natural occurrence which will level off on its own. The thing that makes this so hard to figure out is that there are many examples for both cases and all of them are very plausible. This is by no means a problem with only one aspect; rather it involves the entire world and our way of life. It encompasses environment, food, water, air, ground, and our (that means human) interactions. Very few would doubt these days that we face a very serious environmental crisis. Increasingly the world is plagued by pollution of air, seas, land, food and drinking water. We live in a world of ozone depletion, deforestation and global warming. The overall growth of the human population in the last 2000 years has been a J-shaped growth. This can also be expressed as an exponential growth. A big question that can only be answered in time is how this population growth will slow down or stop. The planet can only handle so many humans before the effects of overpopulation send the environment into an unrecoverable tailspin of degradation. “The human population reached 6.1 billion in 2000. The United Nations projects that world population for the year 2050 could range from 7.9 billion to 10.9 billion, depending on the actions we take today” (Shah, 2002).
The question remains, and is often argued by both sides. Is limiting population growth a key factor in protecting the global environment? On the “yes” side of the issue, “supporters argue that stabilizing the world population is central to preventing
Dependence of Man on the Environment
March16, 2009
Population Control: Effects on the Global Environment
The debate of population control is by no means a new phenomenon. Since early times it has been on the minds of many people. Population lies at the heart of this debate and while there is no argument that humans are increasing daily, the question arises in whether this is a problem or rather a natural occurrence which will level off on its own. The thing that makes this so hard to figure out is that there are many examples for both cases and all of them are very plausible. This is by no means a problem with only one aspect; rather it involves the entire world and our way of life. It encompasses environment, food, water, air, ground, and our (that means human) interactions. Very few would doubt these days that we face a very serious environmental crisis. Increasingly the world is plagued by pollution of air, seas, land, food and drinking water. We live in a world of ozone depletion, deforestation and global warming. The overall growth of the human population in the last 2000 years has been a J-shaped growth. This can also be expressed as an exponential growth. A big question that can only be answered in time is how this population growth will slow down or stop. The planet can only handle so many humans before the effects of overpopulation send the environment into an unrecoverable tailspin of degradation. “The human population reached 6.1 billion in 2000. The United Nations projects that world population for the year 2050 could range from 7.9 billion to 10.9 billion, depending on the actions we take today” (Shah, 2002).
The question remains, and is often argued by both sides. Is limiting population growth a key factor in protecting the global environment? On the “yes” side of the issue, “supporters argue that stabilizing the world population is central to preventing
References: Brown, L. (2005). Outgrowing the Earth. New York: W.W Norton Company. Cunningham, W. P. (2008). Principles of Environmental Science. Boston: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. Easton, T. A. (2006). Taking Sides. Boston: McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. Shah, A. (2002, June 13). Global Issues. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from Global Issues Web Site: http://www.globalissues.org/issue/197/human-population The Green Left Online. (1994, September 21). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from The Green Left Online Web site: http://www.greenleft.org.au/1994/160/8797