Causes and Effects of Overpopulation

The most effective tools in the con-q quest of disease have been improved knowledge about nutrition, vaccinations, bet-term public health practices and the development of new medicines 17 In the late ass, a baby born in Iceland was 32 times more likely to live to the age of one year as a baby born in Afghanistan. 8 The major reason for this large differ-once in survival rate is nutrition. In many nations the people know about proper nutrition for young children and adults. The second most important factor is vaccinations.

As far back as 1800, science-tests knew how to use vaccines to protect people from infectious disease.

Use of that knowledge has reduced the rate of diseases like influenza, smallpox, polio and rubella in Meds. Again, lack of resources has prevented many Third, better public health practices– the germ theory of disease, discovered by Louis Pasteur in the sass clearly demonstrated that a arson’s health was also a community problem. Sewage dumped into a public water supply could cause dish-ease throughout the community.

With this understanding, the science of public health was born. Today, public health measures like waste treatment, water purify-action, vaccination, and nutritional education are well developed in Meds And finally, with the advent of new medicines, disease was less of a problem in Meds because medical science has invented a whole range of new medicines with which to treat everything from infections to pneumonia.

In many Lads, new drugs and medicines are simply not available. 2 Progress in medical science has, therefore, had a great effect on the population of most nations of the world.

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Nearly everywhere death rates have fallen. Rapid population growth can affect both the overall quality of life and the degree of huh-man suffering on Earth. 31 Decline in the Death Rate: Reduced mortality rate is one of the leading causes of overpopulation.

Due to medical advancements, many of the once incurable diseases have cures today. Owing to advances in both preventive and curative medicine, diseases have either been eradicated or have more effective treatments now. There are effective ways to control epidemics and there are better measures to treat critical health ailments, thus leading to a drop in death rates. Developments in medicine have led to reduced mortality and increase in the average life expectancy of humans. Infant mortality rates are very low and cases of deaths during childbirth are less frequent.

Good prenatal care has improved the chances of survival for both the mother and the baby. Rise in the Birth Rate: Once again owing to advances in medicine, the average birth rate has gone up. Due to various fertility treatments available today, there are effective solutions to infertility problems, which increases chances of conception. Due to modern medicine, pregnancies are safer. In case of inception after a fertility treatment, there are chances of a multiple pregnancy, further contributing to increasing birth rates.

In addition to this, there is a social pressure to have children. Lack of Education: Illiteracy is another important factor that contributes to overpopulation. Those lacking education fail to understand the need to curb population growth. Modern methods of birth control and family planning don’t reach the illiterate sections Of society. Furthermore, due to lack of awareness there is resistance in adopting such methods.

The illiterate are unable to understand what impact overpopulation can have. The educated class can make more responsible decisions about marriage and childbirth. Thus education is an effective tool to curb overpopulation. Cultural Influences: The concept of birth control is not widely accepted. Adopting birth control measures is considered taboo in certain cultures.

Some cultures foster beliefs where marrying at a certain age or having a certain number of children is considered to be ideal. In some cultures male children are preferred. This indirectly forces couples to produce children till a child of the preferred gender is conceived. Plus, there is a pressure from the Emily and society to have children. Social norms influence decisions of starting and extending one’s family.

In cultures where a woman’s role is considered to be that of a child-bearer, large families become the norm. By Manila Oak (7/1 1/2012) – Effects of Overpopulation:Water and Air Pollution Water and air pollution continue to affect the lives of many Americans. Since the creation of the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, significant improvements have been made to our overall water and air quality, but studies show the problem still persists at harmful levels. Beginning in the sass, pollution increased to levels comparable to those found in the 1 sass. The following information will show evidence Of this scenario-Despite our best efforts, pollution remains a major threat to our general health and well-being. Conceptualization growth will only make these conditions worse. Water Pollution America’s Troubled Waters, a report by US Public Interest Research Groups (U.S. PRIG), cites the following statistics regarding the state of America’s waterways: Approximately 39% of our rivers, 46% of our lakes, and 51% of our estuaries are still too polluted for safe fishing or swimming. Pollution caused early 20,000 beach closings in 2004, the highest level in 15 years. In 2004, 31 states had statewide fish consumption advisories in place because of toxic pollution. The Pea’s Waddle Streams Assessment finds that 42% of all U. S. Stream miles are in poor condition. Marathon half of those found in the eastern portion of the U. S. And 40% of those in the central region are considered to be in poor condition. According to American Rivers and the website healthiness. Org: Eighty percent of streams contain insecticides, drugs, or other chemicals. During 2002 and 2003, in just Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, pollution in rivers and streams killed 3. 5 million fish. The number of miles Of rivers containing fish that may be harmful to your health due to pollution, increased from 2% to 14% from 1993 to 2001. Waterborne germs and parasites cause an estimated 7. Million mild-to- moderate cases of infectious disease in the U. S. Annually. Every year more than 1. 2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water and industrial waste are discharged into U. S. Waters. The EPA warns that sewage levels in our rivers could be back to sass levels by the year 2016 Air Pollution The Environmental Defense Fund reports that 80% of the cancer risks from air pollutants nationwide is from mobile transportation sources. As our cities and suburbs continue to grow at record pace, pollution emitted by commuters will only grow worse. About 70 percent of the heavy construction equipment used in California in 2005 was old enough not to have to face any emission control regulations, according to the union of Concerned Scientists. According to the air pollution program of Clear the Air, a collective of grassroots and environmental organizations dedicated to combating global arming: Electricity generation is our nation’s largest source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Air Act and other environmental measures have not succeeded in lowering power plant pollution. EPA and other studies have shown that far greater reductions are needed to meaningfully reduce the public health and environmental damage caused by ASS emissions from power plants. Fine particle pollution results in the premature deaths of more than 45,000 people in the U. S. Each year. Plagued by Pollution, a report by US PRIG, cites the following statistics regarding the State Of America’s air: While our air quality has improved in the U. S. Since the inception of the Clean Air Act of 1970, more than 88 million Americans still live in areas with unsafe levels of fine particle pollution. In 2004, fine particle pollution exceeded the annual and/or daily national health standard at air quality monitors in 55 small, mid-sized, and large metropolitan areas located in 21 states and home to 96 million people. Negative Population Growth – GNP – is a national membership organization founded in 1 972 to educate the American public and political leaders about he detrimental effects of overpopulation on our environment, resources and quality of life. NP advocates a smaller and truly sustainable united States population accomplished through voluntary incentives for smaller families and reduced immigration levels. We are pleased to provide to you this fact sheet as part of our Effects of Overpopulation educational series. We sincerely hope you will use this information in your classroom in order to educate your students regarding the detrimental effects of an overpopulated nation. We also welcome your feedback on how to make this series more effective in reaching today’s youth OVERPOPULATION Overpopulation is a term that refers to a condition by which the population density enlarges to a limit that provokes the environmental deterioration, a remarkable decline in the quality of life, or a population collapse. The term population density denotes the number of inhabitants dwelling in a specific area, for example: 100 inhabitants per square Kilometer. The impact of human populations on the environment has been severe. Some animal species have been extinguished or forced to live in inhospitable regions by the advance of urban areas; pollution is a problem that is increasing gradually because we are using more cars. Emerging countries industrialization is not paying attention to environmental issues because of the feeding demands of their ever-growing populations. The human overpopulation has been credited to diverse factors, as the increment in life-span, the absence of natural enemies, the improvement in the quality of life, and the accessibility to get better goods. Every year, more than 81 million people add the world-wide population. Every 10 years almost one billion inhabitants are added to the world’s population. CURRENT EFFECTS OF OVERPOPULATION Due to the opening out of human settings, 1 6 million hectares of forest are chopped down each year. The accelerated growth of the human populations has propitiated the destruction of natural habitats of many species. People are invading the habitats of those species, replacing them to inhospitable places and condemning the native species to the extinction. The speed of extinction of plants and animals attributable to human activities is 1 0,000 times faster than the natural quotient. About 5 million people die every year from illnesses associated to organic wastes. Too dense human communities produce tons of solid wastes (organic and inorganic waste) daily, consume large quantities of energy and emit more pollutants to the environment. Water necessities will increase to by 2025. Approximately, one half Of wetlands around the world have been lost since 1900. In LISA, consumption of materials (wood, metals, synthetics, etc. ) has grown 18-fold since 1900. The Ozone layer has been gradually ruined by the effect of the CIFS. The concentration of CIFS has been increased as the human population has grown, and the thickness of the Ozone layer has been lesser to the extent that a hole in the layer has been formed. Scientists have found that there are there emissions derived from human activities, which have contributed to the depletion Of the ozone layer. Inhale, Nanas. (2003). Overpopulation. Published on 10 November 2003 by Biology Cabinet Organization. Http://Boca. Org/overpopulation. HTML. Last visit on (day) (month) (year). Retrieved from http://www. Boca. Org/ overpopulation. HTML Effects of overpopulation Food Shortage The more people there are, the greater amount Of food is needed. If there is not enough food to feed people in a specific place, then there is food shortage in that place. When people do not get enough food, their health is effected. People become undernourished when they do not have enough food to eat. Undernourished children are more likely to get sick. Water Shortage When population increases, the demand for water also increases. Farmers need more water to irrigate their fields so that they can produce more crops. Factories need more water to use in manufacturing more goods. More households need more water for drinking, cooking, washing clothes, personal hygiene and many other activities. Water shortage is evident when people have to walk a long way to get water, or when they have to queue up to get it. Many people do not have access to potable water. They get their water from springs, rivers, wells and rain. The quality fatter that people get may be poor. Water shortage in a community can bring about problems related to sanitation and health. Limited Space The population of a place increases in just a short time. However, the space in a place remains the same. When the houses in a neighborhood are overcrowded, it shows that the population in the area is too big. This is a common sight in a city. Many poor people build shanties along creeks, in dumpiest or along railroads. More than one family may share a shanty. Overpopulation in a community can limit space for housing. Health Problems Food shortage, overcrowding poor water supply and environmental pollution affect the health of the people, particularly the children. Poor environmental sanitation is a major cause of diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and cholera. Dirty insects such as flies and cockroaches contaminate food with disease- causing germs. Many children who play barefoot in dirty areas and do not wash their hands before eating become infected with worms. Some respiratory’ diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and bronchitis are worsened by polluted air.