OVERPOPULATION: STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS OF THE WORLD

OVERPOPULATION can be described as a situation when a person or animal’s number exceeds the expected carrying capacity. Overpopulation generally defines the relationship between our environment and the population. Due to agricultural productivity and medical advancements, overpopulation is evident in all parts of the world.

VOCABULARY Flourishing Developing rapidly and successfully; thriving. Urbanization  Physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change Outbreak A sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. Impoverish Make (a person or area) poor. Traffic congestion  Condition on road with  increased vehicular queuing

Evidence of the benefit of overpopulation to economic growth can be seen in the economies of both China and India, which are economically flourishing despite their large populations. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF OVERPOPULATION? One advantage of overpopulation is that as population grows, so does the information economy.  overpopulation also creates more urbanization, which translates to economic development. According to the Washington Post, overpopulation can be beneficial because the more people there are, the more the information economy will grow. For example, more people do more jobs, which causes innovation. People produce more art and create more technology. According to an info graphic designed by Eye Candy, only countries with high levels of urbanization reach significant economic growth and income levels.

overpopulation stimulates an improved standard of living overpopulation stimulates an improved standard of living.: The bigger a population in a country, the bigger the domestic market of that country. More people are able to work, which means that products are manufactured at cheaper costs and labor costs are lower, which in turn make these products more affordable to the general population. This creates economies of scale because volume increases and cost per unit decreases. As resources become scare as a result of increased consumption, increase in price of raw material is unavoidable. Demand, on the other hand has to be curtailed to ensure that production costs don’t affect the economy. In other words, overpopulation promotes correct pricing or raw materials.  Better innovative technologies With better innovative technologies, the increased demand for services and goods will become patent because the pricing of raw materials will become more competitive. Additionally, overpopulation provides labor in manufacturing and processing industries leading to reduced prices of goods and services.

SOCIAL EQUALITY Overpopulation is also bound to re-examine traditional gender roles, bringing true social and economic quality for women. In addition to social equality, more inventions are inevitable to help solve the common problems that may arise due to the large population. This can create more jobs, which improves the economy for the better.

DISADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES OF OVER POPULATION More mouths to feed. Lower standard of living. Poverty. Overcrowded cities. Sickness and spreading of diseases. Insufficient natural resources to provide adequate goods and services. Inadequate facilities, such as housing, medical etc. Problem of starvation and malnourished population. Education facilities may not meet the requirements of the entire population. Unemployment.

Higher crime rate due to unequal distribution of wealth and insufficient financial resources. Environmental pollution. Trees are felled to make space for housing facilities. Agricultural production is insufficient to meet the requirements of the entire population, which results in higher prices. Money is diverted to ensure that the population is fed, rather then carrying out fundamental research. Lower life expectancy. People living in rural areas are not provided with employment opportunities. Large number of people lives in unhygienic conditions. Birth rate is high. Due to lack of proper medical facilities death is also very high. People succumb to various diseases. Child labor is common. To sustain themselves families force their children to work, rather than send them to school.

WAYS TO CURB OVERPOPULATION Education A lack of education, coupled with poverty, gives rise to a simple theorem in impoverished classes: "More hands, more money". Unaware of the costs children entail (sometimes neglecting 'obsolete costs' such as school fees), the poor classes seek more income through whichever mode is possible. This leads to the requirement of more land, more food and more basic resources. Education would make these classes aware of the threats of overpopulation and would also provide them and their children better remuneration, eliminating the 'more hands, more money' paradigm.

FAMILY PLANNING While it may be considered immoral to enforce family planning on the world population, educating and raising awareness about it can certainly help . Often, misconceptions about the surgical processes related to family planning discourage the masses, especially the male contingent, from practicing it. Many governments now sponsor family planning programs and clinics, a move that needs to be replicated all over the world.

Tax Concessions An effective method of controlling birth rates is making provisions in taxation that favor families with none or a limited number of children. E.g., China, notably, has put in place tax structures favoring smaller families and Chinese statistics suggest that this system does, indeed, work. This system could have a few drawbacks, though. For a start, this requires a well-defined taxation formula and a society without too many economic strata, as imposing the same amount of fine on people from opposing ends of the financial scale would be, to say the least, unfair. It could also give rise to various corrupt practices, including false registrations, illegal abortions etc. However, if an effective leash is kept on the illegal byproducts, this system could work wonders for keeping population in check.

Sex Education Sex education needs to be a mandatory subject in schools.

These solutions are doable and incorporate macro-level as well as micro-level authorities.

TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION # Country 2000 Population 2010 Population 2014 Population 2050 Expected Pop. 1 China 1,268,853,362 1,330,141,295 1,355,692,576 1,303,723,332 2 India 1,004,124,224 1,173,108,018 1,236,344,631 1,656,553,632 3 United States 282,338,631 310,232,863 318,892,103 439,010,253 4 Indonesia 213,829,469 242,968,342 253,609,643 313,020,847 5 Brazil 176,319,621 201,103,330 202,656,788 260,692,493 6 Pakistan 146,404,914 184,404,791 196,174,380 276,428,758 7 Nigeria 123,178,818 152,217,341 177,155,754 264,262,405 8 Bangladesh 130,406,594 156,118,464 166,280,712 233,587,279 9 Russia 146,709,971 139,390,205 142,470,272 109,187,353 10 Japan 126,729,223 126,804,433 127,103,388 93,673,826 TOP TEN Countries 3,618,894,827 4,016,489,082 4,176,380,247 4,950,140,178 Rest of the World 2,466,012,769 2,829,120,878 3,005,478,372 4,306,202,522 TOTAL World Population 6,084,907,596 6,845,609,960 7,181,858,619 9,256,342,700 (1) The Top 10 Most Populated Countries of the World Table was updated for August 12, 2014. (2) Detailed data for individual countries may be found clicking on each country name. (3) Demographic (population) estimates for years 2000, 2010, 2014 and 2050 are based mainly on mid-year data from the US Census Bureau website, and verified with local census agencies, when available. (4) The China population data is for the mainland only. (5) Data from the Internet World Stats website may be cited, giving the due credit and establishing an active link back toInternet World Stats. (6) For definitions, navigation help and methodology, see the Site Surfing Guide. Copyright © 2001 - 2014, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

Conversation What is the situation in your country? What are governmental efforts to handle the situation? Are citizens actively participating to control the situation?