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The Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101). But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically. Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth.
The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U. S. population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U.
S. population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die.
Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet.
When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates.
Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2. Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; . It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth.
Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers. The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens. As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3.
Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population. With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around. At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years.
Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty. Underlying these is a number of problems. One is discrimination.
When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes. Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources. There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families. And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen.
As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase. This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration. The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many.
As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears.
It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China. The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030. Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5.
This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem.
If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life. If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries.
This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts. The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction.
Overpopulatiothe Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101). But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically.
Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U. S.
population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U. S. population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die.
Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet.
When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates. Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2.
Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; . It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth. Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow.
Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers. The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens. As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3. Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population.
With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around. At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years. Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty. Underlying these is a number of problems.
One is discrimination. When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes. Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources. There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families.
And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen. As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase. This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration.
The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it.
As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China. The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030. Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5.
This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem. If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life.
If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries. This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2.
Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts. The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction. Overpopulatiothe Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it.
Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101). But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically. Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U.
S. population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U. S.
population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die. Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty.
A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet. When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades.
Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates. Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2. Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point.
Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; . It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth. Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers.
The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens. As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3. Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population. With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around.
At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years. Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty. Underlying these is a number of problems. One is discrimination. When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes.
Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources. There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families. And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen.
As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase. This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration. The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China.
The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030. Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5. This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem.
If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life. If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility.
Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries. This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts.
The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction. Overpopulatiothe Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101).
But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically. Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U. S.
population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U. S. population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die.
Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet.
When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates.
Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2. Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; .
It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth. Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers. The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens.
As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3. Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population. With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around.
At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years. Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty. Underlying these is a number of problems. One is discrimination. When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes.
Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources. There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families. And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen. As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase.
This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration. The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it.
Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China. The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030.
Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5. This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem.
If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life. If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries.
This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts.
The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction. Overpopulatiothe Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101). But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically.
Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U. S.
population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U. S. population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die.
Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty.
Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet. When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates.
Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2. Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; . It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth.
Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers. The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens. As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3.
Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population. With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around. At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years.
Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty. Underlying these is a number of problems. One is discrimination.
When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes. Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources. There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families. And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen.
As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase. This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration. The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears.
It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China. The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030. Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5.
This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem.
If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life. If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries. This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care.
If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival. Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts.
The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction. Overpopulatiothe Book of Genesis tells the story of creation of man. God said to man, be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was believed that God would provide for those who came into the world (Day 101).
But, in 1798, this view was shaken by Thomas Malthus An Essay on the Principle of Population, in which he concluded that while population increases geometrically, agricultural production only increases arithmetically. Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. The world population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999, and is expected to reach 9. 3 billion by 2050! The impact of population growth is already felt by a majority of nations. The U. S.
population has increased by 78 % since 1950. Growing at 3, 000, 000 per year, U. S. population is expected to approach half a billion people in 50 years 1. A number of factors drive this growth. At the most basic level, it is because far more people are born each year than die.
Advances in nutrition and health care have increased survival rates and longevity for much of the world, and shifted the balance between births and deaths. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas. In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet.
When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many 'growth advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates. Advocates of 'sustainability argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion, extinction of species, pollution of air and water, and deforestation are all indicators of exceeding carrying capacity. Deforestation is driven by a wide range of social and economic forces, but underlying them all is the severe growth of human population and the rising demand for land and forest products such growth creates 2.
Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts&# 61489; . It is impossible for people to live without forests, food, or water. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely threatened by thriving population growth.
Another issue concerning population is employment. Some growth advocates argue that their economies will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with stable populations already face shortages of younger workers. The advocates believe that not only may there not be enough workers to keep up production, they suggest that there may not be enough workers to pay into retirement and medical plans to support older citizens. As far as economic concerns, there is no shortage of workers. Instead, there is a shortage of work, with roughly one billion people unemployed or underemployed 3.
Worker shortages in industrialized countries may be resolved by importing workers from developing regions, and by keeping older workers who choose to stay in the job market. Thus there is no need for a larger population. With the abundant growth of world population at some point there will no longer be enough resources to go around. At the present rate of consumption, oil and gas supplies will last about forty years. Although there is enough coal to last for four hundred years it is damaging to the environment. With this we will see significant scarcity and poverty.
Underlying these is a number of problems. One is discrimination. When resources are scarce, those in power often decide who wont get a fair share, and may discriminate against gender, other races, religions, or economic classes. Limited resources due to overpopulation will cause people to move in search of more resources.
There are hundreds of millions of migrant people in the world today, seeking food, water, land and work. Scarcity drives legal and illegal immigration into Canada and other industrialized nations as people struggle to survive and support their families. And when insufficiency is acute, people may fight over resources. As world population and consumption grow, environmental impacts multiply, and the limitations of resources worsen.
As more people compete for the same resources, social, ethnic, and political tensions increase. This combination drives political instability, declining social health, and greater migration. The succession of overpopulation, consumption, and scarcity has fuelled more than 150 wars since the end of World War II, and driven tens of millions of people from their homes as economic migrants or refugees 4. The affects of overpopulation on human society are many. As population increase the quality of life for an individual decreases. Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, it disappears. It doesnt matter if someone dies. The more people there are, the less one individual matters. (Isaac Asimov). This situation is ringing true in China.
The United Nations estimates that Chinas population may reach the unmanageable mark of 2 billion as early as the year 2030. Right now China contains 22 percent of the worlds people but occupies only 7 percent of its arable land 5. This massive population growth places enormous strains on China. It threatens massive food shortages, soaring demands for health care and housing, socially destabilizing unemployment, overburdened public transport and a rapidly deteriorating environment. Ultimately the growing populations and large families that couples are continuing to have despite Chinas one-child policy are harmful to the quality of life. China is not the only place that will face this problem.
If populations continue to grow at the current rate then people all over the world will face a lower quality of life. If world population continues to grow in the fast paced trend of the present, not only will our environment suffer but also future generations and the standard of living many enjoy today will no longer be attainable. Fortunately a future of scarcity, inequity, and conflict is not inevitable. There are steps to be taken to stabilize population such as controlling fertility. Families can currently choose to have fewer children in industrialized countries.
This can also be made possible for developing countries by providing family planning, and reproductive health care. If every couple in the world could reliably and affordably choose the number and spacing of their children, world population growth would slow by nearly twenty percent almost immediately 2. Protection and enhancement of human rights is necessary so that all people have access to the essentials of a decent life. Improving peoples social health and economic well being can move them out of poverty, and away from needing more children for survival.
Solving the problem of population growth will also help solve the environmental, economic and social problems the world confronts. The choices we make in the next few decades about our own numbers and lifestyles will determine whether the world of the 21 st century will be one of hope and opportunity, or of scarcity and destruction. 322
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Research essay sample on Isaac Asimov Industrialized Nations
