Overpopulation: Causes, Effects and Solutions That are

Seriously Eye-opening

Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of

the existing human population exceeds the actual carrying capacity
of Earth. Overpopulation is caused by a number of factors.
Reduced mortality rate, better medical facilities, depletion of
precious resources are few of the causes which result in
overpopulation. It is possible for a sparsely populated area to
become densely populated if it is not able to sustain life.

Growing advances in technology with each coming year

has affected humanity in many ways. One of these has been the
ability to save lives and create a better medical treatment for all. A
direct result of this has been the increased lifespan and the growth
of the population.

According to Wikipedia,

The human overpopulation issue is the topic I see as the most

vital to solve if our children and grandchildren are to have a
good quality of life.

~ Alexandra Paul
In the past fifty years or so, the growth of the population has
boomed and has turned into overpopulation. In the history of our
species, the birth and death rates have always been able to balance
each other and maintain a population growth rate that is
sustainable.

Since the time of the Bubonic Plague in the 1400s, the growth of
the population has been on a constant increase. Between the time
of the plague and the 21st century, there have been hundreds and
thousands of wars, natural calamities, and man-made hazards.

However, none of these could make a dent on the population.

Developing nations face the problem of overpopulation more than
developed countries, but it affects most of the Earth as of now.
When we are talking about overpopulation, we should first try to
understand the underlying causes of it.

Various Causes of Overpopulation

1. The Decline in the Death Rate

At the root of overpopulation is the difference between the overall

birth rate and death rate in populations. If the number of children
born each year equals the number of adults that die, then the
population will stabilize.

Talking about overpopulation shows that while there are many

factors that can increase the death rate for short periods of time, the
ones that increase the birth rate do so over a long period of time.

The discovery of agriculture by our ancestors was one factor that

provided them with the ability to sustain their nutrition without
hunting. This created the first imbalance between the two rates.

2. Agricultural Advancements

Technological revolutions and population explosions occur at the

same time. There have been three major technological revolutions.
They are the tool-making revolution, the agricultural revolution,
and the industrial revolution.

Agricultural advancements in the 20th century have allowed

humans to increase food production using fertilizers, herbicides,
and pesticides and yields further. This allowed humans with more
access to food that leads to subsequent population explosions.

3. Better Medical Facilities

Following this the industrial revolution started. Technological

advancement was perhaps the biggest reason why the balance has
been permanently disturbed.

Science was able to produce better means of producing food,

which allowed families to feed more mouths. Besides, medical
science made many discoveries, thanks to which they were able to
defeat a whole range of diseases.

Illnesses that had claimed thousands of lives until now were cured
because of the invention of vaccines. Combining the increase in
food supply with fewer means of mortality tipped the balance and
became the starting point of overpopulation.

4. More Hands to Overcome Poverty

However, when talking about overpopulation, we should

understand that there is a psychological component as
well. Poverty is considered as the leading cause of overpopulation.
In the absence of educational resources, coupled with high death
rates, which resulted in higher birth rates, that is why impoverished
areas are seeing large booms in population.
For thousands of years, a very small part of the population had
enough money to live in comfort. The rest faced poverty and
would give birth to large families to make up for the high infant
mortality rate.

Families that have been through poverty, natural disasters, or are

simply in need of more hands to work are a major factor for
overpopulation.

As compared to earlier times, most of these extra children survive

and consume resources that are not sufficient in nature.

According to the UN, the forty-eight poorest countries in the world

are also likely to be the biggest contributors to population growth.
Their estimates say that the combined population of these countries
is likely to increase to 1.7 billion in 2050, from 850 million in
2010.

5. Child Labor

It is no less than a tragedy that child labor is still in practice

extensively in many parts of the world. As per the UNICEF,
approximately 150 million children are currently working in
countries having few child labor laws. The children being seen as a
source of income by impoverished families begin work too young
and also lose the educational opportunities reflected, particularly
when it comes to birth control.

6. Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment

With the latest technological advancement and more discoveries in

medical science, it has become possible for couples who are unable
to conceive to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their
own babies.

Today there are effective medicines that can increase the chance of
conception and lead to a rise in the birth rate. Moreover, due to
modern techniques, pregnancies today are far safer.

7. Immigration

Many people prefer to move to developed countries like the US,

UK, Canada, and Australia, where the best facilities are available
in terms of medical, education, security, and employment. The
result is that those people settle over there, eventually making
those places overcrowded.
If the number of people who are leaving the country is less than the
number of people who enter, it usually leads to more demand for
food, clothes, energy, and homes.

This gives rise to a shortage of resources. Though the overall

population remains the same, it just affects the density of the
population, making that place simply overcrowded.

8. Lack of Family Planning

Most developing nations have a large number of people who are

illiterate, live below the poverty line, and have little or no
knowledge about family planning. Besides, getting their children
married at an early age increases the chances of producing more
kids.

Those people are unable to understand the harmful effects of

overpopulation, and lack of quality education prompts them to
avoid family planning measures.

9. Poor Contraceptives Use

Poor family planning on the part of partners can lead to unexpected

pregnancies though contraceptives are easily available in
developed countries.

As per statistics, 76% of women aged between 16 and 49 in Great

Britain used at least one form of contraceptive, leaving a quarter
open to unexpected pregnancies. Whereas a study by the World
Health Organization (WHO) shows that this figure drops to 43% in
underdeveloped countries, which leads to higher birth rates.

Fatal Effects of Overpopulation

1. Depletion of Natural Resources

The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is

the depletion of 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 seen in the last fifty-odd years

is because of the growing number of people on the planet. They
include cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner,
causing pollution, and creating a host of other problems.
Those engaged in talks about overpopulation have noticed that acts
of violence and aggression outside of a war zone have increased
tremendously while competing for resources.

2. Degradation of Environment

With the overuse of coal, oil, and natural gas, it has started
producing some serious effects on our environment. Besides, the
exponential rise in the number of vehicles and industries has badly
affected the quality of air.

The rise in the amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming.

Melting of polar ice caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea
levels are a few of the consequences that we might have to face
due to environmental pollution.

Source: Canva
3. Conflicts and Wars

Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the

resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over
water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which
could result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes
them harder to control.

Starvation is a huge issue that the world is facing, and the mortality
rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest
hallmark we see when talking about overpopulation.

All of this will only become worse if solutions are not sought out
for the factors affecting our population. We can no longer prevent
it, but there are ways to control it.

4. Rise in Unemployment

When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to

unemployment as there are fewer jobs to support a large number of
people. The rise in unemployment gives rise to crime, such as
theft, as people want to feed their families and provide them basic
amenities of life.

5. High Cost of Living

As the difference between demand and supply continues to expand

due to overpopulation, it raises the prices of various essential
commodities, including food, shelter, and healthcare. This means
that people have to pay more to survive and feed their families.
6. Pandemics and Epidemics

Poverty is linked to many environmental and social reasons,

including overcrowded and unhygienic living conditions,
malnutrition and inaccessible, inadequate, or non-existent health
care, for which the poor are more likely to be exposed to infectious
diseases. Further, high densities of population increase the chance
of the emergence of new pandemics and epidemics.

7. Malnutrition, Starvation and Famine

When the availability of resources is scarce, starvation,

malnutrition, along with ill health and diseases caused by diet-
deficiency such as rickets become more likely.

Famine is typically associated with less-developed regions, and

there is a high correlation with poverty levels.

8. Water Shortage

Roughly 1% of the world’s water is fresh and accessible.

Overpopulation is a major issue that creates immense pressure on
the world’s freshwater supplies.

As per the study, the human demand for freshwater would stand at
approximately 70% of freshwater available on the planet by 2025.
Therefore, people living in impoverished areas that already have
limited access to such water will be at great risk.

9. Lower Life Expectancy

A large proportion of the world’s population growth occurs in less

developed countries. Therefore, lower life expectancy caused by
the booms in population is experienced by less-developed nations.

This causes a shortage of resources in these countries resulting in

less access to medical care, freshwater, food and jobs, and
ultimately in a sharp fall in life expectancy.

10. Extinction

The impact of overpopulation on the world’s wildlife is severe. As

demand for land grows, the destruction of natural habitats, such as
forests, becomes common.

Data has also been collected to show a direct link between

increases in human population and decreases in the number of
species on the planet. If present trends continue, as many as 50%
of the world’s wildlife species will be at risk of extinction, some
scientists warn.

11. Increased Intensive Farming

With the growth of population over the years, farming practices

have evolved to produce enough food required to feed a larger
number of people. However, this intensive farming methods cause
damage to local ecosystems and the land that may pose problems
in the future.

Furthermore, intensive farming is also contributed to climate

change due to the machinery required. If the population continues
to grow at its current rate, this effect will likely intensify.

12. Faster Climate Change

Overpopulation forces larger nations, like China and India, to

continue to develop their industrial capacities. They now rank as
two of the three largest contributors to emissions in the world,
other than the United States.

According to 97% of the scientific community, human activities

are changing global temperatures. If more is not done to reduce
individual carbon footprints on a wide scale, larger populations
may speed these changes up.

Incredible Solutions To Overpopulation

1. Better Education

One of the first measures is to implement policies reflecting social

change. Educating the masses helps them understand the need to
have one or two children at the most.

Similarly, education plays a vital role in understanding the latest

technologies that are making huge waves in the world of
computing. Families that are facing a hard life and choose to have
four or five children should be discouraged.

Family planning and efficient birth control can help in women

making their own reproductive choices. Open dialogue on abortion
and voluntary sterilization should be seen when talking about
overpopulation.

2. Education for Girl Child

Currently, over 130 million young women and girls around the
globe are not enrolled in school. The majority of these live in
male-dominated societies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and
South and West Asia, that does not give women equal right to
education as men.

Entrenched gender norms and child marriage further disrupt their

access to education. The girl who receives less education is more
likely to have children early and vulnerable to exploitation.
Moreover, impoverished families are less likely to enroll their
female children in school.

3. Making People Aware of Family Planning

As the population of this world is growing at a rapid pace, raising

awareness among people regarding family planning and letting
them know about serious after-effects of overpopulation can help
curb population growth.

One of the best ways is to let them know about various safe sex
techniques and contraceptive methods available to avoid any
unwanted pregnancy.

4. Tax Benefits or Concessions

The government of various countries might have to come up with

various policies related to tax exemptions to curb overpopulation.

One of them might be to waive a certain part of income tax or

lowering rates of income tax for those married couples who have
single or two children. As we humans are more inclined towards
money, this may produce some positive results.

5. Knowledge of Sex Education

Imparting sex education to young kids at the elementary level

should be a must. Most parents feel shy in discussing such things
with their kids that results in their children going out and look out
for such information on the internet or discuss it with their peers.

Mostly, the information is incomplete, which results in sexually

active teenagers unaware of contraceptives and embarrassed to
seek information about the same. It is, therefore, important for
parents and teachers to shed their old inhibitions and make their
kids or students aware of solid sex education.

6. Social Marketing
Social marketing has already been started by some societies to
educate the public on overpopulation effects. The intervention can
be made widespread at a low cost. A variety of print materials
(flyers, brochures, fact sheets, stickers) can be distributed in places
such as at local places of worship, sporting events, local food
markets, schools and at car parks.