Overpopulation effects

Overpopulation Effects

The Earth has a circumference of 24,000 miles. Impressive, isn't it? But take this - there are around 6.8 billion people living on it with approximately, a million and ahalf beings added every week! Does this planet seem a bit small for us? Hominids have been around for only 5 to 6 million years. But, in this time we have grown at such a rate that it seems doubtful, ifthis 4.5 billion year old planet, with all its resources, will be able to sustain us for long. Fast depletion of natural resources is just one of the overpopulation effects. In our relentless effortto quench our never ending needs, we have destroyed the habitat of so many flora and fauna that this planet had nurtured to near perfection, through billions of years of evolution. Probably, it's timewe took Thomas Malthus' theory of population more seriously, and took steps to fight the ill effects of overpopulation.

Causes

The tremendous development in the field of medicine has ensuredthat we are no longer prey to the many diseases that would have wreaked havoc earlier. With scientific and technological advancements, the standard of living has improved remarkably. This iscorroborated with the spurt in population, that took place with the Industrial Revolution. All this has led to an increase in birth rate, drop in death rate and an increase in the average life span of humanbeings.

Effects

Depleting Natural Resources
Technological advancements have not only transformed human life but also the face of this planet. Cars, trains, aircraft..., all have helped us save timewhich has added immensely to the efficiency of human beings. However, the numerous factories and industries, that manufacture goods without which, living a day would be unthinkable, need a regularsupply of energy. For years, we have fallen back on fossil fuels, but so rampant has been the growth of industries that, we have practically dug up all the known deposits of coal, oil and natural gas....