...Cause and Effect of Overpopulation Nowadays, population growth is one of the intractable problems in many countries. The United Nations estimated that birth rate per day is about two hundred thousand people, and this number increases to twelve million per year, and it can lead to many consequences such as starving and conflicts. Moreover, migration, advanced technology, and increased life expectations are the main reasons of overpopulation. Population growth rate is boosted by people’s moving to another country. First, tourists are the primary cause of overcrowding. China National Tourism Administration statistics show that by the end of 2015, China had about 133.8 million inbound tourists coming from other countries and cities. Furthermore, immigration has a substantial impact on overpopulation. It has existed throughout the history and people immigrate in search of better living standards, education, and economic opportunities; moreover, most people are forced to migrate. According to Migration Policy Institute, roughly 41.3 millions of people immigrated to the United States in 2013, and this number contains 13.1 percent of total United States population. In conclusion, non-native people’s movements are the main cause of overpopulation. There are also several reasons of the growth of population because of native citizens. First of all, advanced technologies provide decreasing the death rate. According to the World Health Organization statistics, maternal mortality dropped...
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...problem, overpopulation. The photograph I saw was called Architecture of Density and it was taken by photographer and artist Michael Wolf. The photograph portrayed a massive building in Hong Kong that looked as if it was built to house thousands of people using the least amount of space possible. The apartment building seemed to be designed to have people crammed together with no room to move. Although Wolf’s main focus of his picture was to show viewers that the culture of Hong Kong starts in the homes of the people, I saw Wolf’s photograph as a look into the far more complicated issue of overpopulation, whose effects are currently felt worldwide and are slowly getting worse. Human overpopulation on earth is the leading cause of many of the planet’s problems. Overpopulation is defined as “excessive population of an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, or environmental deterioration”, (Answers). The problems caused by the overpopulation of humans range from the extreme of global warming/climate change, pollution, water shortages, desertification and depletion of other resources to other smaller problems such as deforestation, species extinction and overcrowding. However unfortunately, few governments or government officials around the world are willing to look at the big picture and instead try to solve the smaller problems such as global warming and climate change by looking at the smaller contributing factors and ignore the main cause. Though...
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...Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the view that overconsumption is now more of a threat than overpopulation to world development The sociological study of population is called ‘demography’, sociologists believe that it is important to study demographic trends such as those associated with birth and fertility etc. such trends can produce insights into why societies experience social change, for example, overconsumption and what demographic changes have brought about this change. Sociologist Paul Ehrlich studied the figures for birth rates and death rates of developing countries and compared them with food production and malnutrition rates, he concludes that the birth rate ‘must be brought into balance with the death rate or mankind will breed itself into oblivion’. As item A states ‘the developed world consumes 5/6 of the world’s resources and each person in the developed world consumes around 20 times as much as a person in the developing world’, to understand the causes of such figures claimed in item A and the predictions made by Ehrlich, we must look at the demographic causes linked to both population and overconsumption. This essay will assess whether or not overconsumption has in fact become more of a problem than overpopulation to the world’s development and what such sociological views and perspectives support this view, focusing particularly in dependency, modernization and Malthusian views. Firstly we look at the Malthusian view of population growth...
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...Global Context of Business Overpopulation & Overconsumption As a species, we tend not to talk too much about population growth, but we all know it is there. Modern man first showed up on earth over 50,000 years ago, and by 1850 we had reproduced to such amount that we reached the 1 Billion people mark. The next billion took only 100 years, compared to over 50 thousand years for the first one. In 2011 world population reached 7 billion. According to the Population Institute, which focuses on raising awareness about overpopulation, we add around 220,000 people per day, which amounts to around 80 million people per year, or 1 billion every 12 years. Currently, for every two people who die, four more are born. Many experts argue that population growth will cap at around 10-11 billion by the end of the century, and therefore we shouldn’t concern ourselves too much with this issue. This may very well be true, however, 11 billion people leading the lifestyle of a middle class citizen in a developed country is nowhere near sustainable, and this is certainly a big cause for concern. Therefore, as humans we need to define what is the underlying problem and how do we tackle future challenges. There are plenty of arguments for and against overpopulation. Many argue that population controls have to be applied in order to stop grown, such as China’s one child policy. Others say that population growth is unstoppable and therefore we have to focus more on how we deal with it rather...
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...The long term effect of China’s overpopulation comes with many issues. The main issue China will face is an overall environmental strain. There would be a shortage of food supply, which would increase the hunger and death rate in many Chinese people but mainly children. The water storage would be insufficient, which would result in individuals getting improper water intake. The gases that build up would make the air quality rather poor and causes more asthma and breathing issues. Oil and gas would probably reach its peak and cause prices to rise tremendously. The air pollutions will not only affect breathing, it will also contribute to the already thinning ozone layer. The oceans would be affected and will not sustain quality sea life. Then an issue many do not focus on is top soil. Many farmers and gardeners will not be able to do any deep planting but only shallow. These are the long-term of China overpopulation. The main stakeholder involved in the overpopulation in China issue is the government. The government is the unit that creates and passes the laws that are needed to deal with the issue of over population. One well known government issued policy is that every couple in China can only have one child. It is believed that with the one child policy, there can be a better management on the population growth. Just like any law passed, it is not always followed. For example, if a couple has twins they are and exception to the rule. Now many women are taking fertility...
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...Global Issues, Role of United Nations and Japan’s International Contributions Contents Introduction 3 History of Overpopulation 3 Industrial Revolution 3 Invention of Birth control 4 Risks of Overpopulation 4 Food 4 Water Shortage 4 Civil Conflict 5 Poverty 5 Case Study 5 Government policies 6 Taxation policy 6 Education Subsidies 6 Government Transfers 6 Effectiveness Of Government Policies 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction Overpopulation as defined by Dhirubhai Ambani is “where an organism’s numbers exceed the current carrying capacity of its habitat” (Ambani, 2013) There are many causes of overpopulation and overpopulation occurs when the number of organisms is of too great a number compared to the relevant resources and as a result, resources such as the water and essential nutrients they need to survive are inadequate. This can be a result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. This paper seeks to discuss how overpopulation began as well as the risk it carries. History of Overpopulation Industrial Revolution Prior to the industrial revolution, the world’s population did not change much. This was probably due to the fact that resources were difficult to come by. People were worried their ability to provide for their families would not be adequate. Furthermore, poor nutrition and famines were common. The average life expectancy...
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...Manika Riley-James BIO-220 June 29, 2014 Leroy Demarest Overpopulation Human overpopulations is a huge environmental issue all over the world. It is a problem for many countries because the significant increase in the number of individuals being born compared to those who die far exceeds the amount of resources available and the carrying capacity of the country’s environment to sustain ongoing human activities. Overpopulation has a tremendous effect on our quality of life by ways of pollution and global warming, poverty, and the destruction of habitants. Significant population growth in many countries globally take a negative effect on the environment and society due to depletion of resources causing poverty and starvation, major pollution and increases global warming, and displacement of species due to their homes being taken away from them forcefully. Human overpopulation increases pollution by littering, soil contamination and toxins released in the environment as well as carbon monoxide by ways of vehicular mechanisms being used on a daily basis that eventually causes global warming. For example, water pollution caused nearly 20,000 beach closings in 2004 and fine particle air pollution resulted in the premature deaths of over 45,000 people in the U.S each year (retrieved from www.npg.org/effects of overpopulation). Poverty and starvation increases as the population grows because there is not enough food, shelter, and employment to accommodate the number of individuals...
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...In 2011, we have now seven billion people living in this planet. Unfortunately, Earth’s estimated carrying capacity is only about eleven to twelve billion people. With such a big problem we are facing today, it is important to analyze and examine what the scholars of the past have to say of our increasing population. One of the famous population theorists of that time is Thomas Malthus. In 1798, Malthus proposes his own theory about population. According to him, human populations grow exponentially while food production grows at an arithmetic rate. Thus, if the increase in our population is not controlled properly, then the number of the people would increase faster than the food supply. He stated that if this growth rate is allowed to continue, it would lead to a food shortage. To solve this problem, he proposed three solutions. The first one is positive check. This method increases death rates due to wars, famines, disease, and natural disasters. Preventive or negative check is the other one. It lowers the birth rate which is accomplished through abortion, birth control, and celibacy. The last one is moral restraint which is refraining from marriage until the time when a person is capable of supporting a family. This two hundred-year-old theory is now happening these days. It predicted the problems of food shortage that the world is experiencing today because of the uncontrolled increase in population. Still, I cannot fully agree with Malthus because there are things...
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...persists in rapidly escalating its population as if the worlds sustainable population capacity is limitless. With the numerous problems that currently plague mankind, overpopulation is perhaps the most threatening and overlooked issue. If current population trends continue there will undoubtedly be terrible repercussion to face in the future. Problems arising from overpopulation will eventually have a grim impact on the socio-economic systems and political systems of the world along with the environment as a whole, the worst of which could lead to the annihilation of the human race. This is why population growth should be a global concern that should be recognized, examined, and dealt with immediately. To understand the impacts of overpopulation one must first understand the concept of overpopulation. Overpopulation is a state wherein the population density of an area has grown large enough to exceed what would be the natural sustainable inhabitant capacity of that area causing a significant reduction in the quality of life for those inhabiting the area (Hardin). The notion of population density refers to the amount of residents residing within a particular area of study. It is a valuable tool when it comes to assessing population growth and understanding the limits of the sustainability of an area. Overpopulation occurs when the populace of a...
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...World Overpopulation Have your ever just wondered what would happen to the world if tomorrow we would just run out of oil or any other natural resource? Life would be a lot more difficult, and we would have to adapt to world changes and change how we live immediately. Technology would have to greatly step up and come a long way to find out a way to sustain life without having the use of the natural resource we no longer have. Even though this may not happen we still need to consider the fact that it could happen any day and that we need to start enforcing population control. Population control is something that we would be able to control on our own, but in order to make sure everyone follows it we need to take it to a higher level. We would have to get our local senators to bring it up to our Representatives until it is finally made a bill and lands on the president’s desk and becomes a law. The purpose of this law would help ensure what natural resources that we have left could last longer than the rate we are using them. We could also reduce the cost of living because there would not be as high of a demand for items. Over population is a growing problem in poorer countries and making its way towards all other countries. Over population of the United States could help be eliminated with enforcing one child family laws. Population growth is a continuing problem that seems to go unnoticed in many developed countries. A reporter from the Daily Mail UK wrote that each year...
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...a particular geographical area, and have the capability of interbreeding. Overpopulation: Overpopulation is a function of the number of individuals compared to the relevant resources, such as the water and essential nutrients they need to survive. It can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. Causes of Overpopulation: Decline in death rate: Root of overpopulation is the difference 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. Population increases due to increases of birth rate for long period of time then death rate. Improvement of agriculture provides nutrition without hunting. Better Medical facilities: Better medical facility is another reason of overpopulation. Science invents different vaccines and treatments for life threatening diseases. Due to this this death rate decreases. Rise in Illiteracy rate: Uneducated people do not know about the harmful effects of overpopulation. They give birth to large number of child and do not provide them the basic needs of life. Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment: Advancement of technological facilities also play important role in overpopulation. Medical sciences discoveries provide different methods for child birth to those...
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...Various Countries Currently, the world population is reaching an estimated number of 7,094 million people or about 7 billion (Population Connection, 2013) and is growing by 145 people every minute or 2.4 every second (CIA World Factbook, 2012). The increase in world population happens usually because of the faster decline in death rate than the birth rate due to more availability of antibiotics, immunization, clean water and increased food production which improved child lives and decreases infant mortality. Too much population growth in a region, a city or a country can result as overpopulation. Overpopulation refers to a condition when the number of the population exceeds the capacity of their living habitats and the existence of their resources, it normally occurs from the unbalanced rate of birth and deaths, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. Overpopulation is generally considered as a disadvantage as it may contribute to multitudinous problems such as environmental deterioration, low life qualities, good deficiency, and fatal issue such as population collapse. This essay will emphasize on the diversity of negative aspects of population growth in various countries on their environments, economy, and society. The major and largest factor related to my idea of too much population growth as a disadvantage towards most countries is its effects on the countries’ environment and natural resources. According to the Population Connection...
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...Negative Effects of Overpopulation Depletion of Natural Resources The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of a war zone have increased tremendously while competing for resources. Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due to environment pollution. Conflicts and Wars Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which could result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue facing the world...
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...Mirella Villa Professor Potratz English 100 10/2/2013 Sinking Lifeboat Garrett Hardin was an American Ecologist who wrote the article “Lifeboat Ethics” in Psychology Today in 1974. Garrett Hardin is a neoconservative with a Doctorate in Biology from Stanford University and has written about how human life is sustained on our planet. By using metaphors, statistics, and cause and effect, Hardin attempts to sway the audience opinion on the world food bank but fails to do so. Hardin uses metaphors such as a lifeboat and a spaceship to represent the U.S. and planet earth. A lifeboat can only hold so many people and before it exceeds the capacity and a spaceship does not exclude anyone but limits the resources for everybody. In the lifeboat are many of the rich nations such as the U.S. and the United Nations and outside in the water are many of the poor countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Pakistan. Since the U.S. is considered one of the rich nations they are considered the rich passengers among the boat which will be able to stay, the poorer countries will remain outside and only allowed if there is any room in the lifeboat. If the boat has enough space for fifty passengers then only fifty passengers will be allowed but if our “conscience stricken” side comes out then we possibly may allow more passengers. Suppose we allow ten more passengers we have now lost the safety factor on the lifeboat just as if we allow the country to overpopulate then we can lose the safety...
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...Effects of over population in Mexico City There are parts of the world that have an alarming overpopulation rate, one of these locations is Mexico city which is located in the Federal District, Capital of the Country of Mexico. Mexico City's enormous population continues to rapidly increase every day. With approximately 20 million residents; up from 9 million only 20 years ago, Mexico City is considered the most populous urban center on earth. There are many people in the country of Mexico who move to Mexico city because they feel that there are better life and employment opportunities there, however there are also hundreds of people that are born there every year and these factors contribute even more to its overcrowding and overpopulation. Mexico City has a poor living habitat because it is located in the Valley of Mexico, and is highly vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. These natural disasters have caused much destruction making these grounds to be weak and dry, never the less the city is rapidly diminishing water supply which adds a danger problem to the overcrowding of its population. Once its water supply is gone, the only way to receive water will be to transport it from across the mountains. Not only does the city have to pipe water in, but it also has to pipe the sewage out of waste-filled areas. This would be a very expensive undertaking and could cost Mexico City a large amount of money. In...
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