How Human Population Affects The Environment
How Human Population Affects The Environment
The current world population is exponentially growing, far outpacing the ability of the Earth’s environment to support human life.
The current population of the Earth stands at almost 7.6 billion people and it rapidly continues to grow. It is projected that the World’s population will reach over 8 billion by 2025, 9 billion by 2040 and a whopping 11 billion by 2100.
Natural/ environmental resources are the basis for life on the earth and neither human society nor the world’s economy would function without them.
Natural resources can either be renewable or non-renewable resources thus necessitating the importance of environmental sustainability for continued support of life on the Earth.
The human population is dependent on environmental resources for existence and due to demographic pressure, there has been overexploitation and overconsumption of resources; a pattern that exceeds the carrying of a geographical area hence damaging the environment faster than it can be replenished.
Exponential population growth has led to the rapid depletion of resources resulting in serious environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestation, land degradation, pollution (land, air and water), and loss of biodiversity.
More people require more resources which results in stripping Earth of resources to accommodate rising population numbers.
Resource extraction is also very unevenly distributed across the world depending on the level of technology, availability and access of the resources, and population size/demand. The use of the resources and impact of environmental issues are also not equal across the globe.
People in developed countries require substantially more resources to support their lifestyles as compared to developing countries, yet it the people in developing countries who first feel the acute impacts of environmental problems.
Given how closely related environmental concerns and population growth are, it is critical that humans take action to improve the planet.
It’s important to adopt the principle of sustainability in resource use for both current and future generations.
In conclusion, human overpopulation coupled with the pressure on the available natural resources can in the long-term if not controlled lead to depopulation, ecological or societal collapse and eventual human extinction.
How Human Population Affects The Environment
