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.

Causes of Overpopulation

Poverty

Poverty is believed to be the leading cause of overpopulation. A lack of educational

resources, coupled with high death rates leading to higher birth rates, result in impoverished
areas seeing large booms in population.

The effect is so extensive that the UN has predicted that the forty-eight poorest countries in
the world are also likely to be the biggest contributors to population growth.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Prevention of overpopulation

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 is huge. Responsible farming techniques, education and pressure from consumers
can go a long way to improving this.

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.

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.