In each coming year, growing advances in technology has affected humanity in several ways. Because of these advances, they have been able to save lives and create better medical treatments for everyone;thus, resulting to increased lifespan and the growth of population. In the past years, the growth of population has boomed and has turned into overpopulation; in our history, the birth and death rate have always been able to maintain and balance a sustainable population growth rate.
Developing nations face the problem of overpopulation. Even the Bubonic Plague, thousands of wars, natural calamities and man-made hazards weren't able to dent the population. This affects the Earth the most. When talking about overpopulation, we must first know and understand the causes of it.
Causes of Overpopulation
Decline in the Death Rate
The difference between the overall birth rate and death in population is mainly the reason to overpopulation. If the number of children born in each year equals the number of people that die, then the population will stabilize. There are many factors that can increase the death rate in short period of time, but the increase birth rate takes a longer period of time. Also the discovery of agriculture which provides us the ability to sustain nutrition without hunting created the first imbalance between the two rates.
Better Medical Facilities
In the industrial revolution, technological
advancement was one of the biggest reasons why the balance is permanently
disturbed. Science was able to produce better food, which allowed families feed
more mouths. Medical science also made many discoveries which were able to defeat a whole range of diseases. Because of this, illnesses that claimed
thousands of lives were cured.
It has become possible for couples who are unable to conceive to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their own babies because of the latest technological advancements and discoveries in medical science. Today, there are effective medicines which can increases the chance of conception and lead to rise in birth rate. Moreover, due to modern techniques pregnancies today are far more safer.
Immigration
Many people prefer to move to developed countries like US, UK, Canada
and Australia because they have the best facilities available in terms of medical,
education, security and employment. This results to overcrowding those places. The difference between the number
of people who are leaving the country and the number of people who enter
narrows down which leads to more demand for food, clothes, energy and homes.
This gives rise to shortage of resources. Though the overall population remains
the same, it just affects the density of population making that place simply
overcrowded.
There is a large number of people who are illiterate, live below the poverty line and have little or no knowledge about family planning. Getting their children married at an early age increase the chances of producing more kids. Those people are unable to understand the harmful effects of overpopulation and lack of ignorance prompts them to avoid family planning measures.
Effects of Overpopulation
Depletion of Natural Resources
The effects of overpopulation are quite severe, and one of these is depletion of our natural resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down trees in forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner, and causing pollution.
Degradation of Environment
Because of the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing serious effects on our environment. This is due to the rise of the number of vehicles and industries which have badly affects the quality of air. The rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. The consequences we face due to environmental pollution are: melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, and rise in sea level.
Rise in Unemployment
When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as
there fewer jobs to support large number of people. Rise in unemployment gives
rise to crime as people will steal items just to feed their family and to be able to provide them their basic amenities of life.
As difference between demand and supply continues
to expand due to overpopulation, it raises the prices of various commodities-food, shelter and healthcare. This means that people have to pay more
to survive and feed their families.
As for the rapid growth of the population in the world, we should raise awareness in family planning that can help curb the population growth. We should implement policies reflecting social change like educating couples to understand the need to have one or two children at the most; families that are facing difficulties or hardship and choose to have five or more children should be discouraged. The government in other countries might have to come up with various policies related to tax exemptions like lowering the income tax of the married couples who have one or two children. This may give some positive results.
Though, overpopulation has it's positive effects, let's not forget about the fact that there will come a time that the Earth will be crowded af
ReplyDeleteSoe of the causes stated are being benefitted by the people but we need to stop and think about how all the good things actually have bad effects on the world like overpopulation.
ReplyDeleteOverpopulation has its benefits and negatives. However, we need to realize that the entire overpopulation phenomena weighs more on the latter.
ReplyDelete-Paul Beltran
Overpopulation could be curbed by the government implementing programs such as sex education and family planning. However, things like religious beliefs hinder them from implementing such programs.
ReplyDeleteThe solutions to Philippine poverty are fairly well known, but unlikely to be adopted by a political class that is hardly committed to the authentic transformation of Philippine society from one in which economic growth benefits only a handful of families to one in which economic development would benefit the majority.
ReplyDeleteFrances Bosque BSOT 1-B
There is a need in educating the people how to lessen overpopulation. One would be sex ed. 2 is the use of contraceptives and 3 is exercising control or having limitations.
ReplyDeleteOverpopulation may have some good, but the situation right now is that the disadvantages weigh a lot more than the advantages.Because of our fast depleting resources and our slow progress economically instead of helping it just turn into a liability.
ReplyDelete-Marc Lim
The constant struggle in the Philippines are brought about my many things and population growth is one of them. We have seen these changes brought about this large undisputed problem for all of Filipinos but with the effort of many people can we reduce the population growth and continue to live the lives we currently have. If we continue to have such a high population growth rate we will struggle to support the billions of people on this country.
ReplyDeleteOne could easily argue that the world is already over-populated, when countries industrialize and are brought up to higher standards, populations begin to decrease. People just have to move or do something about it.
ReplyDeleteRight now, we can't really focus on the positive results of overpopulation because it is nothing compared to the problems it creates to the country. There are many solutions to prevent overpopulation, but what's stopping it is the lack of support and cooperation from the whole society including the officials.
ReplyDeleteThe overpopulation growth have settled the Philippines to become one of the most populated country in the world since the year of 2009. Like the author, family planning methods should be growing and the education sector should urge workshop teachers, family and student participants to assess their own awareness by looking at their environment. Regardless of religious perspectives, we need to take a secularism decision in building a practicable "law adaptation mission" in regards to these kind contraceptives before undertaking it to be signed as an RH Bill.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere are good sides to overpopulation but looking at the Philippines right now, we have to decrease the increasing birth rates that we have right now. So many people unemployed, poor, uneducated, depletion of so many resources and more. This problems can be solved but unfortunately, our government is not taking action to this problem. The government needs to act, NOW.
ReplyDelete-Therese Alcoseba BS OT 1-B :D
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