Overpopulation is a significant problem that the Earth is currently facing. More than 4,000 cities worldwide have populations of over 100,000 people, and this number keeps increasing as the global community grows. The effects of overpopulation extend beyond humans and also affect the environment while raising concerns about limited resources on Earth. According to ABF U-Pack Moving, the world population is growing by approximately 74 million individuals every year, equivalent to a city comparable in size to San Francisco emerging every three days.
The population of the world has been rapidly increasing, particularly in densely populated countries like India, the USA, and China. However, there is much debate surrounding China’s growing population and its impact on Chinese society and the global community. In the past five decades, China has experienced significant population growth due to advances in medicine and agriculture. This growth can be attributed to factors such as higher birth rates, lower mortality rates, immigration, and depletion of resources. If current fertility rates continue, the population could reach an astonishing 296 billion in just 150 years (McKibben 1998). By 2010, more than half of the global population (3.5 billion people) lived in urban areas – a number projected to rise to 70% (6.2 billion people) or more by 2050. Currently, China alone has a population of 1,313,180,218 people (nearly 4 billion), accounting for 60% of the world’s population and making it both Asia’s most populous country and globally.
The employment crisis in China is caused by the large population in cities like Beijing, resulting in a shortage of jobs. The current unemployment rate in China is 4.1% as of the second quarter of 2012 (Trading Economics, 2012). From 2002 to 2012, the average unemployment rate in China was 4.15%, with the highest rate of 4.3% in December 2003 and the lowest rate of 3.9% in September 2002 (Trading Economics, 2012). Jiabao stated that the Chinese job market may face a downturn and action should be taken by the government to create more job opportunities (The Telegraph, Friday 28 September 2012).
China’s employment situation will worsen if population growth predictions hold true, as reported by the Official China Securities Journal. To address this issue, China has implemented the One Child Policy as part of its population control measures. This policy limits couples to having only one child and includes exceptions for certain cases like twins, rural couples, ethnic minorities, and parents without siblings.
Around 35.9% of China’s population is currently impacted by the one-child restriction, a policy introduced in 1978 to tackle social, economic, and environmental concerns. The authorities claim that this policy has resulted in the prevention of over 250 million births between 1980 and 2000 and 400 million from 1979 to 2011 (Rocha da Silva, Pascal, 2006). Both the Chinese government and environmentalists agree that population control is crucial for humanity to move towards a more sustainable future (Watts, 2011).
Contrary to the perception that the one-child policy in China will have beneficial effects, Peter Cai’s article from The Age in July 2012 presents an opposing view. Cai contends that it is imperative for the Chinese Government to swiftly modify this contentious policy to avert forthcoming economic and social catastrophes (Cai, 2012). Zhang Erli, a former senior official from the Family Planning Commission, expresses similar worries and cautions that without prompt alteration of the current policy, China will face substantial labor shortages and aging issues within two decades.
“The pressure on society will be unbearable” (Erli, 2012) according to one source. Another article in The Age (published 2008) argues that China’s concern twenty-five years ago was the responsibility of supporting a large number of children. However, due to the success of its “one-child” policy, the country now confronts the potential problem of having too few children to provide for an aging population (Kaneda, 2008). Consequently, there is significant controversy regarding the influence of the policy on overpopulation.
China is currently dealing with various pressing issues, such as the one-child policy, smart growth, containment measures, urban growth boundaries, compactness, density and more. The size and density of its population, along with the ratio of population to resources, resource availability and sustainability, as well as resource distribution are all major concerns in regards to overpopulation. These concerns are causing a real-world crisis that has far-reaching negative impacts on resource availability.
China is facing a shortage of renewable and non-renewable resources, which is causing a decline in the availability of sustainable food and fresh water, an increase in diseases and epidemics, overcrowding, and environmental pollution. Developing countries have population densities that are four times higher than those in developed nations. It is predicted that by 2050, the land areas of these developing countries will expand more than threefold. However, China’s status as a developed nation with a dense population leads to an even greater carbon footprint.
China’s pollution is primarily caused by industrialization, the growing number of vehicles on the road, and population growth. It has been reported that air pollution in China results in around 656,000 deaths each year. Moreover, over half of the world’s tropical rainforests have been lost since 1947. In contrast, China alone consumes approximately 388 million barrels of oil per year for various purposes like fuel, food production, and manufacturing plastic goods. An article written by Matt Wade and published in The Age emphasizes how China is the main contributor to the global increase in greenhouse gas emissions and subsequent widespread air pollution.
As the population increases and consumption rises, waste production also grows and has a negative impact on the environment. This results in contamination of the water supply, which is crucial for human survival. Moreover, hazardous waste causes severe health problems and various diseases in humans. According to Wade (2011), pollution is strongly associated with overpopulation and is responsible for 300,000 deaths and 20 million respiratory illnesses every year.
Overpopulation and pollution have a significant impact on human life and the global food supply, causing a decline in food availability. The current worldwide food crisis is unlikely to improve unless there is a substantial decrease in population size. In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified one billion people as ‘undernourished’, with similar numbers recorded in 2007, 2008, and 2011. Billions of individuals globally struggle to survive on only US$2 per day while food prices continue to rise. Experts predict that we need to increase food production by 60-100% by 2050 to meet the needs of this growing population (Grantham, 2012). The scarcity of food leads to malnutrition, vulnerability to diseases, stunted growth, impaired brain development, and starvation. China’s current problem with food shortages will worsen unless rapid population growth is controlled and agricultural advancements are made.
According to UN expert Olivier De Schutter, if China were to relax its one-child policy, even a slight increase in the average fertility rate could result in significant population growth. This would consequently lead to a larger number of individuals who require sustenance. In an article published in The Guardian, De Schutter argues that despite the Chinese government’s efforts to ensure food security for its vast population, challenges such as land degradation, urbanization, and heavy reliance on fossil fuels and fertilizers are straining the country’s ability to sustainably provide food for one-fifth of the global population (De Schutter, 2011).
The increasing gap between rural and urban areas in China has resulted in both the availability and demand for food being affected. As a result, nutrition levels across the nation have increased while significant differences in access to food have emerged due to growing income inequality. Furthermore, China is currently facing a shortage of usable farmland and essential water resources necessary to feed its large population. This problem is exacerbated by the country’s low ratio of arable land per capita, along with the depletion of water resources caused by industrial consumption. According to government officials mentioned in Fernando’s article from The Business Insider (2010), this situation is deteriorating rather than improving.
Zhang Ping, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, acknowledges that China’s food security is currently affected by a lack of available farmland and water resources. However, there are some individuals who believe that China can ensure a consistent food supply regardless of changes in population size. According to Zhang Ping, “The issue of food shortage is not present in China. Despite fluctuations in grain prices and population growth in urban and rural areas, as long as we support farmers and maintain a stable grain sown area, China’s grain production capacity can exceed 500 million tons.” (Hongyu, People’s Daily, 2011).
Despite concerns about overpopulation, China is confident in its ability to feed its projected population of 1.48 billion in 2025. The country has sufficient arable land and water resources to ensure food availability for its people. However, if the current fertility rates continue, the global population will only cease growing when our natural resources are exhausted.
Despite arguments from experts that China can sustain its current or previous standard of living despite a growing population, the country remains susceptible to potential food and job shortages, as well as severe health risks stemming from pollution in the near future. These challenges are all direct outcomes of overpopulation. Nevertheless, at a global level, there is an alarming increase in the world population leading to various concerns about environmental sustainability.
