Overpopulation their causes, effects and solutions.

 

Overpopulation is an undesirable situation under which the current human population exceeds the Earth's actual carrying ability. A variety of factors cause overpopulation. There are few factors that contribute to overpopulation: decreased mortality rate, better medical services, and depletion of valuable resources. If it does not support life, it is possible for a sparsely populated region to become heavily populated. With each coming year, increasing advancement in technology has influenced humanity in several respects. One of them was the opportunity to save lives and provide everyone with better medical care. The increased life span and population growth have been a direct consequence of this.

The human overpopulation issue is the topic I see as the most vital to solve if our children and grandchildren are to have a good quality of life.

                 Alexandra Paul

In the last fifty or so years, population growth has boomed and turned into overpopulation. The birth and death rates have always been able to balance each other in the history of our species and maintain a population growth rate that is sustainable. None of these, however, could make a dent in the population. More than developed countries, developing nations face the question of overpopulation, but as of now it affects much of the Earth. We should first seek to grasp the root causes of it when we are talking about overpopulation.

Causes of overpopulation:

·         The decline in the death rate:

The disparity between the average birth rate and the death rate in communities is at the root of overpopulation. If the number of children born each year is equal to the number of adults who age, so it will stabilize the population.

·         Agriculture advancement:

In the same moment, technological revolutions and population explosions occur. Three big technological revolutions have occurred. They are the tool-making revolution, the revolution in agriculture, and the revolution in industry.

·         Medical facilities:

After this, the industrial revolution began. Perhaps the main explanation why the equilibrium was permanently broken was technological progress.

·         More hands to overcome poverty:

When talking about overpopulation, we should remember that there is also a psychological dimension. The leading cause of overpopulation is believed to be poverty. In the absence of educational services, combined with high death rates, resulting in higher birth rates, there is a massive population boom in poor areas.

·         Child labor:

The fact that child labor is still extensively practiced in many parts of the world is no less than a catastrophe. Approximately 150 million children are currently employed in nations with few child labour laws, according to UNICEF. Children who are seen by poor families as a source of income start working too early and also lose the opportunities reflected in education, particularly when it comes to birth control.

Further causes of overpopulation are Immigration, lack of family planning and poor contraceptive use.

Effect of overpopulation:

·         Depletion of Natural resources:

There are fairly serious effects of overpopulation. The first one of these is the loss of wealth. The planet can have only a limited amount of water and food, falling short of its current needs.

·         Degradation of Environment:

It has begun to have some significant effects on our climate with the overuse of coal, oil, and natural gas. In addition, air quality has been seriously affected by the exponential increase in the number of vehicles and industries.

·         Conflicts and wars:

In developing countries, overpopulation places a significant strain on the capital that should be used for growth. Water disputes are becoming a source of friction between nations, which could lead to wars. It allows the spread of more illnesses and makes them difficult to manage.

Further effect of overpopulation is rise in unemployment, pandemics and epidemics, malnutrition, starvation and famine and faster climate change.

Solutions of overpopulation:

·         Better education:

One of the first steps is to introduce policies representing social change. Educating the masses makes them realize the need to have one or two children at the most.

·         Education for girl child:

Over 130 million young women and girls around the world are not officially enrolled in school at present. Most of them live in male-dominated societies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, where women do not have the same right to education as men.

Further solutions are making people aware of family planning and social marketing. Some communities have already begun social marketing to educate the public about the consequences of overpopulation. It is possible to distribute a range of printed materials (flyers, brochures, fact sheets, stickers) in locations such as local places of worship, sports activities, local food markets, schools and car parks.