St.

Paul University Philippines

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan North 3500

Ma. Clarette Joy M. Pasion – MST SS November 11, 2021

B. Geographical/Ecological Issues

Philippines the 13th-Most Populous Nation in the World

One of the biggest threats to our planet is overpopulation and this has become a rising
concern over the years. It is a crisis that we are facing and it is important that people become
more aware of it as soon as possible. The problem is that it is increasing at a very fast rate and
this causes concern for everyone. Overpopulation is causing economic, social, and environmental
issues.
Our country the Philippines according to the article that I have read in Worldmeter as of
as of Wednesday, November 10, 2021, based on their elaboration of the latest United Nations
data the current population of our country is 111,555,990 and is equivalent to 1.41% of
the population. Thus, we are currently on the 13th spot of the most populous nation in the world.
We all know that we belong to a third world country thus this problem has a lot of negative
effects not just in our economy but to all the Filipinos.
Overpopulation can cause depletion of natural resources; our environment can only
produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of the current needs. This is
very evident here in country as malnutrition also rises especially in urban and fur flung rural
areas. Another is degradation of our environment with the overuse of coal, oil, and natural gas; it
has started producing some serious effects on our environment. The exponential rise in the
number of vehicles and industries has badly affected the quality of air and also 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. Rise in unemployment is also one of its negative effects. When a
country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there are fewer jobs to support
a large number of people. According to the survey of Philippine Statistic Authority as of August
2021 our countries unemployment rate is being estimated to be 8.1 % meaning there are 3.88
million individuals who is currently unemployed. 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.
These are just some of the many negative effects of overpopulation and there are many more like
high cost of living, malnutrition, starvation and famine.
So to conclude overpopulations requires immediate solutions as it has reached alarming
rates. This problem can be solved easily by educating the masses that helps them understand the
need to have one or two children at the most. Also raising awareness among people especially
women regarding family planning and letting them know about serious after-effects of
overpopulation can help curb population growth and one of the best ways is to let them know
about various safe sex techniques and contraceptive methods available to avoid any unwanted
pregnancy. Each and every one of us has the right to get the most basic necessities to live and
this includes employment, education, housing, healthcare, clothing, food, and water so we must
help each other in order to curb the population growth here in our country or else the future
generation will suffer more.

References:
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/philippines-population/
https://psa.gov.ph/content/unemployment-rate-august-2021-estimated-81-
percent#:~:text=Unemployment%20Rate%20in%20August%202021,8.1%20Percent%20%7C%
20Philippine%20Statistics%20Authority