Overpopulation of the planet: ways to solve the problem

Demographers are alarmed: overpopulation of the planet every year is becoming an increasingly urgent problem for our planet. The growth of the number of people threatens with social and ecological catastrophe. Dangerous tendencies compel experts to look for ways to solve this problem.

Is there a threat?

The generalized explanation of the threat posed by the overpopulation of the planet lies in the fact that in the event of a demographic crisis on Earth, resources will run out and a portion of the population will face the fact of a lack of food, water or other important means of subsistence. This process is closely related to economic growth. If the development of human infrastructure is not keeping pace with the rate of population growth, someone will inevitably find themselves in unfavorable conditions for life.

The degradation of forests, pastures, wildlife, soils - this is only an incomplete list of what threatens the overpopulation of the planet. According to scientists, even today, due to the tightness and lack of resources in the poorest countries in the world, about 30 million people die prematurely each year.

Overconsumption

The multifaceted problem of overpopulation of the planet lies not only in the impoverishment of natural resources (this situation is more typical for poor countries). In the case of economically developed countries, another difficulty arises - overconsumption. It leads to the fact that not the largest society in its size is too wasteful to use the resources provided to it, polluting the environment. The density of the population also plays a role. In large industrial cities it is so large that it can not harm the environment.

Background

The modern problem of overpopulation of the planet arose by the end of the 20th century. At the beginning of our era, about 100 million people lived on Earth. Regular wars, epidemics, archaic medicine - all this did not allow the population to grow rapidly. The mark of 1 billion was overcome only in 1820. But already in the XX century overpopulation of the planet became an increasingly possible fact, as the number of people grew in a geometric progression (which contributed to the progress and raising the standard of living).

Today, about 7 billion people live on Earth (the seventh billion was "recruited" in just the last fifteen years). The annual increase is 90 million. A similar situation scientists called the demographic explosion. A direct consequence of this phenomenon is the overpopulation of the planet. The main increase is in the countries of the second and third worlds, including Africa, where the increase in the birthrate of significance overtakes economic and social development.

Urbanization costs

Of all types of settlements, cities are growing most rapidly (both the area occupied by them and the number of townspeople are growing). This process is called urbanization. The role of the city in the life of society is consistently increasing, the urban way of life extends to all new territories. This is due to the fact that agriculture has ceased to be a key branch of the world economy, as it has been for many centuries.

In the XX century there was a "silent revolution", the result of which was the emergence of many megacities in various parts of the world. In science, the modern era is also called the "epoch of large cities," which clearly reflects the fundamental changes that have occurred to mankind over the past several generations.

What does dry figures say on this score? In the 20th century, the urban population grew by about half a percent each year. This indicator is even higher than the demographic growth itself. If in 1900 in cities lived 13% of the world's population, in 2010 - already 52%. This indicator is not going to stop.

The greatest harm to the environment is caused by cities. In the countries of the third world, they, in addition, are overgrown with huge slums with a lot of environmental and social problems. As with the general increase in the population, the largest increase in urban population is observed in Africa today. There, the pace is about 4%.

Causes

The traditional causes of overpopulation of the planet lie in the religious and cultural traditions of some societies in Asia and Africa, where a large family is the norm for an overwhelming number of residents. In many countries, contraceptives and abortions are prohibited. A large number of children do not confuse residents of those countries where poverty and poverty remain commonplace. All this leads to the fact that in the countries of Central Africa there are 4-6 newborns per family on average, even though parents often can not support them.

Harm from overpopulation

The key threat to overpopulation of the planet comes down to pressure on the environment. The main blow by nature comes from the cities. Occupying only 2% of terrestrial land, they are the source of 80% of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. They also account for 6/10 of fresh water consumption. Landfills poison the soil. The more people live in cities, the greater the impact of overpopulation of the planet.

Mankind increases its consumption. At the same time, the earth's reserves do not have time to recover and simply disappear. This applies even to renewable resources (forests, fresh water, fish), as well as food. From the turnover all new fertile lands are removed. This is facilitated by the open mining of fossil states. To increase the productivity of agriculture, we use pesticides and mineral fertilizers. They poison the soil, lead to its erosion.

Worldwide crop growth is approximately 1% per year. This indicator lags far behind the increase in the terrestrial population. The consequence of this gap is the risk of a product crisis (for example, in the case of droughts). Increasing any production also puts the planet in front of the danger of lack of energy.

The "upper threshold" of the planet

Scientists believe that with the current level of consumption, characteristic of rich countries, the Earth is able to feed another 2 billion people, and with a marked decrease in the quality of life, the planet will be able to "contain" a few billion more. For example, in India, one inhabitant accounts for 1.5 hectares of land, while in Europe - 3.5 hectares.

These figures were voiced by scientists Matis Wackernagel and William Reese. In the 1990s, they created a concept that they called the "Ecology Track". Researchers estimated that the earth's inhabited area is about 9 billion hectares, while the then population of the planet was 6 billion people, which means that per person on average accounted for 1.5 hectares.

Increasing closeness and lack of resources will cause not only an ecological catastrophe. Already today, in some regions of the Earth, the crowding of people leads to social, national and, finally, political crises. This situation is proved by the situation in the Middle East. Most of this region is occupied by deserts. The population of narrow fertile valleys is characterized by high density. Resources for all are not enough. And in this regard, there are regular conflicts between different ethnic groups.

Indian Case

The most obvious example of overpopulation and its consequences is India. The birth rate in this country is 2.3 children per woman. This does not greatly exceed the level of natural reproduction. However, in India there is already overpopulation (1.2 billion people, two-thirds of whom are under 35 years of age). These figures indicate an imminent humanitarian disaster (if the situation does not intervene).

According to the UN forecast, in 2100 the population of India will be 2.6 billion people. If the situation really reaches such figures, then due to deforestation under fields and lack of water resources, the country is waiting for the destruction of the environment. In India, there are many ethnic groups that threaten civil war and the collapse of the state. Such a scenario will certainly affect the whole world, if only because a mass flow of refugees will flow from the country, and they will settle in quite different, more prosperous states.

Methods for solving the problem

There are several theories about how to cope with the demographic problem of the earth. The fight against overpopulation of the planet can be carried out through stimulating policies. It consists in social changes that offer people goals and opportunities that can replace traditional family roles. Lonely people can be given benefits in the form of tax benefits, housing, etc. Such a policy will increase the number of people who refused to make an early marriage decision.

For women, a system of providing work and education is needed to increase interest in the career and, conversely, to reduce interest in premature maternity. The legalization of abortions is also necessary. This is how the overpopulation of the planet can be delayed. Ways to solve this problem include other concepts.

Restrictive measures

Today, in some high birth-rate countries, a restrictive demographic policy is being pursued. Somewhere within the framework of this course, coercive methods are used. For example, in India in the 1970s. Forced sterilization was carried out.

The most famous and successful example of a deterrent policy in the field of demography is China. In China, couples with two children and more paid fines. Pregnant women gave a fifth of their salary. Such a policy made it possible to reduce the demographic growth from 30% to 10% in 20 years (1970-1990).

With the restriction in China, there were 200 million newborns less than could have appeared without sanctions. The problem of overpopulation of the planet and the ways of solving it can create new difficulties. Thus, China's restrictive policy has led to a significant aging of the population, because of which the PRC is gradually refusing fines for large families. Attempts to introduce demographic restrictions were also in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka.

Ecology care

In order to make the Earth's overpopulation not fatal for the whole planet, it is necessary not only to limit the birth rate, but also to use resources more rationally. Changes may include the use of alternative energy sources. They are less wasteful and more effective. Sweden already by 2020 will refuse from sources of fuel of organic origin (they will be replaced by energy from renewable sources). Iceland is moving along the same path.

Overpopulation of the planet, as a global problem, threatens the whole world. While in Scandinavia are switching to alternative energy, Brazil is going to transfer transport to ethanol, extracted from sugar cane, a large number of which is produced in this South American country.

In 2012, 10% of the British energy was already produced by wind energy. In the US, they concentrate on the nuclear sphere. The European leaders in wind energy are Germany and Spain, with an annual growth rate of 25%. As an environmental measure for the protection of the biosphere, the opening of new reserves and national parks is excellent.

All these examples show that a policy aimed at alleviating the burden on the environment is not only possible, but also effective. Such measures will not save the world from overpopulation, but at least mitigate its most negative consequences. To care for the environment, it is necessary to reduce the area of agricultural land used, while not allowing food shortages. The world distribution of resources should be fair. A secured part of humanity can abandon surplus of its own resources, providing them to those to whom they are more needed.

Changing attitudes toward family

The problem of overpopulation of the Earth is solved by propaganda of the idea of family planning. This requires easy access of consumers to contraceptives. In developed countries, governments are trying to limit fertility through their own economic growth. Statistics show that there is a pattern: in a rich society, people later start families. According to experts, about a third of pregnancies today are undesirable.

For many ordinary people, overpopulation of the planet is a myth that does not directly concern them, but in the foreground there are national and religious traditions, according to which a large family is the only way for a woman to realize herself in life. Until the understanding of the need for social change arises in North Africa, South-West Asia and some other regions of the world, the demographic problem will remain a serious challenge for all mankind.