Overpopulation's Effect on Environment

Tariku Muleta
Jennifer McGuire
English 1A
16 March, 2013
Overpopulation`s Effect on Environment
In today`s society there are many economic problems, such as pollution, global warming, and overpopulation. These problems have taken a toll on the environment, and its resources. Although all of these issues have an impact on our society, overpopulation stands to have the greatest impact on our environment, due to the large masses of people and the limited resources. There are many solutions to this problem but the common factor is the human race. The human race has to put controls in place and take care of the environment, so the required resources do not become extinct.
Overpopulation is excessive human population in an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources and environmental deterioration. According to Taylor, right now there is estimated to be 7 billion people in the world (Taylor U.N). Based on several causes of overpopulation this number is expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050. The major causes are the decline in death, the rise in birth rate, migration and lack of education. The death rate is low because science has created ways to prolong life for people so they live past eighty-five. With the new discoveries in nutritional science there is a huge rise in the birth rate. With the increased births people migrate to places with enough resources to provide for their families. One of the other
causes of overpopulation is illiteracy. Many lacking education do not understand the harmful effects of overpopulation and thus do not take family planning measures. This increase will be seen mostly in undeveloped countries like Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda, because these countries have the highest birth rate in the world. A decrease of births will be seen mostly in Japan, Germany, and Italy, but the U.S. and China will maintain a stable amount of people during this time. 
The problem of overpopulation consists of many different issues such as the number of occupants, average amount of resources, and the amount of pollution produced. One key factor to overpopulation is to understand that the planet is not going to expand and grow new land that will create space to produce resources for more individuals. The birth rate continues to be one of the biggest factors, with about 54 million births per year. The more people there are, the more resources consumed and the more waste that is created. A child born today in the United States for instance will produce fifty-two tons of garbage and consume 11 million gallons of water by the age of seventy-five. This factor alone leaves us with fewer resources, unless we recycle or store waste that we produce.
Several environmental issues are impacting our resources. According to Shiles, forests are "disappearing", and the global unpolluted fresh water supply is in danger while the air in most big cities is becoming increasingly unhealthy (Shiles iUniverse). Another problem that has arisen from overpopulation is the misuse and overuse of resources. Resources include water, vegetables, fruit, animals and animal products, seafood, metals, minerals, land, trees, and many other things. The land is over-farmed and many of our oceans are being over-fished. Since food is one of the most important items of survival (along with air and water) over-population is having a great impact on the food resources and causing many limitations around the world.
The human population has been on an upwards trend since the last century. The population is soaring at an alarming rate and no one is concerned with putting in measures to reduce population growth. Overpopulation has become a global issue not only because it affects all humanity but also has the same impact on the environment everywhere in the world. Most if not all of human activities have dire consequences to the environment in various ways (Coward 26). Therefore population growth multiplies the impact on the environment leading to deterioration. These problems are listed below.
Water supply
Water forms an important element needed by both plants and animals to survive in an ecosystem. Water is a universal element used by every living organism to cool down, metabolize, excrete or even to clean the environment. The consumption of water increases proportionally with the growth of human population (Coward 29). A research indicates that half a century ago has seen the availability of fresh water reduce significantly by a third of its previous availability. In developing countries, it is very difficult to come by fresh water especially in countries adjacent to or in the arid areas. This includes nations in Africa, Asia and South America. Scarcity of water causes inhabitants of certain areas of Africa to walk for more than 10 kilometers in such of this precious commodity. The supply of water to urban areas is also dwindling as the population of urban dwellers increase.
Water population
Apart from increased demand to a diminishing commodity, overpopulation also increases the incidences of water pollution. It is true that a great percentage of urban sewage end up in water bodies especially so in developing nations. This owes to the reason that overpopulation leads to lack of space for proper dispose of waste. Factories are the leading sources of water pollution followed by mining activities. Waste includes heavy metals and toxic materials that can`t be purified. Overpopulation leads to overfishing as people try to fend for their food. The problem with overfishing is that it distorts the balance of the coastal ecosystem apart from reducing the number and species present in the coastal waters (Coward 32). The worse impact of overfishing is endangering some species of fish. In addition overfishing leads to outgrowth of algae on coral reefs hence damage.
Most of the waste and toxic substances disposed poorly on land or released to water bodies end up in the ocean making it the final dumping site. Such waste includes sewage, fertilizer, pesticide and soil sediments as a result of deforestation. The ocean serves a huge role in regulation of the climate through it cold and warm, ocean currents. It is also the function of the ocean to absorb a greater percentage of CO2, up to 40% released from human activities. Therefore destroying the ocean will lead to harmful effects to the environment like global warming.
Soil Degradation
The demand for food is directly proportional to population. As the population grows, more food is needed to feed the increased number of people. Unfortunately arable and fertile land is scarce especially in areas that are overpopulated. Since farmers are under pressure...