to what extent does overpopulation affect environmnental politics

Fewer than 800 million people populated the Earth in the mid-18^th Century. Today, barely 250 years later on, nosotros are more than than 7.7 billion and will go on growing until 2050 by at to the lowest degree another two billion.

Taking into business relationship the fact that homo beings appeared on Earth more than than iv million years ago, what happened in our recent history for the number of inhabitants on the planet to commencement multiplying exponentially? The tipping bespeak was generally accepted to be the Industrial Revolution, but in that location are many smaller revolutions that contributed to population accept-off which have brought the planet to its electric current unsafe overpopulation: revolutions that are medical, technological, agricultural, financial, transport and demographical in nature, among others.

Asia, the world'south about populous continent

About 61 % of the global population live in Asia, the globe'south nigh populous continent. China alone is dwelling to 1.44 billion people and Bharat to i.39 billion, bookkeeping for 19 % and 18 % of the earth's population respectively.

Overpopulated areas face many challenges, most of which stem from the impact of climate change or man overexploitation of natural resources, just a recent report published by Nature Communications points to rising bounding main levels as one of the greatest dangers. According to this study, coastal areas currently inhabited past 300 million people are gear up to experience annual flooding past 2050, unless measures are taken to hold back the h2o — a figure three times higher than previous estimates.

Asia is the area at greatest run a risk of flooding due to climate change, due to its very depression-lying land and overpopulation. Of the 300 million people at run a risk, 237 1000000 live in six countries: Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

The Indonesian capital of Jakarta, along with its suburbs, is currently home to over xxx million people and it is expected to be entirely submerged by 2050; the Indonesian government is therefore considering moving their majuscule elsewhere. The main reason for this is the continuous extraction of groundwater, which is speeding up the rate at which the metropolis is sinking.

Practice yous want to know what causes overpopulation?

Causes of overpopulation

Information technology took hundreds of years to reach one billion inhabitants, however in niggling over two centuries this effigy multiplied sevenfold. Why? There are a serial of factors that favored the spectacular growth:

• Falling mortality rate, mainly due to medicine: the Industrial Revolution brought with it a revolution in the world of medicine. Scientific progress allowed us, from so onward, to overcome diseases that previously could only end in decease. The invention of vaccines and discovery of antibiotics such equally penicillin saved thousands of lives and were a key gene in unfettered population growth. Equally the number of annual deaths savage, while births remained constant, then the population increased.

• Progress in food product: for its role, scientific enquiry and technological improvements saw more efficient agronomical production, resulting in year-round crops, more resistant seeds, pesticides, and so on…. aspects that Malthus had not taken into account when putting forth his catastrophic theory condemning the man race to disappear. Improvements In angling and livestock methods also contributed to the provision of more than food with which to nourish the population.

• Migration and urban concentration: in sure countries, the touch on of migration and accumulation of the population in cities was very important, just not only with respect to demographic growth, but also in relation to wealth generation. Currently, over half the global population alive in cities of more than 300,000 inhabitants and which are expected to continuing growing until they reach 70% of the population.

Over the past 200 years, the global population has multiplied sevenfold #Overpopulation

Effects of overpopulation

What does this constant growth mean? In that location are several direct consequences of overpopulation:

• Exhaustion of natural resource: the chief result of overpopulation is the unequal and unrestrained apply of resources. The planet has a express capacity to generate raw materials and each year the natural resources deficit – the consumption of resource at a faster charge per unit than the planet is able to generate them – is reached earlier. Consequently, in developing countries, overpopulation causes violent rivalries to command resources. Territorial conflicts over water supply are due in many cases to geopolitical tensions and can cease in state of war.

• Environmental degradation: unbridled employ of natural resources, as well every bit growth in energy product from coal, oil and natural gas (fossil fuels) is having a negative impact on the planet. Consequences number, on the one hand, deforestation and desertification, extinction of animate being and plant species and changes in the water cycle and the most direct effect of all in the form of emissions of big quantities of greenhouse gases leading to global warming.

• Rising unemployment: on the other paw, a high number of workers exist for a limited number of vacancies and this seems destined to lead to high rates of joblessness in the future. This in plow could provoke ascent law-breaking and social revolt.

• Rising living costs: all the above will lead, at the end of the twenty-four hours, to increasing living costs in near countries. Fewer resource, less water, the packing of many people into confined spaces and a lack of money are provoking an increase in the cost of living whereby just a percentage of the population will be able to embrace all their needs.

• Technological advances: on the positive side, high concentrations of people in urban areas besides brings with information technology research and development in the quest for solutions to the population'due south needs. An example is the popularisation of communication technologies and the generation, drove and use of Big Data for sustainable ends, equally well every bit the emergence of Smart Cities adapted to ensure good living atmospheric condition for the increasing population.

• The depopulation of rural areas in favour of cities may, paradoxically, create major challenges for such places. It results in a growing number of under-utilised infrastructures, due to migration away from these rural areas, and previously domesticated landscapes whose ecosystems deteriorate without human being attention.

Equally yous can see, the bear on of overpopulation is tremendous. Overpopulation isane of the biggest challenges humanity is facing and threatens the about future of the planet in economic, environmental and social terms.

Sources: Un Population FundWorld Population HistoryOur World in DataInfo Lasopublico.es, Conserve Free energy FutureBBCSociology, Give-and-take, Population MattersFertilabExpansión, Naciones Unidas, El País

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Source: https://www.activesustainability.com/sustainable-development/causes-consequences-overpopulation/

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