Our names are Bianca, Kayla, and Lauren and we are students at Salem State University. In this blog, we will be researching and sharing our beliefs about the following topic: The World-wide Population of 7 Billion People. We chose this topic because it is something that can have an impact on everyone, and yet we felt as though we didn't know enough about the topic. We wanted to extend our research in a meaningful way, and so we are writing a blog!
Our population is drastically increasing, but our world isn't growing. Thus, we are presented with the issue of over-population. Over-population occurs when the number of people exceeds the capacity of a given area... in this case, it's our world! "Overpopulation does not depend only on the size or density of the population, but on the ratio of population to available sustainable resources. It also depends on the way resources are used and distributed throughout the population. Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates due to medical advances, from an increase in immigration, or from an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. It is possible for very sparsely populated areas to be overpopulated, as the area in question may have a meager or non-existent capability to sustain human life (e.g. a desert)" (Save Earth, 1). Therefore, there are many reasons why there are so many individuals on Earth.
While the world continue to be populated, we are faced with some potential and authentic problems.
Aspects of our topic include the following:
- Global Issues
- Poverty
- Hunger
- Environmental and Societal Stress
- Human Rights
In order to control population, there are some policies in place. In the United States, Title X, which is a result of federal law, works to provide contraceptive services, supplies, and information to those in need. Directed by the Office of Family Planning, Title X is a vital source of funding for family planning services nationwide.
Finally, there are a variety of resources that share information about the rise in population. The links below include some interesting perspectives:
National Geographic: Population 7 Billion
World population to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 new study predicts
Beyond 7 Billion
What a population of 7 billion people means for the planet
Save Earth: The Earth is Yours, Let's Save it!
Bianca's View
After reading about the world population, I think that it is a very controversial topic. There are different ways to view the issue at hand. The good news is- we know that people are living longer, healthier lives. This means that with advancements in technology and medicine, visible improvements have been made and are constantly being developed. However, are technology and medicine enough to keep us going?
As the world's population increases, we are faced with many challenges. The main concern for many is that we will not have enough natural and sustainable resources, such as food and water, in the near future. The population is expected to continue to rise, which means that these resources will be less readily available. Both urbanization and income contribute to the increase in domestic and industrial demand for water. With that being said, these factors also contribute to the demand for food. Though, I'm not sure what to think of this, because that I believe that the issues of food scarcity and hunger stem from a collaboration of issues rather than just one-- population. In fact, most people who are hungry live in areas that have food surpluses as opposed to deficits. "Rather than growing food to meet the needs of local communities for a healthy, diverse diet, industrial agriculture produces crops to sell on world markets" (Feeding the world, 1). This could be part of the problem... and the solution. Before we blame over-population it is important to look at all the facts.
Finally, we need to take into consideration that there are global and human rights issues associated with the increase in population. It seems as if we need to better manage the distribution of our resources in order to better control and maintain a livable environment. Yes, population may be a global issue, but instead of looking at it as a possible issue, we should find ways to make it an opportunity for change.
Lauren's View:
I agree with Bianca's thoughts on the topic. I think that this is an issue that we seem to not know much about and it needs to be given more attention than it is getting. There are both good and bad that are coming from overpopulation. The one point being made on this topic, is that the population is continuing to grow and soon enough there is going to be even more people on this earth and there are many factors leading to this. We need to start looking at the situation at hand and find a way to make a change.
I think it is good that people are living longer because of advancements in the medical field. This means that the advancements are doing what they were intended to do. It also discusses women's childbearing rate to be decreasing from what it used to be in previous years which means that women are having less children. However, are these enough to stop overpopulation?
The down side to overpopulation is that there will soon be lack of resources that are needed to survive. With the increase in population comes the increase in demand for food and water. According to the LA Times article Beyond 7 Billion, "to meet the demand, the world's farmers will have to double their crop production by 2050 and most of Earth's best farmland is already under cultivation, and prime acreage is being lost every year to expanding cities and deserts, contamination from agricultural chemicals and other causes." Not only is the lack of resources a concern, but what about the level of poverty? If the population continues to grow, where are people going to live and work and be able to maintain a stable life? How will they have enough to eat if the resources needed are going to be doubled in size and demand? These are issues that we need to start thinking about and try to make changes before it's too late.
I agree with my group on this topic. I believe that many people don't know enough information about this topic to care. The population is only growing and more people need to be aware of what is happening. An average person's live expectancy is much longer than it was years ago. This also means that there is more people on the earth. With less deaths and more births, the population is only going to grow with more advances in health care.
Today our resources are very available to use, but if we begin to over populate, then we will be facing tough times and less available resources.
In National geographic, it mentions that by 2045 our global population will have reached nine billion. Do we think that our earth will be able to sustain this? National Geographic mentions right now on Earth, water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing. Close to a billion people go hungry each day. Decades from now, there will likely be two billion more mouths to feed, mostly in poor countries. There will be billions more people wanting and deserving to boost themselves out of poverty. These are serious issues that our people need to be aware of. There is some comfort that people have been studying this for years.
We need to ask ourselves: What can we do to prevent over population?
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