por What is human overpopulation?
The human overpopulation, also known as overpopulation, is the social phenomenon in which there is an increase in the population of members of the human species. This occurs excessively and uncontrollably in relation to the environment in which said population is found. When a human overpopulation is generated, alterations occur that cause chaos.
This chaos is generated not only in the living conditions of people in societies around the world, but also in the environment, as a consequence of the excessive exploitation of natural resources to try to satisfy the needs of the population as a whole. .
The most populous countries in the world are China, with almost 1.4 billion inhabitants, India, with 1.32 billion, the United States, with 330 million, followed by Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria.
Currently the concept of overpopulation refers more to cities that have a large number of inhabitants per square kilometer. Due to low birth rates in most developed countries, including China, the United States, and Europe, the world population is expected to decline before the year 2100.
Causes of overpopulation
The increase in life expectancy
Life expectancy is the estimated age that a person or a population that is in certain social conditions will live. In recent years life expectancy has increased.
The main causes of this can be attributed to scientific research in health, which has managed to cure diseases and eradicate outbreaks of pandemics.
The decrease in infant mortality
There are many factors that have made it possible for infant mortality to have declined in the most recent generations, from the second half of the 20th century to date.
Some of these factors are scientific discoveries in the medical area, vaccines, drug development, the increase in advanced methodologies for pediatric care and birth control. This ensures the progressive and sustained increase of the population on the planet.
Misinformation or underestimation of the phenomenon
The lack of knowledge on the part of the population in relation to the consequences of human overpopulation and its effects on the living space and the forms of life on the planet prevent timely decision-making.
Therefore, no programs or policies are developed or executed to exhort awareness within the organized societies of the world.
religious fundamentalisms
Different religious currents condemn the use of contraceptive methods and support procreation outside of family planning. This doctrine influences considerably the accelerated rate of overpopulation.
Consequences of overpopulation
Faster depletion of natural resources
If the current rate continues and the projections materialize, in the next fifty years the total population of the planet could double.
This would not cause a problem if natural resources and planetary space increased to the same extent.
However, since there is no growth of the latter, the increase in the population in the projected number is a global problem.
Disappearance of green areas
The unusual and disproportionate increase in the population increases the demand for urban spaces and encourages the proliferation of cities to increasingly expand human settlements.
Because of this dynamic, sixteen million hectares of green spaces disappear every year. Likewise, the wooded areas and the great jungles that constitute natural lungs are altered and condemned to sterility and indiscriminate devastation. That is to say: the more human beings, the fewer sources of oxygen.
Possible extinction of species
The destruction of nature to try to enable spaces for human settlements leads to the constant destruction of natural habitats.
These are home to animal and plant species that remain vulnerable and, in the best of cases, are forced to move to places with different conditions. This change forces the fauna to adapt to new rigors of climate, food sources and living space.
In the worst case, if they cannot adapt to the new conditions, species of fauna and flora may become extinct. The disappearance of a species breaks the balance of any biome, with irreversible consequences.
Excessive use of water
Another crucial consequence of this population phenomenon is the indiscriminate use of water. Since the year 1900, half of the world’s aquifers have been lost.
It is natural to deduce that from the increase in human settlements, the demand for water sources is also increasing. And some societies alter the natural course of rivers to support activities, whether industrial or agricultural.
Conflicts between nations over resources
The installation of industrial complexes and the urbanization of places that for centuries were natural spaces, requires appropriation of sources and the construction of hydroelectric systems. Without this, a city could not function.
Therefore, geostrategic friction between nations, tribes and peoples intensifies, as well as private and public industrial consortiums.
More pollution
The overexploitation of natural resources for the industrialization of modern life brought as a consequence a greater emanation of waste and the consequent environmental pollution.
Global warming and the production of greenhouse gases have gradually accelerated, causing, among other things, the gradual rise in ocean storage levels, the reduction of coasts, the alteration of rainfall cycles and the direction of currents, both maritime like wind.
Possible Solutions to Overpopulation
When considering how serious, serious and imminent this social phenomenon is and understanding that it is a problem that is increasing, then the future becomes discouraging. It is urgent to become aware and propose measures to face this growing danger.
Solutions must emerge in all spheres of human interaction, both individually and institutionally.
It is urgent to take steps to agree on decisions from which solid measures emanate, from raising awareness to norms and laws that force the national and international framework to prioritize the decrease in the population growth rate.
The importance of information
It is recommended to work on the formation of informative structures that take the exhortation to all corners of the planet for awareness.
Everything would begin to be worked on from personal understanding, and from that instance initiatives would be raised to supranational institutional instances. These initiatives should call for birth control in the world until the trend stops.
Some countries affected by the phenomenon of overpopulation have begun to take fiscal measures in order to encourage the conception of a low number of descendants, and even penalize the conception and gestation of a certain number of children.
The dissemination of informative messages that detail the formation process of this anthropological phenomenon is required, detailing the causes, the present situation and showing precise statistics.
These publications should above all emphasize the imminent consequences of the phenomenon. In this way, the drafting, stipulation and regulation of legal instruments could be motivated to cover all the initiatives with a legal framework, according to the cultures of each region.
In this, the countries with the highest population growth rate have a preponderant role, these countries are: China, India, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil. Those countries are the ones that have to get involved with greater commitment to solve the problem of human overpopulation.
Until now, in countries with poor Gross Domestic Product, the birth rate is still below the death rate, but this trend could be reversed and then the problem of overpopulation would not have a solution, even in the long term.
References
Global overpopulation and its ills. Biodiversity Magazine. Recovered from generation.com
A world with 11 billion people? New population projections shatter earlier estimates Retrieved from: web.archive.org
How many people are there in the world? Recovered from: elespectador.com