The
debate about overpopulation being a problem to our current day society
typically leans to two sides. One side would argue that working to halt
population growth will have an adverse effect on the economy alongside
damaging individual freedoms in government attempts to control
population growth. The opposing argument argues the threat
overpopulation has become arguing the rapid depletion of resources, such
as food and fossil fuels, compared to how quickly resources can be
obtained. Thus both sides argue mainly over the cons related to stunting
population growth or ignoring population.
Overpopulation Is Not Real
One side of the argument is that overpopulation isn’t the problem but other issues plaguing people such as scarcity in closed off environments or political failure which inevitably harm people. One major point comes from an issue attributed to overpopulation, access to food, in which “the world currently produces enough food to feed 10 billion people, and there are only 7 billion of us” with the blame on this humanitarian issue being placed on proper food distribution. While this addresses one issue associated with overpopulation those who argue against overpopulation also mention the decline in the population’s growth in recent years and estimated projections. Another claim made include the rates of population growth with a decreasing growth at 1.14 per year in comparison 2.19 in the late 1960’s showing a near 50% decline in the rate of population growth. Further arguments that population itself should be considered a problem include estimated rates of population stating “Currently, it is estimated that it [population] will become less than 1% by 2020 and less than 0.5% by 2050.” showcasing the potential for the human population to stabilize it’s birth rates. Thus while arguing against population growth becoming a problem the opposing side argues that overpopulation already is a problem that will continue to grow if left unchecked.
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Overpopulation Is A Threat
The opposite side to the first argument on overpopulation is the complete opposite arguing that multiple humanitarian issues can be attributed to overpopulation, acknowledging overpopulation as a current issue, which contribute to current population inefficiencies. One notable difference in arguing human population growth as a worldwide problem comes from “The 2012 update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species shows that of the 63,837 species examined worldwide, 19,817 are threatened with extinction - nearly a third of the total” in which humans are contributing, or more likely the cause, of the 6th mass extinction in the planet’s history. Arguing population growth shows a decline in the rate of population growth but a slower increase continues at approximately 1.14% or roughly 80 million people per year all contributing to resource consumption. Also considering individual population growths, Europe shows signs of decline with a decreasing growth of 0.08% with developed regions but developing regions such as Africa carry the main portion of population growth with a yearly growth of 2.46%. Another layer to the rate of population growth in developed compared to developing regions show that the developing regions such as Africa and certain areas of Asia have the largest population growth and face the most notable overpopulation effects such as inefficient access to necessities such as food and water. Both sides efficiently argue how overpopulation either exists does or does not exist as a current issue.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) | WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2015, from https://www.wfp.org/hunger/faqs
Morse, A., & Mosher, S. (n.d.). Debunking the Myth of Overpopulation | Population Research Institute. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from http://pop.org/content/debunking-myth-overpopulation
Morse, A., & Mosher, S. (n.d.). Debunking the Myth of Overpopulation | Population Research Institute. Retrieved April 25, 2015, from http://pop.org/content/debunking-myth-overpopulation