Human population and the environment 215 3 to 4 billion, in 14 years. Here we briefly outline the conclusions of this school of thought as expressed in an overview of the population. The impact of human activity on environment was negligible three thousand years ago, when less than hundred million people inhabited the earth today is tremendous. In order to diminish negative impacts on the worlds resources by increasing human population growth, many strategies for sustainability, improvements, and technological advances should be researched, studied, considered, and implemented. An increased population would actually means the intensification of the impact that the human population has on the ecosystem. It is paramount for humans to understand that our planet is a bounded system and no. The worlds human population is growing at an exponential rate. Thus, we enter the future with considerable uncertainty about our ability to curb human population growth and protect our environment. Humans have increased the worlds carrying capacity through migration, agriculture, medical advances, and communication. We calculate the best optimal emissions reduction pathway given each of these two different goals that. Factors effecting environment population growth impact. For example, beaver dams alter the stream environment where they are built. Rising populations put increasing demands on natural resources such as. The impact of population growth on economic development is a complex issue.
Global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1. Theoretical accounts on the populationenvironment link. Some scientists fear that global warming will lead to rising sea levels and extreme weather. It is often the negative effects, such as overcrowding, food and supply shortages and environmental damage that. As population growth accelerates, human demand for space and resources increases. The geometric rise in human population levels during the twentieth century is the fundamental cause of the loss of biodiversity. As might be imagined population growth has positive and negative effects on development. Nature and natural resources are destroyed as human populations grow. It is not the census figures alone that need to be stressed, but an appreciation of the impact on natural resources of the rapid escalation in the. Pdf rapid population growth effects on environment. What is more concern, the number of population rise will increase to such an extent in future that it will cause overall scarcity for resources. More humans have been added to the worlds population in the past 40 years than in the previous three million keyfitz 1989.
Rapid population growth and environmental degradation in. In general, population growth is driven by a higher birth rate than death rate, though several smaller factors impact that ratio comparison. Here, population growth refers to the increase in the number of individuals across the world. It was a biting satire on the quagmire that had developed in iraq. Increased diversity and human capital are among the positive effects of population growth. We thank the hewlett foundation for grant support through trust fund tf070424 given to the. At its simplest, it describes how human impact on the environment i is a result of a multiplicative contribution of population p, affluence a and technology t. The rapid increase of human population is putting an incredible strain on our environment. Positive effects of population growth the classroom. Overpopulation has recognized as a global environmental problem since few decades, as it has caused a number of adverse effects on environment. Human population impacts environment science in many ways. Oct, 2011 as population growth sends human beings into onceisolated ecosystems, new disease vectors thrive. It is expected to keep growing, and estimates have put the total population at 8. Population growth, ecosystem services and human wellbeing.
What are the causes and effects of population growth. The environmental implications of population dynamics. The answer depends importantly on ethical questions about whether our ultimate goal should be to increase the number of people who are happy or rather to increase the average level of peoples happiness. The impact of human population growth on the worlds. This rapid growth in the human population has significant effects on the physical environment by generating pollution, influencing climate change and threatening species diversity. Some years ago there was a bumper sticker that said at least the war on the environment is going well. Impact of a growing population on natural resources. The complexity of the interrelationships between population growth and environmental concerns is often obscured when the global picture is presented. Holdren the interlocking crises in popula tion, resources, and environment have been the focus of countless papers, dozens of. A case study of bilaspur city article pdf available december 2015 with 19,546 reads how we measure reads. But we should be asking, at least, whether such possibilities are real enough to temper the usual demographic confidence about future population projections. The variety and complexity of populationenvironment associations varies with spatial aggregation.
The conclusion that rapid population growth has slowed development is by no means straightforward or clearcut see box 5. Thomas malthus theorized in 1798 that too much population growth too fast would overtax the earths resources and eventually lead to disease, starvation and death. Population and the environment, a report from the national wildlife federation finds. The effect of population growth on the environment. Impact of population growth on the environment environmental. Pimentel introduction a h e a l t h y and prudently managed environment is a major benefit to humans and other species. The challenge for environmental management david pimentel, x. Things to be learned population growth, variations among nations population explosion family welfare program environment and human health human rights value education women and child welfare role of information technology in environment case studies mr. Pdf growth of population in recent times has caused much concern, living in a period of unparalleled population growth. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. Industrial revolution gave birth to a tremendous change in global population growth with the world reaching her first one billion in the 18th century. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 7. Population growth global population growth year population in billions 1700 0. Overpopulation is associated with negative environmental and economic.
To answer this question we will rst present basic demographic concepts and historical evidence on the demographic transition. The effects of population growth on the physical environment. We investigate how future population growth is relevant to climate change policy. Impact of population growth on wildlife population media center. Wildlife and habitat destruction negative population growth.
Impacts include natural resource and energy availability, food. Concepts of animal population dynamics can be applied to human population growth. Impact of population growth on environment with growing population, requirement for space, shelter, and commodities have exerted enormous pr essure on the environment. Population and the environment the link between population growth and environmental impact seems obvious at first glance. While developed countries continue to pollute the environment and deplete its resources, developing. An exponential growth of human population over the last few centuries. The impact of human population growth on the worlds resources. Overpopulation and the impact on the environment cuny. Its effects are felt on the natural environment also. Positive and negative effects of population growth on our society and environment. Food production also requires many services of nature that conventional agronomy tends to ignore in projecting future food supplies, and the dependability of these services appears to be fraying.
Poverty, still remains a problem at the root of several environmental problems. The growing size of the global population is not an issue that appeared within the past. What are environmental problems due to population growth. Then population growth started to rise in western europe and its o. Population growth and the resultant human activities generate.
The scholarly literature on this issue labels this view, which stresses the mixed and ambiguous impacts of population growth on economic change, revisionism. Rich countries general improvement in the quality of the human environment. New technologies may lead to better management and distribution of resources. While the interconnected problems of population growth and environmental issues seem overwhelming, it is important to remember that humans can make changes that positively impact the planet. One of the factors responsible for environment degradation is population growth or population density. It could reach 8 billion by 2025, 9 billion by 2040, and a whopping 11 billion by 2100. All life on earth obtains its food and other necessities from this environment. Population is growing rapidly, far outpacing the ability of our planet to support it, given current practices. The size of the human population, in the nearterm and distant future, is a key determinant of climate policy. Population and the environment the impact of population growth on economic development is a complex issue. Effects of population growth, climate changes and poverty relationship article pdf available january 2016 with 19,869 reads how we measure reads. Most writers on environment and population are loathe to touch such predictions.
Impact of population growth complacency concerning this component of mans predicament is unjustified and counterproductive. In particular, population density plays the most important role in shaping the socioeconomic environment. The chapter also highlights how such change has particularly affected the most vulnerable people in society, who are often the least able to adapt and the most directly dependent on functioning ecosystem. Positive and negative effects of population growth essay. Impact of population growth on wildlife population media. More people should have a greater impact on the environment, if all other factors such. Sophia perdikaris in this research paper, the main focus is on the issue of overpopulation and its impact on the environment. Mar 15, 2020 population growth and its impacts complete detail. The relation between population and environmental degradation is often considered straightforward. It is also that the usage of the resources, and environmental damages are also increasing at a phenomenol speed. In this context, popula tion control is obviously not a panacea. All indications are that the impact of human settlements on environmental resources is increasing. Population growth is the increase in the number of individuals in a population.
Furthermore, the role of human activity in causing climate change has become a hotly debated sociopolitical issue in some developed countries, including the united states. Up to a point, population growth can be accommodated. According to a research, the last two centuries witnessed population explosion with the number increasing from 1 billion in the year 1800 to 7. Two general schools of thought surround the perceived effects of population growth.
Humans are not unique in their ability to alter their environment. In the developing world population growth remained low throughout the. Jul 15, 2011 the impact of population growth on wildlife. One of the largest environmental effects of human population growth is the problem of global warming. The impact of human settlements on the environment. Start the discussion today with the notion of sustainability. Assessment of linkages between population dynamics and. As indicated by the ipat equation, environmental impact i or degradation is caused by the combination of an already very large and increasing human population p, continually increasing economic growth or per capita affluence a, and the application of resourcedepleting and polluting technology t. Industrialization, burning fossils fuels, non renewal resources, pollution, increased co2 level.
All else equal, a larger population entails more emissions and therefore more mitigation to achieve a given climate target 1. Effects of population growth on the environment onews blog. Impact of population growth and population ethics on climate. Overpopulation and the impact on the environment by doris baus advisor. The age structure of a population allows us to predict population growth. Impact of population growth and population ethics on. Population growth and its impacts on nature and natural resources. Negative population growth npg is a national membership organization founded in 1972 to educate the american public and political leaders about the detrimental effects of overpopulation on our environment, resources and quality of life.
Introduction there is an increasing recognition of the linkages between rapid population increase and the quality of the environment. Aug 31, 2018 the current population of the earth is over 7. Global concerns the impact of human activity on the natural resources. As chapter 4 showed, in europe, japan, and north america economic growth has been accompanied by moderate population growth, which. Population growth, rising per capita material consumption, and disruptive technologies have made civilization a global ecological force. Impact pat population affluence technology us 5% of global population but 2025% of environmental impact poorest 20% richest 20% % of global income 84. The aim of this paper is to examine impact of population growth on various facets of environment which is. Objective the objective of this paper is to assess the effect, relationship and situation analysis scenario on population growth and environmental degradation in ethiopia. Scholars have written about these impacts from many perspectives for centuries. Hence, the problem is not only that the population is burgeoning. The interactions between human population dynamics and the environment have. The ipat equation, first devised in the 1970s, is a way of determining environmental degradation based on a multiple of factors. With a current world population of over six billion people, everincreasing human population growth inevitably has a variety of impacts on the worlds resources. The unprecedented rate at which the human population has grown since the beginning of the industrial revolution has had immeasurable impacts on the ability of nonhuman species to survive.
1509 950 806 320 303 1015 1332 824 756 325 640 62 1179 1142 325 431 124 13 877 1018 425 17 1569 263 10 840 1429 1205 1282 1153 341 718 493 112 1245