Overpopulation

Issues with Global Population by Hannah Roth

Overpopulation as an issue has been steadily growing larger and larger with potential disastrous side effects. However, many people think that it is just another doomsday theory from nutcase scientists.  Personally, I don't think this is the case.  Global population is an insurmountable problem that will only continue to get worse if we stand by and do nothing. Numerous so-called “solutions” to the problem have been presented over the years, often with opposite messages.   As is often the case with issues such as this one, there is not clear solution in sight. Perhaps it lies in this-that we as people must all come together and work to resolve this issue, because when united people move to do big things, big things get done.

Humans have been steadily increasing in numbers for as long as we have been around. Population growth is due to the number of people being born exceeding the number of people who die in a given time period (In the 2011 alone global population increased by 78.4 million). Recently, birth rates have been declining, but population is still significantly increasing because have such good health care; the global life expectancy is about 70 years.   Worried about what will happen when the numbers of old people exceed the young (specifically in regards to pensions and other services taxpayers pay for), some countries are concerned that there won’t be enough young people to pay for the old ones. In response, France, Italy, and several other countries have introduced financial incentives to encourage couples to have more children.  Clearly, global unity as far as overpopulation is concerned is a long ways off: just compare France’s “solution” to China’s one child policy!

Population issues, while they are certainly worse in some countries, are global because they affect everyone. Higher populations mean fewer resources for everyone, which is especially problematic with non-renewable resources.  So, even though here in Canada population seems pretty small and insignificant, it will eventually effect us, although maybe not directly.  Furthermore, countless additional issues could arise from overpopulation including increased prices for resources because there are less available, famine, drought, increased pollution, more services needed but less to pay for them, and even political unrest because there aren't enough resources for people.   Overpopulation is a global issue because these side effects will eventually affect everyone, even if the people that are causing them aren’t seen as such a big issue.

Disagreements about how to solve the problem are probably why so little is being done. What we can seem to agree about is that the world has a limited amount of resources. One side believes that there are also a limited number of people the earth can support. Their estimations suggest that there will be approximately 9 billion people on this planet by 2050; to support them, the world needs to produce 70% more food than it currently is, or 350 million people will experience chronic famine. They think that 1 billion people was too many (the world had about 1 billion people in 1804), let alone 7 billion. A few even go as far as to say that the most destructive choice a person can make is to have a child; opt for vasectomy or tubal ligation, and if you want a child, adopt.

Directly opposing this viewpoint are those who believe that economic freedom and enhancing the markets will fix everything.   Reasonably, they think that as population increases so will the price of living.  Their solution is to make methods of contraception available to those who want.  Optimistic, these people suggest that people will not have children that they cannot afford.   As one representative states, “When people freely choose, their decisions tend to be good ones”.

A third party suggests a solution of a different sort: education and gender equality.  Gender equality will allow women in third world countries specifically, and all over the world, to receive good education.  Their research shows that more educated women have fewer children.  The few children these women do have tend to be healthier and better educated, too.

The problem with any solution is that people need to be willing to actually do something, instead of just saying that yes, they think its a problem, and do nothing. An ideal solution would be something that takes little, or better, no effort from people and still changes everything.  Unfortunately, unless you think that the economy will miraculously fix everything, the ideal solution isn’t here yet. I think that the solution, while maybe not as ideal as we would like, is to educate people about the issue so that they are aware that change needs to happen. Encouraging adoption instead of having your own children would also be significant. One way to do this would be to offer financial incentives to people who adopt. I do not think it is a good idea for the rest of the world to adopt a policy like China's one child policy-if people are aware of the issue, they are more likely to have less children; if there is a policy, then people will just try to get around it.

Without a doubt, global overpopulation is something we need to closely consider as the world moves forward. If we do nothing, the effects of it, such as mass famine, increased pollution, and limited resources could cause millions to unnecessarily suffer.  Global population is an insurmountable problem that will only continue to get worse if we stand by and do nothing. We need to care about this issue so that we will have a chance to make a change.  Inaction is not the solution. We need to be willing to DO something and fix this issue before it grows any larger.  If we dare to rethink population and realize the problem it is and larger issue it could become, everything will change, and if change starts here it is only a matter of time before the world adopts change and overpopulation is a thing of the past.

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