What problems does overpopulation cause

Causes and consequences of overpopulation

Fewer than 800 million people populated the Earth in the mid-18 th Century. Today, barely 250 years later, we are more than 7.7 billion and will continue growing until 2050 by at least another 2 billion.

Taking into account the fact that human beings appeared on Earth more than four million years ago, what happened in our recent history for the number of inhabitants on the planet to start multiplying exponentially? The tipping point was generally accepted to be the Industrial Revolution, but there are many smaller revolutions that contributed to population take-off which have brought the planet to its current dangerous overpopulation: revolutions that are medical, technological, agricultural, financial, transport and demographical in nature, among others.

Asia, the world’s most populous continent

About 61 % of the global population live in Asia, the world’s most populous continent. China alone is home to 1.44 billion people and India to 1.39 billion, accounting for 19 % and 18 % of the world’s population respectively.

Overpopulated areas face many challenges, most of which stem from the impact of climate change or human overexploitation of natural resources, but a recent study published by Nature Communications points to rising sea levels as one of the greatest dangers. According to this study, coastal areas currently inhabited by 300 million people are set to experience annual flooding by 2050, unless measures are taken to hold back the water — a figure three times higher than previous estimates.

Asia is the area at greatest risk of flooding due to climate change, due to its very low-lying land and overpopulation. Of the 300 million people at risk, 237 million live in six countries: Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

The Indonesian capital of Jakarta, along with its suburbs, is currently home to over 30 million people and it is expected to be entirely submerged by 2050; the Indonesian government is therefore considering moving their capital elsewhere. The main reason for this is the continuous extraction of groundwater, which is speeding up the rate at which the city is sinking.

Do you want to know what causes overpopulation?

Causes of overpopulation

It took hundreds of years to reach one billion inhabitants, yet in little over two centuries this figure multiplied sevenfold. Why? There are a series of factors that favored the spectacular growth:

Effects of overpopulation

What does this constant growth mean? There are several direct consequences of overpopulation:

As you can see, the impact of overpopulation is tremendous. Overpopulation is one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing and threatens the near future of the planet in economic, environmental and social terms.

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Sustainability is understood as the development that meets the present needs without compromising the capacities of future generations, ensuring the balance between economic growth, environmental care and social welfare. In Sustainability for all we promote the awareness and difussion of good practices that allow to combine economic and social development with the preservation of natural resources.

Human Overpopulation – Problems and Causes

Human Overpopulation:

Overpopulation refers to an increase in the number of people that exceeds the actual capacity of the planet. Many factors support the bloom of population, such as reduced mortality rate, advanced healthcare services, etc. On top of everything, the industrial revolution has been accepted as one of the major causes of overpopulation.

Asia is known as the world’s most populated continent of the earth. It carries almost 61% of the global population, and the two countries China & India, are the major contributors. Overpopulation leads to various challenges causing problems for the environment.

The studies have shown that due to overpopulation, the coastal areas are set to experience annual flooding by 2050. Asia continent is at greater risk of flooding due to climate change, low-lying land, and undoubtedly overpopulation. However, overpopulation has been a major issue for the whole world. Let us check out how it affects the environment and what are the main causes of overpopulation.

Table of Contents

Causes of Human Overpopulation

Many factors contribute to overpopulation across the world. These are some of the major causes of overpopulation-

Lack of Education

Lack of education and poverty are major causes of human overpopulation. Therefore, the poverty-stricken areas are observed having a dense population. If a country has a limited population, it is quite easy to fulfill the demand. As a result, the country gets a good scope to develop, unlike overpopulated countries.

The UN has predicted that the 48 poorest countries worldwide are majorly contributing to human overpopulation. The UN has estimated that in future, these countries will contribute to almost 1.7 billion population growth by 2050.

Growth in Food Production

The industrial revolution, agricultural revolution, and population growth emerged at the same time. These revolutions have been started with technology advancement to improve our lifestyle.

Advanced technologies and scientific research have modified agricultural activities which result in effective production. More resistant seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, advanced techniques all put together to yield excellent production of year-round crops. This improved productivity is contributing efficiently to feed the population of a country.

Lack of Family Planning

There are a huge number of illiterate people that belong to different developing countries and live below the poverty line. These people have a lack of knowledge about family planning. They prefer to marry their children at an early age. As a result, it increases the chances of conceiving more pregnancies.

These people do not understand the impacts of overpopulation and do not even think about family planning on serious notes. Hence, this is one of the leading causes of human overpopulation.

Poor Contraceptive Usage

Although contraceptives are widely available in countries, especially in developed countries, still the poor planning of some couples leads to unexpected pregnancies. This is more likely to be observed in underdeveloped regions.

As per a study of WHO (World Health Organization), the figures for contraceptive use decline up to 43% in the countries facing problems like poverty, and poor literacy rates. These conditions lead to a higher birth rate in impoverished countries.

Child Labour

Even though child labour has been an illegal practice, but it is still in use in many countries, especially those countries having few laws for child labour. As per the estimates of UNICEF, almost 150 million children are working as child labour in some countries.

Child labour has been spotted in many countries where the children are used as a source of income by impoverished families. It is a big-time loss of educational opportunities for these children that eventually affect their future.

Advanced Medical Facilities

Technology advancement did not leave the healthcare sector behind. Medical science also made various discoveries with the help of technology development. Advanced healthcare technologies helped us to defeat several diseases with the invention of vaccines. This was the initial stage of overpopulation.

Over the past century, life expectancy has been increased due to advanced medical facilities. Year by year, we won many battles against different diseases. For example- in the early stage of the 20 th century, we won against tuberculosis, pneumonia, typhoid, etc.

Poor Rate of Mortality

In recent decades, we have made many improvements in medical science that ultimately have caused a reduced mortality rate. The improved medical technology has almost removed several diseases such as polio, smallpox, measles, etc.

Even though it is a commendable achievement, it has disturbed the cycle of life and death. The mortality rate has been reduced, whereas the birth rate has been increased with this improvement.

From estimations, it is clear that every minute, the net population grows by approximately 150 people. If the birth rate each year equals the death rate of adults, then the population stability can be maintained.

The agricultural discovery in ancient age plays an important role in maintaining nutrition sustainability by our ancestors then and by us now. This is one of the main reasons for disrupting the balance between birth rate and death rate.

Immigration

Immigration also causes overpopulation, particularly in those countries where the immigration counts exceed emigration counts. Many people wish to move to developed countries like Australia, the UK, the US, Canada, etc. to get the best facilities in terms of medical, education, and employment. Most of them prefer to settle over there, resulting in overpopulation in that particular country.

Unchecked immigration is causing problems to the countries where they move to. A huge number of immigrants lead to a shortage of resources needed for survival.

Availability of Fertility Treatments

Although fertility treatments are not majorly affecting the population growth of the world, still it is related to overpopulation somehow. The availability of fertility treatments has made it possible for more couples to have children.

Well, it is good news for many women who have problems conceiving. Advanced fertility treatments have allowed these women to have babies like other normal women. However, it will be another contributor to overpopulation in the world.

Problems Associated With Human Overpopulation

Overpopulation has many impacts on the environment and natural resources. These are the major impacts of overpopulation-

Scarcity of Water

Although approximately 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, roughly only 1% of this water content is fresh and accessible. Overpopulation is continuously creating extreme pressure on the world’s freshwater supplies.

Some studies have estimated that by 2025, the world population will demand almost 70% of freshwater available on earth. It will majorly affect the people living in impoverished areas that already have limited access to freshwater resources.

Increasing Unemployment

Even though starvation is the primary effect of overpopulation, employment may also be affected by a higher rate of population. Overpopulation gives rise to unemployment as there will be fewer jobs available against the number of candidates, especially in overpopulated countries.

People will have the pressure to feed their families and to provide basic necessities. As a result, unemployment may give rise to many offences like theft.

Risk of Extinction of Various Species

Human overpopulation has become a risk for the survival of wildlife. With the increase of overpopulation, the demand for land for various requirements like shelter, agricultural activities, constructions, etc. also increases. Eventually, it affects the natural habitats of wildlife.

The studies have been shown that if it continues like this, then almost 50% of wildlife species will be at higher risk of extinction.

Increasing Living Cost

Increasing living cost is one of the critical problems associated with human overpopulation. The gap between demand and supply will keep on expanding due to the increasing rate of the population across the world. Simultaneously, it is affecting the living cost. The price of essential commodities like food, shelter, medical facilities, etc. is increasing every day. People have to pay more to feed and survive in such a challenging condition caused due to overpopulation.

Excessive Use of Natural Resources

We can link the use of natural resources with the world population. The capacity of the earth is limited to fulfill our needs, like food, water, etc. The supply of necessary aids is becoming very tough year by year with the increasing rate of the world population.

From the past few decades, researchers observed the increased misuse of the natural resources of the earth to fulfil our never-ending needs. The major cause of this exploitation is the overpopulation on the planet. We have ended up causing many environmental issues (like deforestation, pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.) that are very tough to control, almost impossible.

Increase of Intensive Farming Practices

The advanced farming practices to yield more, help to fulfill the food requirement of the world population. However, these intensive farming techniques are not Eco-friendly and are affecting the ecosystem. We need to find Eco-friendly methods like organic farming to protect the environment from the bad effects of intensive farming practices.

A rapid change in the climate of the planet

Climate change is the biggest impact of overpopulation. Overpopulated countries like China and India are forced to develop their industrial capacities. Unfortunately, these countries are contributing big time to an increase in world temperature.

More industrial involvement means more carbon emission, which means more increase in temperature resulting in climate change. Therefore, rapid climate change involves the major problems of human overpopulation.

Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation is one of the major impacts of overpopulation. Excessive use of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gases has shown serious implications on the environment. There has been a massive change in the environmental conditions after the industrial revolution.

The exponential rise in the number of industries is affecting the environment badly by causing pollution. Further, the increased number of vehicles results in the emission of CO₂ in the air, which leads to global warming and climate change.

Conflicts and Warfare

Overpopulation is also a reason for conflicts between countries on different matters.

The developing countries may have disputes on various topics, mainly due to the use of natural resources like water or land. It may create unwanted tension between countries leading to war conditions.

However, warfare may have more destructive impacts on the population of the country. It is always better to find out solutions in a peaceful way to avoid violence.

Various Health Issues

Any kind of changes, whether it is an environmental issue or overpopulation, eventually cause several health problems. Overpopulation, especially in impoverished areas, is more likely to get infections. It happens mainly due to unhygienic conditions, malnutrition, inadequate healthcare services, etc.

The chances of the emergence of new pandemics and epidemics are quite high in these kinds of densely populated areas. The scarcity of resources may also cause famine in these less-developed areas. All this may lead to poor health conditions of the people living in these areas.

Overpopulation is one of the most critical problems humanity is facing today. We call our planet “the Mother Earth” but overpopulation is ruining the treasure of Mother Earth. The earth has to suffer from the adverse effects of overpopulation. Even the future of the planet is at risk due to the tremendous effects of overpopulation.

30 Causes, Effects & Solutions For Overpopulation

“A crowded society is a restrictive society; an overcrowded society becomes an authoritarian, repressive and murderous society.”

Overpopulation: Causes, Effects & Solutions

Overpopulation can be defined as a state in which there are too many people on the planet to supply them with basic things like drinkable water, food, breathable air and so on.

Overpopulation can also be defined as a state where the ecological footprint of humanity is bigger than the planet’s carrying capacity, meaning that the damaging process is faster than the repair process carried out by nature, which eventually will lead to an economic collapse.

In the following, the causes, effects and also solutions to the overpopulation problem will be examined.

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Causes for Overpopulation

Improvement in medical knowledge

Our improvement in knowledge regarding the treatment of diseases leads to an increase in life expectancy.

This in turn leads to overpopulation since with the assumption of a constant birth rate, people live longer and thus more people will populate the planet at the same time.

Decline in fatality rate

Medical improvements combined with a better supply of food since the industrial revolution period means a vast decline in fatality rates.

When the birth rate stays unchanged and the fatality rate decreases, this means an overall positive effect on population growth.

Industrial and agricultural revolution

The industrial as well as the agricultural revolution had a big contribution to the overpopulation issue.

Since the production of food and other goods became quite due to the use of machines and the use of fertilizer and pesticides, people were able to raise more children, which in turn also raised more children.

As a result, there had been an overpopulation spiral which resulted in a vast number of people living on our planet right now.

Progress in food production

A related contributor to the overpopulation issue is the progress in food production.

Since farmers improved their knowledge of farming techniques, they were able to increase their crop yields significantly.

This led to an increase in wealth which resulted in more children and thus in a higher population number.

Poverty

At first glance, this seems to contradict logical thinking. Why should also poverty contribute to population growth?

Thus, they have to rely on their children to provide for them when they are no longer able to work.

As a result, especially in poor developing countries, the number of children is often much higher than in developed countries.

Moreover, children are often needed to work on their parents‘ field in order to be able to farm their land which also contributes to an increase in population.

Religious concerns

Another reason for overpopulation is that many people believe it is a sin to abort or even to use contraceptives.

Thus, without the use of contraceptives, population growth is a natural result.

Migration and urban concentration

Migration and urban concentration can lead to a local overpopulation.

The urbanization process continued to progress over the last decades.

This is due to the fact that work demand shifts from agricultural to the service sector.

Thus, people have to move to cities to find work.

As a result, this can lead to an overpopulation of certain areas.

Immigration

Moreover, many people all over the world are forced to leave their homes due to conflicts or famine.

This problem will be even bigger in the future due to the global warming issue.

Many farmers will no longer be able to sustain their crop yields since they will not have enough water supply anymore.

Thus, many people will try to migrate into countries which are not that much affected by the global warming problem and which provide higher living standards.

This also leads to a local overpopulation of certain areas.

Family planning

In many countries, people get married at a very early age.

Thus, they are likely to get more children over the course of their lives.

Moreover, due to a lack of education and family pressure, women see it as their responsibility to get as many children as men want since they have often been told it is the only purpose of a woman to raise children.

This problem is especially severe in developing countries.

Effects of Overpopulation

Environmental degradation

Overpopulation has a vast adverse effect on the environmental system.

Since we have to produce large amounts of food to provide for an increasing number of people, we have to use more land and resources to accomplish this.

However, the use of more land comes with deforestation, which is especially severe in the Amazonian Rainforest.

This deforestation leads to a decline in the variety of species.

Moreover, local tribes lose their homes and their whole culture.

In addition, in order to produce more goods for our daily lives, a bigger amount of fossil fuels is needed.

Burning fossil fuels lead to the emission of harmful chemicals and to acid rain.

Additionally, it contributes to the global warming issue.

In addition, overpopulation is also likely to lead to an increase in noise pollution due to higher population density.

Overpopulation can also contribute to the urban sprawl issue.

Depletion of natural resources

Another related problem of overpopulation is the depletion of natural resources.

Our planet can only provide a limited amount of food and water.

When our population grows further, we will soon come to a point where we will no longer be able to supply the food and water necessary to feed all of them.

Even right now, people are starving every day.

This problem will get even worse in the future due to overpopulation.

Conflicts

Another consequence of overpopulation is an increasing number of conflicts.

Since people have to fight for their chunk of resources in order to survive, they are more willing to participate in conflicts to be able to provide for their families.

As population grows further, the probability of serious conflicts will do as well since a limited amount of resources has to be distributed to a growing number of people.

Mortality

The mortality rate, especially in poor countries, is likely to increase due to overpopulation.

This relates to the limited capacity of resources of our planet.

With an increasing number of people, everyone has to fight harder to get enough food.

Those who are not able to do that will be left behind, which results in an increased mortality rate.

Loss in biodiversity

As we need more space for farming or living, we destruct the natural environment of many species.

This problem is especially severe in the Amazonian Rainforest.

Due to farming and the related issues, many species go extinct each year.

Increase in pollution

Pollution is likely to increase due to overpopulation.

This is quite logical since with a larger number of people on our planet, we have to produce more food and other things for daily life.

This production of material goods leads to an increase in all sorts of pollution.

The air is polluted through the burning of fossil fuels.

Our rivers, lakes and also the sea are polluted through illegal dumping and waste disposal.

Our groundwater is polluted through the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Agricultural pollution results since there is an excessive need for food production and huge amounts of fertilizers and pesticides have to be used in order to meet the demand for food.

Moreover, overpopulation may also lead to an increase in light pollution due to a higher population density.

Ecological collapse

Overpopulation can also cause a kind of ecological collapse.

The risk for such an event is especially severe if we look at our oceans.

Since humans like some kinds of fish much more than others, this can lead to a severe ecological problem.

Many of our preferred fishes consume large amounts of plankton.

If the number of these fishes is diminished, the plankton levels in our oceans will increase.

This leads to a reduction in oxygen levels, which in turn can lead fishes to leave the affected areas.

In the worst case, many sea animals will die from this development.

Water and food conflicts

Due to an increasing number of people who have basic needs, the likelihood of conflicts relating to water and food will increase dramatically.

This may lead to states where people literally fight for water and other resources for their daily lives.

Overextensive farming

In order to meet the demand for food, farmers are likely to use an increasing amount of fertilizers and pesticides.

This leads to soil pollution and also affects our groundwater in an adverse way since chemicals through the soil.

Moreover, some animals will be contaminated by eating crops containing high levels of pesticides.

Excessive use of fossil fuels

Overpopulation is likely to lead to increased use of fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are used in many different occasions in our lives, for example for driving our cars or also for the production of other daily life products.

However, the use of fossil fuels is harmful to our environment since the gases produced in industrial processes contribute to global warming and also to air pollution.

Loss of arable land and desertification

If an area is used too extensively for farming or other purposes, it is likely to lose its fertility and thus this will lead to desertification.

With an increasing number of people, the probability of desertification will increase since the available land will be used more extensively in order to provide bigger crop yields.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria

With an increasing population, there is an increasing demand for meat.

Intensive factory farming is used to be able to meet this demand.

However, this increases the likelihood of the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can have immense adverse effects on humans as well as on human-environmental interactions.

Increasing probability for epidemics

Another related topic is the increase in the likelihood of epidemics.

A combination of overcrowded living conditions and malnutrition in conjunction with low hygienic standards can lead to severe epidemics or pandemics.

This problem will be especially severe for poor people in developing countries since they also lack the money to afford medical treatment if necessary.

Malnutrition and starvation

Due to distribution problems of wealth, not all people will be able to meet their daily energy supply.

As a result, overpopulation will lead to death for many people, especially for the poorest among us.

Increasing costs of living and housing

With a limited amount of space to build houses and other infrastructure, a growing population is likely to lead to an increased cost of living.

We already see this nowadays as in many cities, it is almost not possible for people with average salary jobs to live there.

This problem will become even worse with overpopulation.

An increasing number of people will strive to live in the best places on earth, which will likely lead to an explosion of housing costs.

This is also true for goods of our daily lives. Since all sorts of commodities are limited, increasing demand due to overpopulation will lead commodity prices to go up.

Rise in unemployment

The unemployment rate is likely to increase as a consequence of overpopulation.

There are simply not that many jobs to employ all people.

Moreover, due to artificial intelligence, it is likely that the unemployment rate continues to increase since many tasks will be performed by machines instead of humans in the future.

Solutions to the Overpopulation Problem

Improvement of family planning

People all over the world should be aware of what it means to provide for a family and of the costs relating to it.

People should ask themselves if it may be better to limit the number of children they want.

It is in our all interest to limit the number of people on our planet in order to keep it intact and viable.

Raising awareness on the topic

Another related point is to increase peoples‘ awareness of the topic of overpopulation.

Many people may never have heard of this issue since it is quite normal for them to have as many children as possible.

If they put the number of children in context to the overpopulation issue, it may become clear to many people that overpopulation may kill the whole planet if we do not change our behavior.

Education

Education is key, also in the context to mitigate the overpopulation problem.

As we have seen earlier, poor people are likely to have more children than rich people.

This is due to the fact that poor people usually do not have pension schemes and thus depend on their children to provide for them when they are old.

Thus, education can help people to get out of poverty and thus it can indirectly contribute to a reduction in population growth.

Birth regulation

If people will not become responsible enough to reduce the number of children, the governments will be forced to intervene and set strict regulations on the number of children that are allowed.

Extraterrestrial settlement

Another way to fight overpopulation relates to science fiction literature.

With extraterrestrial settlement like colonizing Mars, we could move part of our population to other planets or space habitats and thus could mitigate the overpopulation issue.

However, this option can be regarded as quite insecure and has to be validated in the future.

Conclusion

Overpopulation is a serious threat to our whole environmental system.

It is likely to cause severe conflicts and wars as people will fight for resources in order to meet their daily energy demand.

It is therefore crucial that we solve this issue through suitable and sustainable measures.

Only then, it will be possible for humanity to live in peace in the future.

Sources

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.

As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.

After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.

Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Share it!

Overpopulation: Impacts and 6 Solutions for 2022 (Guide)

Overpopulation solutions have become a focal point at the intersection of a wide range of interest groups, from human rights to environmental impacts and climate change.

As human population numbers continue to boom globally, concerns are over the impacts of overpopulation on the natural environment, finite and renewable resources, and environmental degradation have escalated to unsustainable levels.

In this article, we briefly discuss overpopulation, the numbers, and observable trends, the impacts of overpopulation on the natural environment, and some of the solutions to overpopulation that can mitigate these negative impacts.

Read on to learn about some of the solutions to overpopulation and how you can make a difference, today!

What is Overpopulation?

Overpopulation occurs when there are more people than the planet can sustain and our needs outstrip the carrying capacity of the earth.

In ecology, carrying capacity refers to the number of individuals in a specific region or habitat that can be sustained in that area, without the loss of lives due to insufficient resources like food, water and shelter, and without irreversible degradation of natural resources.

In simple terms, overpopulation leads to a situation where resources are depleted quicker than they can renew themselves naturally, which leads to fewer resources and in turn a limitation on the number of lives that can be sustained.

This can also result from overconsumption, which often goes hand in hand with overpopulation. Overconsumption refers to the use and depletion of resources at a rate that outpaces the ability to replenish those resources. Even smaller populations can consume too much, too quickly, if how they’re using resources is unsustainable.

Overpopulation: The Numbers

In 2022 there are over 8 billion people alive on earth. Experts expect that if something doesn’t change, we could see 9.7 billion people by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100.

It took over 2 million years for the global population to reach 1 billion in the year 1800. That number doubled in 130 years to 2 billion in 1930. It took just 44 years for that number to double again, to 4 billion in 1974. As of 2020, the number has almost doubled again to 7.8 billion in just 46 years!

Have a look at the video below, by Data is Beautiful on YouTube, for a nice visual representation of how the numbers change over time:

What Causes Overpopulation?

Overpopulation is the result of too many births and too few deaths, low emigration and high immigration in a specific area. Globally, overpopulation is caused by rapid population growth due to advances in medicine and technology leading to fewer mortalities and longer lifespan, poverty, lack of education, and restricted access to birth control and family planning.

However, how this came about is more complex:

There are many, interrelated, factors that lead to overpopulation but there are two major factors that play a crucial role in the scale and rapid rate of our population growth:

Advances in medicine have led to fewer deaths from diseases, especially diseases that once took large numbers of lives in short periods, like smallpox and polio.

The result is fewer people dying but also longer life expectancy, which means that as new generations are born, preceding generations are still present and the overall population size increases faster.

Advances in technology, especially in agriculture, have led to our ability to feed population numbers that were thought to be impossible as recently as the 1960s. In 1968, American biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote ‘The Population Bomb’, in which he stated that “in the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death…”.

His theory was that population growth would outstrip our ability to feed the population and everyone would starve to death.

However, in the late 1960s the ‘Green Revolution’ took food production to levels never seen before and the global population continued to grow.

The video below, by BBC Earth Lab on YouTube, gives a brief overview of the population boom and how we got where we are today:

Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment

Overpopulation and overconsumption are closely linked to negative environmental outcomes.

There is now no part of the earth that is not affected in some negative way by human activities. This is magnified by the ever-growing demands our ever-growing population places on the planet.

Increased human population sizes and increased demand for natural resources has led to severe negative impacts.

The video below, by The Guardian and Sir David Attenborough on YouTube, briefly covers the impacts of human activity on the natural environment, as amplified by overpopulation:

6 Overpopulation Solutions for Individuals

Overpopulation has no simple (or at least simple and ethical) solution. There are differing theories about how to tackle the problem and different approaches or viewpoints.

Some see population as a problem that is gradually solving itself due to demographic transition, where populations tend to have fewer children as their economic and educational circumstances improve, and advances in education and female economic empowerment that allow women to choose if and when they will have children.

Others feel that the solution to overpopulation lies in more proactive measures like economic incentives to have fewer children or regulating the number of children allowed per family. These kinds of measures quickly lead to social and ethical considerations that are difficult to solve.

Mitigating the impacts of overpopulation is perhaps a simpler route to take for individuals who are not responsible for things like government policies. On an individual level, there is much we can do to support a decrease in birth rates and a shift away from overconsumption.

These are 6 overpopulation solutions and things you can do, today, to support the earth as it tries to sustain our ever-growing numbers:

#1: Support Education for Women and Girls

Numerous studies (such as this one by Harvard Health Review) have shown that there is a direct and significant link between improved education for women and girls and a lower reproduction rate.

The Harvard study cited above states that “case studies of improved secondary education for females offer hope for the future. A 1998 study of Niger discovered a 31% decrease in fertility rate among women who had completed secondary school. A comparable 1997 study in Yemen found a 33% decrease”.

Supporting the education of women to at least secondary school level is a definitive impact on reducing birth rates. It also improves the spacing between children and improves the health and quality of life for those children.

This has a knock-on effect, where the children of better-educated mothers are also more likely to be educated themselves.

#2: Support Initiatives that Provide Education and Access to Family Planning

Accurate, factual and unbiased education for children, adolescents and adults about reproduction, sexual health and consent are essential to reduce the number of unintentional births that occur each year. Approximately 40% of pregnancies are unintended, which translates to around 85 million unintended pregnancies per year.

Easy, affordable, and reliable access to contraceptives and birth control is a major factor in preventing unplanned births and is one of the stronger overpopulation solutions.

Improved education improves the use and efficacy of these but they must be available and accessible.

In poorer countries, access is lacking and leads to millions of unplanned births every year.

The impact of planned families can also be reduced by using eco-friendly baby products, like biodegradable nappies and non-synthetic wet wipes. Small changes can have a big impact on your impact!

#3: Invest in and Support Responsible and Innovative Agriculture

Agriculture is responsible for 80% of global deforestation, biodiversity loss, habitat loss, soil and water pollution, and even desertification.

From poorly managed small farms, overgrazing and logging to huge commercial farms that exploit local water supplies and encroach on natural habitats, the environmental impact of agriculture are huge.

Responsible farming techniques, education and pressure from consumers can go a long way to improving this. However, if we want to keep producing enough food for a booming population, we need to start thinking differently about food production.

Check out this incredible video by Freethink on YouTube about how the Netherlands produce food:

Just as the advances in technology and food production got us to 7 billion without starvation, we need it to get us to 11 billion without causing ecological collapse.

Vertical farming, in urban areas, to feed local populations also uses controlled growing conditions, indoors, to grow food as efficiently and rapidly as possible.

Their reduced physical footprint means that more food can be produced using less land, which negates things like habitat loss and deforestation for agriculture.

#4: Consume Less, Consume Better and Choose Sustainable Sources

Overconsumption is a major driving force behind the depletion of natural resources at unsustainable rates. Wealthy countries like the US consume more per capita than underdeveloped countries that have higher population numbers. Overpopulation solutions must go hand-in-hand with overconsumption solutions to be effective at all.

This video, by DW Planet A on YouTube, shares an interesting perspective on how consumption and overconsumption:

Choose to consume less. Responsible and thoughtful consumption can drastically improve the ecological footprint of every individual and every industry.

From energy, fuel and transportation choices to the kinds of food you buy, and the clothes you wear. Choosing zero-waste toiletries, like shampoo and conditioner bars, natural soaps, and zero-waste toothpaste, plastic-free deodorant and switching to more sustainable cleaning products, like eco-friendly laundry detergent and zero-waste dish soap, is also a good way to lower your environmental impact. There are always better options available.

Research your products and the companies that supply them and then support the ones that put the environment first. Look for companies that use renewable resources, that farm or manufacture sustainably and that use ethical labor practices.

#5: Choose Renewable Energy Resources

One of the biggest sources of environmental degradation and pollution is energy production from fossil fuels. Overpopulation solutions are lacking and incomplete if they do not include changes to energy production.

Coal and oil are finite resources and their overexploitation is not sustainable. In addition, the process of using them for power and fuel generates massive water pollution, land degradation and air pollution.

Choosing to buy and support renewable energy resources like solar and wind power makes reduces the footprint of your energy consumption. It also supports the shift away from fossil fuels at a larger scale when governments and industries see the buy-in of consumers.

Supplement your power needs using solar or wind power. Choose to support the businesses that do the same. Support the renewable energy wherever you can – be it by voting on policies, investing in the industry, or simply choosing to use it when it becomes available in your area.

#6: Actively Participate in Reducing Waste and Pollution

Zero-waste is a trend that has proved it is here to stay. But you don’t have to go full zero to make an impact! Any measures you take to prevent waste from going to landfill or polluting natural environments makes a difference.

Conclusion

In conclusion, overpopulation and overconsumption are of great concern for the natural environment and human life.

They’re associated with biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, pollution, unsustainable rates of consumption for renewable resources and rapid depletion of finite resources.

They’re directly related to climate change and global warming.

Scientists have long been warning us of an impending ecological collapse that could end life as we know if for humans and the planet itself.

Overpopulation solutions are complex and multifaceted but there are solutions and at an individual level, there is a lot we can do to mitigate the environmental impact of our existence and continued population growth.

The choices we make day-to-day and the causes, initiatives, and industries that choose to support all make a difference in how we consume resources and how the consumption of those resources impacts the planet.

Overpopulation: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

More people means more production, consumption, and destruction of nature with hazardous living conditions. In order to supply shelter to the growing population, forests are being cut down rapidly and fertility rates of soil have decreased.

Overpopulation is a state in which a large number of people are raised on the planet rapidly exceeding its capacity. It is a situation whereby people living in an environment increase the number of resources available for an average person to meet their basic needs, such as shelter, drinking water, food, and many more.

Though population matters, overpopulation is one of the biggest problems for the environment, human beings, and the whole ecosystem. Growing advances in technology, improvement in the medical sector, quality of life, immigration, etc. are some of the major causes of the growing population in the world.

With each year, the population has been increasing, which has affected human life in many ways. The world in data states that in the past 50 years or so, the growth of the population has boomed and has turned into overpopulation. Equal birth and death rates will only be able to balance each and maintain a population growth rate.

Especially the problem of overpopulation can be seen more in developing countries like India and islands like Puerto Rico than in developed countries, but overall, it affects most of the Earth. Here we have highlighted the significant causes, effects, and solutions of overpopulation in order to inform and understand the alarming threat to the world.

Table of Contents

Causes of Overpopulation

Poverty

It is a common thought that extremely impoverished areas are most likely to be overpopulated. There are various reasons for that, but the most crucial factor is that they can barely afford basic needs, so it is hard to expect to have access to any contraceptive. It is believed to be the major leading cause of overpopulation.

Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment

Another cause of overpopulation is the development of advanced technology that has increased the chance of having more children. The discoveries in the medical field have made it possible for a couple who are unable to conceive now can go for a fertility treatment method.

It is much more comfortable to have a baby than it was a few decades ago due to falling mortality rates. Modern techniques have made pregnancies far safer now.

The decline in the Death Rate

Thanks to modern medical treatment, which has provided better health facilities and a supply of better food since the industrial revolution period. This means it has helped in reducing the death rate, especially infant mortality rates each year.

When the birth rate stays unchanged and the death rate decreases, this means an overall positive effect on population growth. In one year, more than twice as many babies are born than demise.

Migration

Unequal distribution of the population also brings chaos in a particular area. Every person wants to spend his/her life in cities where they can have a better lifestyle, education, job opportunity, and necessary infrastructure.

In order to acquire these facilities, people migrate from one place to another; this is why there is a larger population in urban or city areas than in a village or rural areas.

Likewise, many people prefer to move to developed countries like Canada, the United States, the UK, European countries, and Australia, for better opportunities and facilities.

The result is that there will be more demand for food, clothes, energy, and homes which will eventually lead to a shortage of resources. Though the overall population remains the same, it affects the people’s density, making that place simply overcrowded.

Better Medical Facilities

After WWII, the world population drastically increased. Advances in medicine, science, and technology have helped to provide better facilities and quality of life, which led to a decrease in the death rate.

The development of medical science has provided medicine for each disease and also offered many ways to come up with the illness and make people live longer. Various illnesses, diseases, and viruses that took thousands of lives in the past can now be easily cured because of the invention of vaccines.

Family Planning

In most the rural areas of developing countries, people get married at an early age. Thus, they are likely to get more children throughout their lives. These people are unable to understand the harmful consequences of overpopulation, and lack of awareness prompts them to avoid family planning.

Also, lack of education, family pressure, and religious values are some of the factors that are responsible for overpopulation in the world. This kind of problem is more severe in developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Rwanda, etc.

Effects of Overpopulation

Rise in Unemployment

The higher the population, the higher will be the demand for facilities and infrastructure required. Besides food, shelter, and drinking water, employment has become the primary factor to survive in this world.

The increasing population can result in increased unemployment as there will be only a few jobs to support a large number of people. As a result, the rise of Unemployment will give rise to different kinds of crime in society.

Environmental Degradation

The most obvious effect of overpopulation is the impact on the environment. Overpopulation has become one of the major environmental issues in the world as it has been damaging the natural environment and increasing pollution.

The continuous use of natural resources, as well as growth in energy production from coal, oil, and natural gas, is harming the planet.

However, the population has been increasing each year in a rapid span. In effect, it has resulted in growing deforestation, and the extinction of animals, and plant species. Moreover, the most direct consequence is the release of harmful gasses from the industries, vehicles, and factories, leading to global warming.

Depletion of Natural Resources

The Earth can only generate a limited amount of food and water, which is gradually falling short of the current needs. The world is already facing many difficulties regarding the water crisis, and food scarcity and overpopulation will add more demands to the supply.

To meet the needs of the growing population, the forest has been cut down rapidly. Similarly, there has been increased use of pesticides in agriculture production and maximum use of water resources, etc. As a result, it has caused pollution, the extinction of animals and plant species, and many more.

A study by the UNEP Global Environment Outlook, “Human consumption had far outstripped available resources. Each person on Earth now requires a third more land to supply his/her needs than the planet can supply.”

Increased Global Warming and Climate Change

The more people we add to the planet, the worse the problem will get from every aspect. Overpopulation is also one of the major responsible factors for creating climate change and global warming on Earth.

Larger nations like China, India, and the USA continue to develop industrial capacities. They are the top three largest contributors to creating emissions in the world. According to experts, human activities are responsible for changing global temperatures.

Loss of Freshwater

Freshwater is the most fundamental finite resource without any substitutes for drinking and other uses. Human beings are consuming fresh water at least ten times faster than they are replenished in regions of the Middle East, India, Pakistan, northern Africa, and China.

According to the World Resources Institute,” As human populations grow, so will the problem of clean freshwater availability will also increase. Most of the freshwater resources are either polluted or unreachable, leaving less than 1% of the world’s freshwater or about 0.003% of all water on Earth to drink.

By 2030, nearly half of the world’s population will be living in acute water shortage areas. According to the UN, by 2025, more than half of the world’s people will be facing water-based issues, and human demand for water will account for 70% of all available freshwater.

Solutions for Problems Caused by Overpopulation

Women Education

Ending early marriage and knowledge of family planning push back the age at which women have their first child. This will eventually reduce family size. In a survey, it was found that African women with no education have 5-4 children on average whereas those who have a college education have only two children. This survey shows that educating women can reduce overpopulation and improve the economic status of the community.

Poverty Alleviation

The UN states that population growth over the next century will be driven by the world’s very most impoverished countries. Improving education, decreasing child mortality, and providing people with economic opportunities will help to reduce fertility and population growth.

Promotion of Family Planning

Access to Contraceptives

A lot of unplanned pregnancies occur in the world due to the lack of access to contraception. According to The World Health Organization (WHO), about 225 million women who are living in developing countries prefer to delay giving birth but are not using any form of contraception. The easy access to contraceptives and knowledge of safe education will reduce the growing unwanted population in the world. Further, most people feel shy or find it unnecessary to use contraception.

Conclusion

Overpopulation is a big threat to the environment, natural resources, human beings, or the entire ecosystem. It only creates a crisis that increases poverty, climate change, pollution, and many environmental and social issues in the world.

So, before we lose every natural and ecological aspect, it is necessary to reduce human race birth control and establish a good policy and plan in all countries. If this issue continues to grow, it could have a knock-on effect that will lead to many problems in the future for billion people.

It only creates a crisis that cause and effect increase poverty, climate change, pollution, high mortality rates, and many environmental concerns and social issues for global populations.