A Growing Population: Problem or Excuse? The current worldwide population is around 6.9 billion and is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 (Baird). This projected population number is down from the once predicted 16 billion (Baird) and while some are not concerned others are worried by any increase in population. Population growth is discussed in the articles “Too Many People?” by Vanessa Baird; “Population Control: How Can There Possibly Be Too Many of Us?” by Frank Furedi; and “The Population Bomb Revisited,” by Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich. Baird and Furedi concur that the concern over population growth has been around since mathematician Thomas Malthus, in 1798, warned that overpopulation could lead to “the collapse …show more content…
While Furedi and Ehrlich and Ehrlich take different sides on the concern for population growth Baird provides information from UN projections. Baird comments that the world population will continue to grow and that it will begin to “decline and stabilize.” She believes that this should add “perspective” to the worry over population growth and points out that one factor in our population growth being “temporary” is a declining fertility rate (Baird). Ehrlich and Ehrlich also acknowledge a relationship between birth rates and population growth and offer finding ways to reduce the birthrate as one solution to “the population problem” (68). When discussing population growth the authors offer their perspectives on population control programs (family planning). Ehrlich and Ehrlich stay true to the message of their book when acknowledging the positive role of “government-sponsored programs in education”, education for women, and programs making contraceptives more accessible (65), in reducing the birth rate. Baird comments on Australian Demographer Peter McDonald pointing out the reason population will not reach 16 billion is due to the success of family planning. Baird proposes a “chicken and egg” scenario in which education lowers the fertility rate and a lower fertility rate can equal more education. She explains benefits of a declining
Population Growth is an issue that exists in today’s world that needs to be confronted before it becomes out of hand. The population itself has reached overwhelming numbers making it a problem that could turn to be dangerous. The amount of humans that the earth can support or the carrying capacity is slowly rising but at a much slower rate than the population growth rate. The increasing growth rate has its negative effects environmentally, agriculturally, socially, and economically and also has its positive effects nationally, and economically. The government is brainstorming and trying to come up with ways to decrease
Thesis: The topic of human population growth is an important issue due to its impacts upon people in developing countries, economics, religion, food production, and the environment; without any limitations, population growth can lead to negative consequences, such as famine and environmental destruction, or even positive outcomes, such as potential economic growth.
Overpopulation is an issue that many persons fail to bring attention, but don’t know the underlying effects that it can have on the United States itself. The hardships of overpopulation, affects the economy, the available of resources, and also the success of the future generations to come. Without much thought, someone may have children not knowing that it can affect the livelihood of the future generations who plan to land that job or that position they were aspiring to get. There are those individuals that continue having children, knowing that they are not financially capable of supporting another innocent child. In result this negatively affects the quality of living. If there are more births, it foreshadows that there are more jobs to be created, which causes employment hard to acquire, nevertheless, causing the economy to make a turn for the
The world population is only growing. The U.N. predicts that from today’s 7.5 billion we will reach 9.3 billion by the year 2050. (World Population Prospects n.p) In New York Times author Nicholas Kristof’s article, The Birth Control Solution, Kristof attempts to promote family planning as a solution to many of the world’s problems. He will do this by giving examples that an out of control global population causes poverty, conflict, and environmental damage; and that family planning would be a cost effective solution.
Major progress has been made in curbing population growth. The United Nations Population facts August 2010 states that there has been substantial declines in fertility, total fertility in the rest of the developing world(excluding the least developed countries) declined by about 50 per cent between 1970-1975 and 2005-2010: from 5.0 to 2.5 children per woman. Additionally fertility in the least developed countries dropped by 34 per cent since 1970-1975, from 6.7 to 4.4 children per woman. Bangladesh is exceptional with a reduction of over 60 per cent, from 6.9 children per woman in 1970-1975 to an estimated 2.4 in 2005-2010.
Joe Bish the Director of Issues Advocacy at Population Media Center backs up our point. He explains that a lack of education and understanding of the effects of overpopulation which he referred to as “Scaffolding” has lead to the increase in population density. Which he explained that an understanding of family size is an significant factor if global population is to be reduced. This point is shown through the use of child tax concessions which provides education due to the reduction of age to claim child tax credit. So thus meaning parents who are thinking logically about their family size is a significant step in the right direction help mitigate global overpopulation. He continues to state that unrestricted access to modern birth control or contraception must be applied. This factor can be achieved through the use of birth control which has been shown to be cost effective. Joe Bish’s opinion reinforces the significance of our solution as it solves the leading causes of
Barry Commoner in “Poverty Breeds ‘Overpopulation’” begins his argument by stating that the population is clearly growing, but the resources we have are limited. Demographic transition is a characteristic found in Western states. If there is an increase in the standard of living than a population balance will occur, but this is not the case because of the death rates, birth rates, and infant mortality rates in poorer countries. These countries cannot afford education and new technologies that will help with this problem such as birth control. However, the increased standard of living is the first stage of the demographic transition.
Even if our world’s fertility rate is falling, our population will continue to grow from when the fertility rates were high. The populations momentum is tied into the Demographic Transition concept because it is based off of four stages. According to our book, the four stages all rely on the falling and rising rates of fertility and death. Population momentum falls under the third stage of the Demographic Transition because of the fertility rate falling. Even though the fertility rate has lowered, that generation will live longer, so our populations will continue to grow for another twenty years. By that time, the fertility rate could begin to grow again. It is an ever-changing transition. “Urbanization, modernization, and the empowerment of women push fertility rates downward, thus ushering in the final stage of the Demographic Transition. Put another way, the urbanization of society - if also associated with modernization and women’s rights - helps slow the rate of growth” (Smith, 2010, pg.
With 200 years past, much has changed since Malthus published his famous Essay on the Principle of Population. Nonetheless, his theories remain interwoven in modern discourse about the effects of our growing population, despite new evidence that challenges his ideas. Malthus argued that as populations grow exponentially, the linear production of food is unable to feed a rising global population. Malthus concluded that poverty emanates from this tension between population growth and food availability. He hypothesized that the earth could only sustain a certain number of people and that a series of positive checks—famine, war, disease—and negative checks—celibacy, contraception—that keep the population from surpassing its natural limit. Malthus
It is a widely known fact that the population of the world increases by a great factor every year. However, not many people know what exactly is causing this upsurge. In the past century, the population has radically grown. The main things increasing the world’s population are medical care and infant mortality rates because both have changed drastically over the past century.
Countries in the world hold different attitudes to the population policy, some of them tend to delay the increase of population while others introduce policies to encourage childbirth. After centuries of continual growth, which started at the first industrial revolution, the global population reached over 7 billion individuals in 2013. Research by Ezeh, Bongaarts and Mberu (2012) states that increasing population is a threat to individuals and societies by bring problems based on unsatisfied demand. The “increasing population” in this essay can be defined as net rising in birth rate during a period, especially in the poor developing countries. This essay will argue that the world cannot sustain an increasing population. The reasons for
The article starts with the debates of the authors with Paul Ehrlich who in his book “The Population Bomb” published in 1968 made some predictions caused by population growth. But in writing, Ehrlich did not consider technological change and the growth of free enterprise across the world. He did not foresee the fact that population would gradually shrink due to birth rates decreasing. Using logos arguments, the authors provide the reader with a comprehensive analysis of the misbalance in demographic situation. For example, the authors used such arguments in Russia: “Its adult population is expected to fall from 90 million to 20 million before the end of the century” (Habeen and Leven as cited in Ramage 469). That means in Russia the general population of Russia will drop dramatically. Also, in different parts of the world it is the same story with dropping population. In Japan, “The number of deaths this past year exceeded the number of births” (Habeen and Leven as cited in Ramage 469). To illustrate that this problem is not of local significance the author uses the pathos argument “The baby bust is ravaging Europe and spreading to the developing world” (Habeen and Leven as cited in Ramage 470). This means in more developed nations such as the United States we are seeing more babies being born. The combination of logos and pathos arguments in this fragment is very effective; it makes the reader interested in the article from the first paragraph. One of the phrases state
There are currently seven million people inhabiting earth. By 2050, it is predicted that population will reach up to 10.63 billion and by 2300 it is predicted to be 36.44 billion. In less than 300 years, population will grow by more than 30 billion people. The earth is meant to hold about six billion people and since humans have already already exceeded its limit, it is crucial for strong actions to take place in order to prevent overpopulation or else serious, irreversible problems will occur. The damage that overpopulation does to people and to the earth is unknown to many, but there are simple ways to control and prevent overpopulation. People have been debating the topic of
Overpopulation is a foremost challenge that humans face today. According to www.Worldometeres.info, the human population is heading to 7.5 billion, and at our current birthrate, we are adding nearly one billion more people every twelve years. Issues such as dependence on natural resources, degradation of the environment, poverty, and unemployment, are root issues caused by overpopulation. Though opponents of this theory, such as Erle C. Ellis, use archaeological records and the history of human evolution to argue against overpopulation. Robert Walker, on the other hand, disagrees. He uses scientific explanation to anticipate that all living beings on earth are under torment as they die off due to erosion of fundamental natural resources such as food and water. Next, Alon Tal argues that carrying capacity will be at a standstill as the population continues to rise, so we need to prepare ourselves for overpopulation. Finally, Joel Kotkin claims that an exiguous amount of babies will cause economic hardship, which will, in turn, cause the economic annihilation of societies; there are too few young people to replace the elderly workers. This essay will review the claims of issues and effects of overpopulation made by the authors mentioned above.
The increasing world’s population is a global issue and becomes a source of anxiety for many scholars and decision makers around the globe. U.S. Census Bureau estimated that population growth will persist into the 21st century, growing from 6 billion in 1999 to 9 billion by 2044 (2010). In a longer term, it is also projected that human population may keep increasing up to 36.4 billion in 2300 (United Nations, 2003). Population upsurge is considered a centre piece for a range of problems world would encounter in the future. This essay will point out some of main problems generated by population increase and propose some solutions to cope with the issues. In particular, the focus will be on environmental, health, and social issues.