Overpopulation

Overpopulation refers to a situation where the number of people in a specific geographical area exceeds the carrying capacity of the place occupied by that area. Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. It is possible for very sparsely populated areas to be overpopulated if the area has a meagre or non-existent capability to sustain life (e.g., a desert).

Causes

The primary causes of overpopulation include a decrease in the death rate, an increase in the birth rate, or immigration to a new ecological niche with fewer predators.

Decrease 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.

Increase in the Birth Rate

Many nations have high birth rates due to a lack of family planning, cultural norms, or religious beliefs.

Immigration

Large movements of people into a geographical area can also contribute to overpopulation.

Effects

Overpopulation can have several effects, some of which are severe. These include environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources, increased crime rate, and increased poverty.

Environmental Degradation

With the overuse of coal, oil, and natural gas, it has started producing some serious effects on our environment.

Depletion of Natural Resources

As the human population continues to explode, finite natural resources, such as fossil fuels, fresh water, arable land, coral reefs and frontier forests, continue to plummet.

Increased Crime Rate

As human overpopulation drives resources and basic necessities, such as food and water, to become scarcer, there will be increased competitiveness for these resources which leads to elevated crime rates due to drug cartels and theft by people stealing resources to survive.

Increased Poverty

As nations are unable to provide the basic necessities for their populations, poverty levels increase.

Solutions

There are several potential solutions to overpopulation, including improving education about family planning, making contraceptives more readily available, and implementing policies that limit the number of children a family can have.

See Also

• Population growth
• Carrying capacity
• Sustainability
• Family planning
• Birth rate
• Death rate

References

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