WORLD POPULATION GROWTH

WORLD POPULATION GROWTHhttp://www.nasze.fm/files/tlum_ludzi.jpg [img] OVERCONSUMPTION andOVERPOPULATION underlie every environmental problemweface today.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer Web. 1 November 2014What is population? Population refers to a group of organisms living in an area at a particular time.

HOW POPULATION GROWTH CAN BE DEFINED?

The average annual rate of change of population size during a specified period.Over Population: Why it is an issue?

All environmental problems humans see today can be

traced back to our swelling population. Simply, there

are too many people vying and competing over dwindling resources on this planet !"If the world is to SAVE any part of its resources for the future, it must reduce not only consumption but the number of consumers."B.F. Skinn Web. 1 November 2014The worlds population now exceeds 7 billion people.

http://galleryhip.com/population-growth-funny-cartoon.html Web. 27 Oct 2014.[img]http://galleryhip.com/population-growth-funny-cartoon.html 6http://www.ecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/HUMAN_population-490.gif

FACTORS WHICH CAN AFFECT POPULATIONSIZE:Fatality

Mortality

Immigration

Emigration

http://galleryhip.com/population-growth-funny-cartoon.html Web. 27 Oct 2014.[img]http://galleryhip.com/population-growth-funny-cartoon.html 8FACTORS WHICH CAN AFFECT POPULATIONSIZE:Thereare fourprimaryecological events that influence the size of a population Birth,death,immigration, andemigration

(birth rate + immigration rate) (death rate + emigration rate) = population growth rate

The list of environmental problems aggravated by growing populations includes deforestation and desertification, loss of topsoil, poisoning of drinking water and pollution of oceans, shrinking wetlands, shortage of fuels such as firewood, exhaustion of oil reserves and of various mineral resources, siltation in rivers and estuaries, dropping water tables, erosion of the ozone layer, loss of species and wilderness areas, global warming, rising sea levels, nuclear waste, air pollution, and acid rain.Rebecca Clay

Rebecca Clay Environmental Health Perspectives , Vol.103Issue 5. May1995. How Population Growth Affects the environmentDepletion of all of the following resources have much to do with population growthFoodWaterLandSoilsFOODIncreased demands of a food supply typically affects those already living in poverty in the developing world.Many of these developing countries also have high fertility rates, increasing demand for dwindling supplies. (More on fertility rates later in the presentation)."Effects of Human Overpopulation"Everything Connects.Everything Connects, 20 Nov 2013. Web. 1 Nov 2014.

FOOD AND LAND USEDemand for food will exacerbate destruction of the rain forests. Stephen Emmot claims that our land use is going to significantly increase in the next few decades, we would be required to clear out rainforests in order to expand agriculture. Emmot also writes, By 2050, 1 billion hectares of land is likely to be cleared to meet rising food demands from a growing population. Emott, Stephen. "Humans: The Real Threat to Life on Earth." The Guardian. The Guardian, 29 June 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. .SOIL ERROSIONLoss of topsoil through non sustainable development leads to decreasing yields in agricultural practices.The pursuit of viable farmland results in less space.Deforestation leads to even more soil erosion.Overgrazing: farmers graze too many animals on their land. Constant grazing of grassland leads to less grass for the animals to consume. This in turn leads to the search for other grasslands to continue this vicious cycle.Over cropping: Repeated crop growth depreciates fertile soil for planting. Therefore, more space must be found for planting."Effects of Human Overpopulation"Everything Connects.Everything Connects, 20 Nov 2013. Web. 1 Nov 2014.

WATERMost of the freshwater resources are either unreachable or too polluted, leaving less than 1% of the world's freshwater, or about 0.003% of all water on Earth, readily accessible for direct human use. It is estimated that by 2025, more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability and human demand for water will account for 70% of all available freshwater Freshwater is the most fundamental finite resource with no substitutes for most uses, yet we are consuming fresh water at least 10 times faster than it is being replenished in regions of northern Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China, and the U.S.

"Effects of Human Overpopulation"Everything Connects.Everything Connects, 20 Nov 2013. Web. 1 Nov 2014. http://www.everythingconnects.org/overpopulation-effects.html15

In the projections of the image above, by 2025 many first world countries will be withdrawing the largest amount of water.http://www.unep.org/dewa/vitalwater/jpg/0400-waterstress-EN.jpg Web. 1 Nov 2014.SPECIES EXTINCTIONHuman beings are currently causing the greatest mass extinction of species since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago at rates 1000 to 10,000 times faster than normal.

"Effects of Human Overpopulation"Everything Connects.Everything Connects, 20 Nov 2013. Web. 1 Nov 2014.

The chart above shows the dramatic rise in population and how it coincides with species extinction.

"Human Population Growth and Climate Change/Extinction"Center for Biological Diversity.Center for Biological Diversity. Web. 2 Nov 2014.http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/extinction/index.html18GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE"The largest single threat to the ecology and biodiversity of the planet in the decades to come will be global climate disruption due to the buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. People around the world are beginning to address the problem by reducing their carbon footprint through less consumption and better technology. But unsustainable human population growth can overwhelm those efforts, leading us to conclude that we not only need smaller footprints, but fewer feet."

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/index.html19

In the graph above we see the 3 largest countries (population wise) as being the largest producers of carbon dioxide emissions. In the projections, it is only predicted they will rise.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/index.html. Web. 2 Nov 2014. [img]

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/index.html20The Global Population Conundrum by Sarah Holt

According to renowned population expert Lester Brown, the world population rate of growth is "down to 1.2 percent" or "74 million more people each year (NOVA). Although that is less than the rate of growth a few decades ago, Brown contends that cropland is becoming so scarce and water shortages are now cropping up (NOVA). Brown holds that the vast majority of the nearly three billion people to be added by 2050 will come in countries where water tables are already falling and wells are going dry, which means that those countries will not be able to contain the population growth (NOVA). According to Lester Brown, the level of food consumption can determine how much the world is able to support. For example, if the Earth were to live at food-consumption level of a person in India, then the current world harvest can support 10 billion people (NOVA). However, at the level of consumption of Americans, the Earth would be able to sustain two and a half billion people (NOVA). Although it seems that the world population growth has fallen in the past few years due to living standards and family planning services, Lester Brown argues that the growth has lowered to the rising death rates (NOVA). For example, Africas life expectancy was originally 65 years without AIDS, however, with AIDS, it is around 47 years, which affects millions of people (NOVA). Brown also mentions how this is related to the situation in India where they are lacking to stabilize water tables and to accelerate the shift to smaller families because it can also increase the death rates due to hunger (NOVA).

Holt, Sarah. "The Global Population Conundrum." PBS. NOVA, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. 21The Global Population Conundrum by Sarah Holt

One of the main issues of this exponential world population growth is that it inflates economic output (NOVA). In other words, the world is over-consuming the Earths natural capital, which leads to the reduction of forests, failing of fisheries, decrease in water tables, over-grazing grasslands, and wearing down soil (NOVA). This develops into a bubble economy, which has shown in previous incidences such as the stock market in the U.S. and the real estate in Japan over a decade ago, that a bubble economy can explode quickly. Brown contends that half the worlds people now live in countries where water tables are falling, which includes the big three grain producers---China, India, and the United States---which account for nearly half of the world grain harvest (NOVA). If global warming continues at the rate it is on, it would also damage grain yields such as wheat, rice, and corn. According to research conducted by the International Rise Research Institute, each 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature above the optimum during the growing season leads to a 10 percent decline in grain yields (NOVA). There has also been an increase grain deficit, which poses a problem for population growth. According to Brown, between 1950 and 1998, Chinas grain production went from 90 million tons to 392 million tons (NOVA). However, after 1998, the grain production decreased because of the water shortages. Within 5 years, the grain production dropped 70 million tons, which is a problem for other countries such as the United States because China would be importing millions of tons of grain that is simply unheard of. This would increase food prices for the entire world.

Holt, Sarah. "The Global Population Conundrum." PBS. NOVA, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.

Holt, Sarah. "The Global Population Conundrum." PBS. NOVA, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. .

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http://blogs.luc.edu/ilweekly/files/2010/11/food-crisis-2.jpg [img]http://cms.boloji.com/articlephotos/Water%20Scarcity%20in%20A%20Thirsty%20World.jpg [img]

http://blogs.luc.edu/ilweekly/files/2010/11/food-crisis-2.jpg [img]http://cms.boloji.com/articlephotos/Water%20Scarcity%20in%20A%20Thirsty%20World.jpg [img]

23Sustainability

Living sustainably means balancing our consumption, our technology choices andour population numbers in order to live within the resources of the planet. It meansmaintaining a stable and healthy environment for both humanity and biodiversity.

"What is Sustainability?"Population Matters.Population Matters 2014. We. 30 Oct 2014. http://www.populationmatters.org/solutions/sustainability/

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Steps to Achieve SustainabilityPopulations should not generate more waste than can be returned to the planet.

Wastes we generate do not harm the planet.

Resources we use are A: Renewable or B: able to be completely recycled if not renewable.http://www.garnerenterprises.ca/sustainability/ [img]http://www.garnerenterprises.ca/sustainability/ [img]

25What can we do to help with population growth? Some solutions include:

Give women access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare. Not every woman who becomes pregnant desires to be pregnant. As many as 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. 25% of pregnancies are unwanted. The 25% is mostly among young, unmarried girls who did not have access to contraception. Unfortunately, many countries just dont have the proper amount of contraceptive supplies.Education and job opportunities among women play a major role in overpopulation. Women that focus on their education and career are more likely to plan on smaller families. Having smaller families also allows parents to invest more of their time into each child. This in turn helps to prevent poverty.On the other hand poor education may result in higher fertility rates. 40% of adult women in Africa who have no education, compared to 20%in Asia and 10% in Latin America and the Caribbean tend to have more pregnancies.

"Reducing Risks by Offering Contraceptive Services"UNFPA.United Nations Population Fund. Web. 24 Oct 2014. "Best Population Size? - The Big Picture"How Many. Org.Institute for Population Studies, 2009-2014. Web. 24 Oct 2014. Gais, Hannah. "How Many People is Too Many People?"U.S. News and World Report.U.S. News and World Report LP, 27 Sept 2013. Web. 24 Oct 2014.

http://www.howmany.org/big_picture.phphttp://www.unfpa.org/public/home/mothers/pid/4382http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/09/27/how-the-world-can-get-a-handle-on-population-growth26What can we do to help with population growth? Some solutions include:

People need to stay aware of environmental and social cost linked to overpopulation. Back in the 60s and 70s there was a decrease in family size as overpopulation awareness became known.

Social media needs to be more cautious about the information being fed to the minds of women internationally. Shows and magazines that focus on teen pregnancy on only drawing negative attention; making teenage pregnancy seem like the new norm.

Cultures need to stop pressuring women to reproduce. Not all women want children and thats fine. Let women make that choice on their own. If and when they are ready, they should decide on having children; and how many children they want.

Gais, Hannah. "How Many People is Too Many People?"U.S. News and World Report.U.S. News and World Report LP, 27 Sept 2013. Web. 24 Oct 2014.< http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/09/27/how-the-world-can-get-a-handle-on-population-growth> "Reducing Risks by Offering Contraceptive Services"UNFPA.United Nations Population Fund. Web. 24 Oct 2014. "Best Population Size? - The Big Picture"How Many. Org.Institute for Population Studies, 2009-2014. Web. 24 Oct 2014. http://www.howmany.org/big_picture.phphttp://www.unfpa.org/public/home/mothers/pid/4382http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/09/27/how-the-world-can-get-a-handle-on-population-growth27ConclusionThe significant increase in the world population within the next few decades will cause serious environmental issues. The exponential growth will also lead to depletion of natural resources and economic turmoil. However, there are plenty of solutions such as living sustainability or giving women access to contraceptives and reproductive healthcare. Although this issue seems to be getting worse, there are ways to prevent this issue from escalating and effecting our society. REFERENCEShttp://www.howmany.org/big_picture.phphttp://www.unfpa.org/public/home/mothers/pid/4382http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/09/27/how-the-world-can-get-a-handle-on-population-growthhttp://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/index.htmlHuman Population Growth and Climate Change/Extinction"Center for Biological Diversity.Center for Biological Diversity. Web. 2 Nov 2014.Holt, Sarah. "The Global Population Conundrum." PBS. NOVA, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. .Gais, Hannah. "How Many People is Too Many People?"U.S. News and World Report.U.S. News and World Report LP, 27 Sept 2013. Web. 24 Oct 2014.< http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/09/27/how-the-world-can-get-a-handle-on-population-growth> "Reducing Risks by Offering Contraceptive Services"UNFPA.United Nations Population Fund. Web. 24 Oct 2014. "Best Population Size? - The Big Picture"How Many. Org.Institute for Population Studies, 2009-2014. Web. 24 Oct 2014. "What is Sustainability?"Population Matters.Population Matters 2014. We. 30 Oct 2014. "Effects of Human Overpopulation"Everything Connects.Everything Connects, 20 Nov 2013. Web. 1 Nov 2014.< http://www.everythingconnects.org/overpopulation-effects.html>Rebecca Clay, Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol.103Issue 5. May1995. Emott, Stephen. "Humans: The Real Threat to Life on Earth." The Guardian. The Guardian, 29 June 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. . Web. 1 November 2014http://galleryhip.com/population-growth-funny-cartoon.html [img]http://cms.boloji.com/articlephotos/Water%20Scarcity%20in%20A%20Thirsty%20World.jpg [img]http://www.garnerenterprises.ca/sustainability/ [img]http://blogs.luc.edu/ilweekly/files/2010/11/food-crisis-2.jpg [img]http://cms.boloji.com/articlephotos/Water%20Scarcity%20in%20A%20Thirsty%20World.jpg [img]