Population Growth and Environmental Degradation in India
POPULATION GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN INDIA
ABSTRACT
This paper basically deals with the relationship between the growing population, poverty and urbanization and the degradation of the Environment. The study reveals that the country 's population growth is imposing an increasing burden on the country 's limited and continually degrading natural resource base. The natural resources are under increasing strain, even though the majority of people survive at subsistence level. Population pressure on arable land contributes to the land degradation. The increasing population numbers and growing affluence have already resulted in rapid growth of energy production and consumption in India. The environmental effects like ground water and surface water contamination; air pollution and global warming are of growing concern owing to increasing consumption levels.
INTRODUCTION
There has been a major increase in the population and a rise in economic development in the country which have resulted in degrading the environment through an uncontrolled manner of urbanization and industrialization, expansion and intensification of agriculture, and the destruction of natural habitats. One of the major causes of environmental degradation has been due to the rapid growth of population, which is adversely affecting the natural resources since its consumption has increased. The growing population and the environmental deterioration face the challenge of sustained development without environmental damage. The existence or the absence of favorable natural resources can facilitate or retard the process of economic development. The three fundamental demographic factors of births, deaths and migration produce changes in population size; composition, distribution and these changes raise a number of important questions of
ABSTRACT
This paper basically deals with the relationship between the growing population, poverty and urbanization and the degradation of the Environment. The study reveals that the country 's population growth is imposing an increasing burden on the country 's limited and continually degrading natural resource base. The natural resources are under increasing strain, even though the majority of people survive at subsistence level. Population pressure on arable land contributes to the land degradation. The increasing population numbers and growing affluence have already resulted in rapid growth of energy production and consumption in India. The environmental effects like ground water and surface water contamination; air pollution and global warming are of growing concern owing to increasing consumption levels.
INTRODUCTION
There has been a major increase in the population and a rise in economic development in the country which have resulted in degrading the environment through an uncontrolled manner of urbanization and industrialization, expansion and intensification of agriculture, and the destruction of natural habitats. One of the major causes of environmental degradation has been due to the rapid growth of population, which is adversely affecting the natural resources since its consumption has increased. The growing population and the environmental deterioration face the challenge of sustained development without environmental damage. The existence or the absence of favorable natural resources can facilitate or retard the process of economic development. The three fundamental demographic factors of births, deaths and migration produce changes in population size; composition, distribution and these changes raise a number of important questions of
Bibliography: • http://paa2007.princeton.edu/papers/7192 • http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=5&secNum=5 • http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/repository/pern/papers/urban_pde_intro.pdf • http://www.uow.edu.au/~sharonb/STS300/limits/studies/articles/enviroarticle1.html • www.igidr.ac.in/conf/ysp/ARC1.ppt