The rapid increase of the Earth’s population is becoming an issue due to the depletion of forests and limited resources. From 1900 to the present day, there has been a dramatic increase in the world’s population by 5.8 million. In this era, humans are reproducing more than in previous times, causing them to cluster near each other in cities and live in crowded conditions with limited resources. If the world continues to carry on these factors, the earth will not sustain its resources in the near future.
There are many factors that contribute to the overpopulation of the world. Developing countries need education, and there is a major gap in wealth along with social class. Additionally, the exploitation of Earth’s resources is a factor in overpopulation. In some countries, individuals lack money or opportunity for education and as a result do not know how to control population using protection methods.
Lack of family planning is commonly seen in illiterate populations and results in increased birth rates.” (Beddington, J, 2010) Illiteracy is an important factor contributing to overpopulation. It has been proven that individuals with at least post-secondary education have fewer children than those without post-secondary education.
“One-third of population growth worldwide comes from incidental or unwanted pregnancies.” (Beddington, J, 2010) The concept of birth control isn’t widely accepted in many cultures; certain cultures even consider it forbidden.
In some cultures, male children are preferred, which ultimately forces couples to produce children until a child of the preferred gender is conceived. Women are often pressured by their families and society to have children. It is a role that women are given, not by choice, but by their societies. They are child bearers and always will be.
“Those lacking education don’t quite understand the need to curb population growth. Modern methods of birth control and family planning don’t reach certain societies either, making it difficult for them to have methods of curbing their growing population,” (Oak, M., 2012). These people are unable to understand what impact overpopulation can have because they haven’t been taught about this international concern nor do they have time to think about it with all that they already deal with.
Those with education can make more responsible decisions about marriage and childbirth. Thus education is an effective tool in curbing overpopulation.
Human nature always desires something more or better, and realistically, people are never completely satisfied. However, there are too many people on the planet for all of them to live well and carry a comfortable life. There is an immense income disparity among individuals, as well as power differences between social classes. As wealth and resources become more available, the cost associated with obtaining these resources increases, resulting in unequal access to them. Those living in the middle, lower, and bottom income brackets find it increasingly challenging to sustain a viable quality of life.” (Beddington J., 2010) Compared to the entire population, only a few people possess large amounts of money and power over others. As Earth’s population continues to increase, poverty will increase as well. Although there are evidently enough resources for everyone on the planet, their distribution is not equal.
Millionaires are always looking for ways to increase their wealth, often by hiring people at extremely low wages due to their unfortunate desperation. The Bourgeoisie will inevitably maintain their wealth through passing it down, while the Proletariat will remain stuck in positions that require heavy labor for minimal income. Money is scarce to some degree for all individuals. The top one percent holds an excessive amount of money and power over others, resulting in significant wealth inequality that perpetuates poverty and allows the rich to accumulate even more riches while leaving the poor with less.
Increasing population leads to an increase in the need for products, resulting in more production. People in agriculture, such as farmers, have always had the ability to exploit their resources to reach the fullest potential of their harvest, but this is starting to change. One resource that is particularly running low is fresh water – out of all the water on earth, only two percent is fresh and of that only one percent can be used; the rest is locked up as parts of gases or as ice in the polar caps (Beddington, J., 2010). Humans use half of all available fresh water yet many still struggle to find enough. Over one billion people lack access – if they have any – to clean and safe drinking water.
As the population grows, so will the number of people living in conditions where they are unable to obtain basic resources. According to Beddington (2010), The water tables of China, India, Pakistan, Mexico and Yemen are dropping by 1 to 3 meters per year, as are those of the US, especially in the southern Great Plains where thousands of farms have gone dry.” This water deficit will cross international borders in the form of increasing grain prices worldwide since one ton of grain requires 1000 tons of water.
The planet is clearly struggling to manage the growing demand for goods and resources. Nearly 80 million people are added to the planet every year and a healthy future is not guaranteed unless there is a demand for materials that can be recycled.
Overpopulation is a serious issue that continues to grow and affect future generations. It is crucial to increase awareness about this problem, as it worsens every second. Education should be provided to those in need to help reduce the birth rate, resources must be managed wisely for future generations, and a better distribution of wealth worldwide needs to be developed in order to control this issue.
According to the U.N., the world population is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. It’s crucial for people to consider this number. Earth cannot sustain an infinite population and the pollution they produce. Overpopulation won’t resolve on its own; the birth rate won’t magically decrease, and change won’t happen until people truly want it and take action.
