Overpopulation in India, Research Paper Example

Identification of Conflict

There are many geographical, political, and cultural factors contributing to the overpopulation crisis in India. First, it is important to consider that India is a large country, covering 1.269 square miles (Sen 15). Since large portions of this land are exposed to ocean, the nation has a wealth of natural resources that are able to support the growing population in addition to access to trade routes to exchange these natural resources with necessities from neighboring countries. The country’s population was 1.252 billion as of 2013 and it continues to grow because the vast amount of land and its associated resources can support a greater number of people (Dreze 49). Because there are many factors related to this overpopulation, scientists are concerned that countries like India will be disproportionately impacted by global warming. Specifically, the net temperature of the Earth has been on the rise for the past several decades. Global warming is a natural process that is intensified by manmade contributions in the form of greenhouse gasses, but is currently being sped up by engaging in manufacturing processes that release polluting chemicals into the environment. India is a major contributor to this problem, impacting the air quality of its residents. While the overpopulation of the country is currently problematic, it can become worsened due to the effects of global warming, specifically due to increasing sea levels and the need for large masses of people to locate under these conditions due to the unique geography of the country.

In spite of the seemingly vast resources and land materials available for the Indian people, the population growth is detrimental in terms of social equality. The main problem is that wealth is not shared equally between the individuals in the country, with the northerners typically having more wealth than southerners (Pal & Gosh 128). This effects are expected to become more prevalent during times of natural disasters. Individuals in poorer areas are more likely to have larger families because they believe that having more workers will contribute to more wealth. Furthermore, Indian communities influence women to be married at an earlier age, contributing to the greater amount of children that one female is able to have in a lifetime compared to other cultures (Schoenhals 22). Even though having more children immediately benefits poorer families, it tends to damage them in the long run because there is less food and resources available to be dispersed to individuals in the form of aid. Individuals that live in the middle of the country tend to have the most difficult time achieving livelihood because they are further away from natural sources of food (e.g. the ocean). Thus, it is beneficial for the Indian government to address the overpopulation crisis that its citizens are facing in order to support their citizens for a longer period of time. It is becoming more challenging for India to support its overpopulation in the light of global warming. Because sea levels are expected to rise by several inches and the border of India is close to sea level in many locations, it is important to understand the relationship between overpopulation in the country and the need to protect civilian life in the wake of global warming.

Summary of Country or Region

India is a country that is located in southeast Asia and covers a landmass of 1,269,346 square miles. Approximately 10% of the country has access to the ocean, which is due to the fact that it is a peninsula. Hindi and English are considered to be the official languages of the nation. A majority of residents follow the Hindu religion, although some are Muslim, Christian, and Sikh (Heehs 5). As of the 2015 census, there were 1,276,267,000 reported residents in the nation. However, it is challenging to determine whether this is an accurate statistic; it is plausible for the citizenship of the country to be even larger than what was reported initially. On average, 997 people live within each square mile, indicating that its cities are densely packed.

India is considered to be a biodiversity hotspot, meaning that there is a variety of mammalian, plant, bird, reptile, and fish species that inhabit the area. This rich biodiversity is due to the large area of land that is covered by trees in the region. As a consequence, the food and resources that members of the Indian population are able to access is diverse. For example, many herbal remedies are accessible that greatly supported the development of early Indian medicine.

Appraisal of Physical and Human Geography

Physical Geography

India lies on top of the Indian tectonic plate and a section of the Indo-Australian plate. Movement of these plates 75 million years ago are said to have contributed to the development of the Indian Ocean, and contribute to the development of the Himalayas. The country itself is a large peninsula that is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. Despite the country’s proximity to the equator, it lies above it and is located between 6° 44′ and 35° 30′ north latitude[e] and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east longitude.

India has a large coastline, spanning approximately 4,700 miles in length. Due to the diversity of land surrounding the country, the coastline either consists of sandy beaches, rocky shores, or marshes. The tropic of cancer, located at 23°30′ N, splits the country into two halves. divides India into almost two halves. The land itself is composed of many different landforms, including mountains, deep valleys, extensive plains, and islands. There is significant infrastructure in place to ensure that the Indian people will have adequate access to water. Specifically, rivers, canals, and gulfs exist to help people living in the middle of the country have access to water. One of the longer rivers, Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river; it begins in Tibet and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh and passes through Assam before finally making its way through Bangladesh. The river Ganga is the longest river that is contained within India itself and is used for religious rituals and ceremonies, in addition to use for bathing and drinking water (Roberts 28). However, the water contained within it is not considered sanitary by many different standards. There is a growing concern that global warming will prevent people from being able to access fresh water for drinking. If sea levels rise, many natural and manmade water sources will be impacted.

Human Geography

The human geography in India is just as diverse as the land. Even though there are many languages and religions spoken in the area, India is also diverse in terms of its culture. India has a rigid cast system in place in which different individuals are considered to have different statuses and positions in society. During the early implementation of this caste system, people at the top of the caste system attempted to maintain the power that they had acquired (Chopra 56). As such, the purpose of this structure was to classify members of society, providing them with different jobs and positions.

The most important individuals in Indian society were held to be the fair-skinned priests, the Brahmins, which were followed in rank by warriors known as kshatryas. Following the kshatryas were the vaishyas, or farmers and merchants. The shudras, or laborers, were at the bottom of the caste system and included many dark-skinned unskilled laborers, such the very bottom of the caste system were the Dalits, also known as the untouchables, which were considered too impure to be included in the caste system. The use of the caste system is an important component of the race dynamics in India because it has been used throughout history and retains importance today (Schoenhals 10). The individuals that are considered to have the most power and status according to the caste system are light-skinned while the common workers and untouchables are darker-skinned. Social movements that perpetuated throughout history continued to contribute to this effect and contribute to the diverse experiences that individuals within the country are able to engage in.

Skilled and unskilled workers typically engage in a series of vocations, including mineral mining, metal crafting, railroad work, physical labor at shipyards and ports, and air travel agencies. India’s economy is based on its ability to trade with other nations, so much of its labor revolves around the need to manufacture and transport goods. Interestingly, the railroad system in the country is approximately, 40,000 miles long. Furthermore, many individuals with good English skills work at call centers for companies that primarily reside within the United States and other nations.

Even though the poorer populations do not have equal representation in the government, the government of India is considered a democracy and the individual in charge is called the prime minister. Many people in India claim that the police forces that regulate crime in most areas are corrupt and will only pursue cases if there is added benefit for doing so. Thus, even though the country acts as a democracy in practice, there is a significant discrepancy between the rights that the wealthy and the poor are able to experience. As a consequence, environmental issues will disproportionately impact the poor as well because these individuals do not have the same structures in place to support their well-being during severe climate shifts.

Description of Issues

Global warming has the potential to damage portions of the world economy (Kahn et al. 1). This problem is particularly relevant in India because the overpopulation problem has the potential to increase the amount of lives that will be lost in the wake of such a disaster. India’s geography is primarily surrounded by water, so if water levels rise, the land that we currently refer to as India will alter significantly. As sea levels continue to rise, the borders of currently existing countries will continue to change, chasing many residents from their homes, damaging farm land, and changing the lifestyles of the individuals living in surrounding populations (Barnett et al. 33). Once we must deal with the mass migration related to rising sea levels, we must also consider that many people will lose their jobs that were tied to these areas. Furthermore, there will be greater competition for jobs in areas that are not impacted by the sea level rise, but will become a new home for these refugees (Dev et al. 77). Many of the individuals living in these areas will no longer be able to acquire the luxury products that drive our economy. Instead, they will need to focus on finding food, clothing, and shelter, a feat that the government may have to intervene in and provide assistance. Because India is overpopulated, the wealth of the nation will be redistributed. While the wealthy will suffer because they will have less funds available to live the lifestyles that they are used to, the poor will be forced to experience a battle between life and death because they will become even poorer. The overpopulation problem contributes to a lack of food and resource availability in the existing population, and this problem will continue to worsen as time goes on mixed with the influenced of climate change.

It is apparent that due to India’s currently existing geography, the rising sea levels in the area will alter the borders of the land along the peninsula of the country. Individuals living in these areas will be forced to relocate, and many will be required to find new jobs. For individuals that are lower in the caste system, this climate effect may make it nearly possible for them to find work or be accepted in a new location in this society. As a consequence, many lives will be lost due to the need to move, and people may begin shifting to life in the mountains in order to avoid these changes from impacting their lives. However, since India is a densely populated country and since its government and police are not able to exert effective control over citizens due to poor organization, many lives will be lost if measures are not taken to slow down the rate of global warming or to put infrastructure in place to lessen its effects.

In spite of all of these troubles, it is apparent that some business leaders deny the credibility of global warming (Tamny 1). However, industry in India is contributing to the impact that global warming is having on the environment of the world in addition to the environment. Industry is needed to support the economy of this populated region, but at the same time, the nation is contributing to its own environmental problems. Thus, it would be valuable for the government to intervene and put a stop to these practice. Since the government does not have the money necessary to provide aid to its citizens to support their livelihood, it would be more beneficial for them to put an end to damaging practices before doing so becomes too expensive.

Definition of Solutions

It is valuable to anticipate the impacts of global warming in India before they occur so that both the government and humanitarian organizations can determine how to help the population cope with this crisis. Furthermore, it is also helpful to find ways for India to continue allowing its economy to grow while supporting its citizens. Unfortunately, overpopulation contributes to the disaster that will be seen if global warming does have the impact on sea level that is expected. It would be beneficial to target this issue from two different perspectives: implementing education programs regarding the dangers of overpopulation and providing individuals with the birth control options or knowledge they need to make careful family planning decisions and to begin working against the symptoms of global warming.

Some nursing organizations around the world exist to provide such knowledge to individuals in need. Partnering with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders may be a reasonable resolution to this crisis (Deutsch 18). Next, it would be valuable to begin investing in green technologies. This will allow new jobs to be created and for a sustainable plan to be put into place to help the countless people that will be impacted by the sea level rise. While it is also necessary for governments to establish a plan to determine how they will help their citizens, investing in green technology is a move that companies can begin immediately and begin seeing the profits from in the near future. Thus, it is important for managers to determine what green initiatives they can put into place with regards to their current manufacturing processes or determine how to recreate already existing products in a more environmentally friendly manner.

It is expected that the overpopulation of India will contribute to a disproportionate impact from climate change and other global weather events. It is necessary for the country to address its overpopulation immediately to lessen the damage that it will continue to experience from diminishing resources. Overall, it is important for the country to be prepared for a changing environment, and considering population reduction techniques in addition to greener technologies are the best steps to preserve the sustainability of the region.

References

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Chopra, P. A Joint Enterprise: Indian Elites and the Making of British Bombay, University of Minnesota Press, 2011.

Deutsch, E. Advaita Ved?nta: A Philosophical Reconstruction, University of Hawaii Press, 1969.

Dev, S. M.; Rao, N. C. India: Perspectives on Equitable Development, Academic Foundation, 2009.

Drèze, Jean. An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions. Allen Lane, 2013.

Heehs, P. Indian Religions: A Historical Reader of Spiritual Expression and Experience, New York University Press Kahn, M.E. Business Cycle Effects On Concern About Climate, 2002.

Change: The Chilling Effect of Recession. National Bureau of Economic Research 2.2(2011).

Pal, P.; Ghosh, J. Inequality in India: A Survey of Recent Trends. Economic and Social Affairs: DESA Working Paper 45(2007).

Roberts, N. W. Building Type Basics for Places of Worship (1st ed.), John Wiley &  Sons, 2004.

Schoenhals, M. Intimate Exclusion: Race and Caste Turned Inside Out, University Press of America, 2003.

Sen, A. The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture, and Identity (1st ed.). Picador, 2006.