The Socioeconomic Consequences of Overpopulation, Essay Example

Oneof thebiggest problems that the world is facingat themoment is overpopulation. Sadly, not manyscholars orleadersarereadyto address this issue.However, it is important to understand this phenomenon because overpopulation is the source of manyother issues (Meadows 26). This ranges from theeffects of poorhousing, overutilization of natural resources, and the pollution ofthe environment wheremany people areliving (Hudson 19). Political issues that contribute to overpopulation and its detrimental effects include economicfactorsas wellas leadership ability(Catton 203). Overpopulation results in a decrease in employmentopportunities, which contributes to a poorer and crime-ridden population (Catton 121). Ultimately, overpopulation will cause the formation of astateofanarchy. Nations that are overpopulated will resort to anarchy as a result of overcoming the economic and leadership problems that contribute to their poor lifestyle.

Theissueof overpopulation is undesirable because whenpeople increasein number, the ability for people to thrive off of the earth’s resources will decrease (Meadows 48). Overpopulation is generally a result of modern innovation and is therefore a consequence of reduced mortalityrates that result from better medical facilities and lack of a need for family planning.When the population becomes too large, it will be unable to support itself and people will start dying. Many individuals will blame these problems on their governments for not being able to control the deaths, and retaliation against structured politics may be found necessary.

Forthe last halfacentury,the world has experienced anexponential growthofthe human population, and not all countries have attempted to curb this growth (Catton 121). Thus, slums havemultiplied innumber and thosethat had existed in the first placehave expanded (Meadows 48). Better access to health care, such as the advent of vaccination facilities, has decreased the rates ofmortalityamongchildren. These factors are contributing to the depletion of the resourcesin overpopulated countries, which is unfortunate because these resources are needed to support life. In many cases, countries will respond to this occurrence by importing goods from elsewhere despite its expense (Meadows 352). This need for resources will result in a diminished economy and stratify the social classes. It is possible that only the wealthy will be able to afford these commodities, while the poor will starve. Eventually, the lower class citizens will become upset about the state of affairs and revolt against the current government in order to achieve equal rights. Until this is achieved, chaos will ensue.

Oneof thebiggest challenges that results from overpopulation isenvironmental degradation. This is dueto an increased human need toexploitthe resources available for them to sustain their livelihood. Since the needs of people arehigherthan what the environment can supply,the environment will be drained offood and water (Meadows 32). A secondary consequence of this is pollution. Thebeautyof the earth will be destroyed ifhumanand household wastes aredisposed of without regulation.This waste mismanagement can lead to disease and currently, many nations across theglobeare grappling with this (Catton 85). Since the government is responsible for regulating and protecting the environment, people will blame them for this destruction. To alleviate these problems, they will want to take these matters into their own hands.

Researchers have found that, in thenext fifty years, naturalresources willbe overconsumed and that the remaining resources will be unable to sustain the population (Hudson 201). The environmental damagecreated from overpopulation will be dueto the increased destruction ofwildlife, clearingofforests, emittingtoo much gasto the atmosphere,and the overcultivation of land in order to producefood  to compensate for food no longer naturally available (Meadows 153). The use of artificial input in theprocess ofcultivation will also contribute to pollution effects on the watersources and serve as ahealthrisk. Sincethese resources will havebeen reduced byagreat percentage, thepeoplewillengagein violent activities in efforts to secureevenasharea small availability of resources, which willwhollybeastate of anarchy.

Although overpopulation appears to be difficult to prevent, human intervention can diminish its effect before the population rises too high. Oneof themosteffectiveways to do so is through use of birth control and legislations. Birth control will reducethenumberof people that ahousehold will be able to haveduring theirreproductiveyears, which will decrease the population rate of growth. Therefore, it is important for governments to enact public health announcements that encourage its use (Hudson 327).Sinceitis unethical and impossible kill all excess peoplein the world, this method is ideal. This is important because it will also demonstrate the competence of governments around the world because they will able to solve the overpopulation problem. If people are able to trust their governments, the undesirable occurrence of anarchy will not occur. Thus, leadership is also an important in controlling the overpopulation of the planet. Strong, political leadership has the ability to influence many people and can make sure that their citizens are conscious of the need to manage overpopulation. If everybody is able to understand this, then they can sure work towards seeing it become successful. An additional way that leaders can help control the population is by enacting legislation that limits the number of children a couple can have. For example, in China, parents are only allowed to have two children. If families have two children, the population will remain constant over time and if families only have one child, the population will decrease over time. In this way, governments can still allow families to have children, but they are doing so in a way that is conscious of the population problem.

In conclusion, overpopulation has many negative consequences that will lead to the people being unhappy. When people see that their governments are unable to protect them, they will protest and nations will enter a state of anarchy. A simple way to prevent overpopulation and therefore anarchy is promoting birth control methods. This will help limit the population and ensure that there are enough natural resources on the planet to support the current human population.

Works Cited

Catton, W.R. Overshoot Binding. Academic Publisher, 1982.

Hudson,G. “Countdown’Explores the Effects ofOur OverpopulatedPlanet”. NPR. 4 October 2013. Web. 30 July 2014.

Meadows, D.H. TheLimits to Growth. New York, NY: Signet, 1972.

Meadows, D.H.Beyond Limit: Confrontingthe Collapse, Envisioning the

SustainableFuture. White River Jct., Vermont: ChelseaPublishingCompany, 1993.