Overpopulation

There are very few humans who aren't entranced by the sight of an infant. In fact, there are few animal species that don't dote on their offspring for at least part of their development. Beloved as babies are to their families, too many of them puts nearly irredeemable stress on the surrounding environment. This condition is known as overpopulation.

Human populations have been adversely affecting the natural environment for millennia. Today, however, the Earth's 6 billion human inhabitants are more aware of their impact on the plant, but are sharply divided on how to cope with their effects. Human overpopulation is the result of many factors, such as the improvement of lifespans and quality of life in industrialized countries, along with the absence of any natural enemies (except one another). At the current rate of reproduction, another 1 billion people are added to Earth's human population every 10 years.



The current effects of overpopulation are staggering to consider. Unless overpopulation is somehow controlled in the near future, there may be little left of Earth's resources to sustain human life.

For example, humans' need for living are has resulted in the removal of 16 million hectares of forest annually. This deforestation has destroyed many species' natural habitats, resulting in more endangered species and even extinction of animals and plants. In fact, people are invading other species' habitats at such an accelerated rate that human activity is killing off plants and animals 10,000 times faster than their rates of natural death.

Plants and animals aren't the only creatures being killed off by human overpopulation. Human communities whose populations are too dense for their surrounding environments produce excess tons of organic and inorganic solid wastes daily. These overpopulated areas emit more pollutants into the air, land and water, and use up larger amounts of energy. Organic wastes from overpopulated areas that are left untreated cause illnesses such as cholera and typhoid that kill some 5 million people each year.

The rate of overall global population growth has declined since 1963, but only because families are having fewer children in more developed regions such as Europe. In developing regions, however, human population continues to increase at an alarming rate. For instance, Ethiopia's population of 60 million inhabitants is estimated to total almost 170 million by 2050. By that same year, India will displace China as the country with the highest population growth, adding 550 million more Indians to its 2010 population of more than one billion people.

In other words, analysts estimate that if the global population continues to grow at an average of three children per family, Earth's human population in 2050 will be 10.5 billion, of whom 7.7 billion will suffer extreme poverty, hunger, lack of fresh water, disease and most likely the violence that goes with the struggle for survival.

Overpopulation adversely affects the stability of the world's politics, economics and its natural environment. Unless the societies of the world can come to some common agreements regarding ways to reduce overpopulation, there may be nothing left to sustain any kind of life.