Demographers are sounding the alarm: overpopulation of the planet every year becomes an increasingly urgent problem for our planet. The increase in the number of people threatens a social and environmental disaster. Dangerous trends are forcing specialists to look for ways to solve this problem.
Is there a threat?
A generalized explanation of the threat posed by the overpopulation of the planet is that in the event of a demographic crisis on Earth, resources will run out, and part of the population will face the fact of a lack of food, water or other important means of subsistence. This process is closely linked to economic growth. If the development of human infrastructure does not keep pace with the growth of the population, someone will inevitably be in adverse conditions for life.
The degradation of forests, pastures, wildlife, soils - this is just an incomplete list of what threatens the overpopulation of the planet. According to scientists, today, due to the cramped and lack of resources in the poorest countries of the world, about 30 million people die prematurely every year.
Overconsumption
The multifaceted problem of overpopulation of the planet is not only the impoverishment of natural resources (this situation is more likely for poor countries). In the case of economically developed states, another difficulty arises - overconsumption. It leads to the fact that the society that is not the largest in number is too wasteful in using the resources provided to it, polluting the environment. Population density also plays a role. In large industrial cities, it is so large that it cannot but harm the environment.
Background
The current problem of overpopulation of the planet arose by the end of the 20th century. At the beginning of our era, about 100 million people lived on Earth. Regular wars, epidemics, archaic medicine - all this did not allow the population to grow rapidly. The mark of 1 billion was overcome only in 1820. But already in the 20th century, overpopulation of the planet became an increasingly possible fact, since the number of people grew exponentially (which was facilitated by progress and an increase in living standards).
Today, about 7 billion people live on Earth (the seventh billion has been “recruited” in just the past fifteen years). The annual increase is 90 million. A similar situation by scientists is called the population explosion. A direct consequence of this phenomenon is the overpopulation of the planet. The main increase is in the countries of the second and third world, including Africa, where the increase in the birth rate of significance overtakes economic and social development.
Urbanization costs
Of all the types of settlements, cities are growing most rapidly (both the area they occupy and the number of citizens increase). This process is called urbanization. The role of the city in the life of society is steadily increasing, the urban lifestyle is spreading to new territories. This is due to the fact that agriculture has ceased to be a key sector of the global economy, as it has been for many centuries.
In the XX century there was a “silent revolution”, the result of which was the emergence of many megacities in various parts of the globe. In science, the modern era is also called the "era of large cities", which clearly reflects the fundamental changes that have occurred with humanity over the past few generations.
What do dry numbers say about this? In the 20th century, the urban population increased annually by about half percent. This indicator is even higher than the demographic growth. If in 1900 13% of the world's population lived in cities, then in 2010 it was already 52%. This indicator is not going to stop.
It is the cities that cause the most environmental damage. In third world countries, they also grow in huge slums with many environmental and social problems. As is the case with the general increase in population, the largest urban population growth is today observed in Africa. There, the pace is about 4%.
Causes
The traditional reasons for overpopulation of the planet lie in the religious and cultural traditions of some societies in Asia and Africa, where a large family is the norm for the vast majority of residents. Many countries prohibit contraception and abortion. A large number of children do not bother residents of those countries where poverty and poverty remain commonplace. All this leads to the fact that in Central African countries there are on average 4-6 newborns per family, even though parents often cannot support them.
Harm from overpopulation
The key threat to overpopulation of the planet comes down to pressure on the environment. The main blow to nature comes from cities. Occupying only 2% of the Earth’s land, they are the source of 80% of the emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. They also account for 6/10 of fresh water consumption. Landfills poison the soil. The more people live in cities, the more severe are the effects of overpopulation of the planet.
Humanity is increasing its consumption. At the same time, the earth's reserves do not have time to recover and simply disappear. This applies even to renewable resources (forests, fresh water, fish), as well as food. More fertile lands are being withdrawn from circulation. This is facilitated by the open mining of fossil states. To increase agricultural productivity, pesticides and mineral fertilizers are used. They poison the soil, lead to its erosion.
Worldwide crop growth is approximately 1% per year. This indicator is significantly behind the rate of increase in the Earth's population. The consequence of this gap is the danger of a food crisis (for example, in the case of droughts). The expansion of any production also poses the planet with the danger of lack of energy.
The "upper threshold" of the planet
Scientists believe that with the current level of consumption characteristic of rich countries, the Earth is able to feed about 2 billion more people, and with a noticeable decrease in the quality of life, the planet will be able to "accommodate" a few more billion. For example, in India, 1.5 hectares of land per inhabitant, while in Europe - 3.5 hectares.
These figures were voiced by scientists Mathis Wackernagel and William Reese. In the 1990s, they created a concept called the “Ecology Footprint”. Researchers estimate that the Earth’s habitable area is approximately 9 billion hectares, while the then-global population was 6 billion people, which means that 1.5 hectares per person were on average.
The increasing tightness and lack of resources will cause not only environmental disaster. Already today in some regions of the world crowding of people leads to social, national and, finally, political crises. This pattern is proved by the situation in the Middle East. Most of this region is occupied by deserts. The population of narrow fertile valleys is characterized by high density. Resources are not enough for everyone. And in this regard, there are regular conflicts between different ethnic groups.
Indian incident
The most obvious example of overpopulation and its consequences is India. The birth rate in this country is 2.3 children per woman. This does not greatly exceed the level of natural reproduction. However, overpopulation is already observed in India (1.2 billion people, 2/3 of whom are under the age of 35). These figures indicate an imminent humanitarian disaster (if you do not intervene in the situation).
According to the UN forecast, in 2100 the population of India will be 2.6 billion people. If the situation really reaches such figures, then due to deforestation under the fields and lack of water resources, the country will experience environmental destruction. In India, many ethnic groups live, which threatens civil war and the collapse of the state. A similar scenario will certainly affect the whole world, if only because a mass flow of refugees will pour out of the country, and they will settle in completely different, more prosperous states.
Problem Solving Methods
There are several theories on how to deal with the demographic problem of the earth. The fight against overpopulation of the planet can be carried out using incentive policies. It consists in social changes that offer people goals and opportunities that can replace traditional family roles. Lonely people can be given benefits in the form of tax benefits, housing, etc. Such a policy will increase the number of people who refuse to decide to marry early.
For women, a system of job and education is needed to increase interest in a career and, conversely, reduce interest in premature motherhood. Legalization of abortion is also required. That is how overpopulation of the planet can be delayed. Ways to solve this problem include other concepts.
Restrictive measures
Today, in some countries with high birth rates, restrictive demographic policies are being pursued. Somewhere in the framework of such a course, methods of coercion are used. For example, in India in the 1970s. forced sterilization was performed.
The most famous and successful example of a restraining policy in the field of demography is China. In China, couples with two children and more paid fines. Pregnant women gave a fifth of their salary. Such a policy allowed to reduce the demographic growth from 30% to 10% over 20 years (1970-1990).
With the restriction in China, 200 million fewer newborns were born than they would have been without sanctions. The problem of overpopulation of the planet and solutions can form new difficulties. Thus, the restrictive policy of China has led to a noticeable aging of the population, which is why today China is gradually refusing fines for large families. Attempts to introduce demographic restrictions have also been in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka.
Caring for the environment
In order for the overpopulation of the Earth not to become fatal for the whole planet, it is necessary not only to limit the birth rate, but also to use resources more rationally. Changes may include the use of alternative energy sources. They are less wasteful and more effective. Sweden by 2020 will abandon sources of fossil fuels of organic origin (they will be replaced by energy from renewable sources). Iceland is following the same path.
Overpopulation of the planet, as a global problem, threatens the whole world. While in Scandinavia they are switching to alternative energy, Brazil intends to transfer vehicles to ethanol from sugarcane, a large amount of which is produced in this South American country.
In 2012, 10% of British energy was already generated from wind power. In the USA, they are concentrating on the atomic sphere. Germany and Spain are the European leaders in wind energy, with an industry annual growth rate of 25%. As environmental measures to protect the biosphere, the opening of new reserves and national parks is excellent.
All these examples show that policies aimed at alleviating the burden on the environment are not only possible, but also effective. Such measures will not save the world from overpopulation, but at least smooth out its most negative consequences. To care for the environment, it is necessary to reduce the area of agricultural land used, while avoiding food shortages. The global distribution of resources must be fair. The wealthy part of humanity can abandon the surplus of its own resources, providing them to those who need them more.
