Analysis of the Effects of Population Growth Business Essay

Analysis of the Effects of Population Growth
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Analysis of the Effects of Population Growth
Introduction
As the world’s population increases, the need for more resources also increases. Currently, countries in the world are using fossil fuels to power their economies. So, with each percentage increase in population, the demand for oil and other fuels increases. The impact of population growth on climate change and increases in greenhouse gas emissions is, therefore, quite evident. There is a need for the world to, therefore, step up its efforts to help ensure that there is no more damage to the climate. In this paper, there will be three sections that will help expound on the discussion. The first section is background which will mainly offer an introduction to the topic at hand. The definition of greenhouse gases will be given and their contribution to global warming expounded. The second section will explain how emissions cause problems for the developing world. The focus here will be on a developing country. The third section will seek to expound on the causes of greenhouse gases and solutions to the problems greenhouse gases cause. Finally, there will be a conclusion that will simply offer a summary of the discussion. The developing country to be studied is Indonesia and the cause of greenhouse gases to be explored is deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels. As a major contributor to greenhouse gases, Indonesia needs to enhance efforts to protect its primary forests and consider alternative sources of energy.
Section I. Background
There have been various debates and conferences that have sought to find solutions to the issue of climate change. The main goal of such debates and conferences has always been to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So, what are greenhouse gases? The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines greenhouse gases as “any various gaseous compounds (such as carbon dioxide or methane) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect.” Essentially, what these gases can do is absorb the net heat energy that is emitted from earth and then re-direct it back to the earth which then leads to the greenhouse effect. These gases allow sunlight to pass through but then do not allow the heat generated from the earth to escape. So, the earth’s temperature continues to rise and the climate of the earth is greatly affected. By disallowing earth’s heat to escape, these greenhouse gasses contribute to global warming.
Section II. How Emissions Cause Problems for the Developing World
Every year, the world is gifted statistics of the world’s carbon dioxide emission which is considered the main or major greenhouse gas. As expected, the most developed countries produce the highest amounts of greenhouse gases. A majority of these countries have high populations and thus the need or demand for oil and other fossil fuels is high. According to an article by the Union of Concerned Scientists (2019), in 2016, China, the United States, and India were the countries that emitted the most carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Other developed nations that made the top ten include Russia, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Canada. The irony in this list is that these countries are wealthy enough to invest in alternative forms of power. However, many of them are still using fossil fuels to power their economies. Indonesia, a developing nation, also made this list and came at number eleven. This means that this country has also been contributing its fair share of greenhouse gases to the earth’s atmosphere.
One of the major contributing factors of deforestation in Indonesia is the fact that it is the world’s largest producer of palm oil. However, palm oil is not the country’s largest export. According to OEC (2020), “the top exports for Indonesia are Coal Briquettes ($18.9B), palm oil ($18.2B), Petroleum Gas ($8.99B), Rubber ($5.68B), and Crude Petroleum ($5.3B).” To help become the number one producer of palm oil, Indonesia has been famous for its deforestation which led to an outcry from environmentalists all over the world. Simon (2019) writes that by the year 2050, Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta could be submerged. He notes that the main issue with the city has been the fact that it has been sinking almost 10inches every year. However, he also mentions rising seas which are a major contributor to the same. Rising seas is a direct indication of the effects of global warming. Indonesia’s economy is indeed in grave danger if the seas continue to rise. Aside from the above, Garrido et al. (2019) writes that in Jakarta, “nearly 60 percent of Jakarta residents suffer from air pollution-related diseases.” With its workforce affected, the country stands to lose as well. Without a healthy and productive workforce, the economy would crash. So, it is in the best interest of the country to try and reduce deforestation.
Aside from economic challenges, there is also the likelihood that Indonesia could experience security challenges because of deforestat...