We explain what global overpopulation is, what its causes and consequences are. In addition, we tell you possible solutions.
What is world overpopulation?
World overpopulation and global overpopulation are terms that refer to the possible ecological imbalance of the human population, that is, to the uncontrolled proliferation of population on the planet which could have very negative consequences for the environment and for humanity's quality of life.
The concept of “overpopulation” comes from biology. In any ecosystem, the population of the different species is maintained in a tense balance due to the relationships of predation and competition that occur between them, so that none of them tend to increase in a disorderly and uncontainable manner, and that is a guarantee of availability. of resources within the ecosystem.
However, these types of ecological laws do not apply to human beings, since the latter has managed to largely abstract themselves from the natural laws of the environment, and has learned to modify them for their benefit. Thus, humanity has been able to lengthen their life spans, which has had a direct impact on the population of the species, by reducing mortality rates and allowing safer reproduction.
In fact, in the last two centuries The human population skyrocketed from 1 billion people in 1800 to more than 7 billion in 2017. Estimates, if this rate of population growth continues, suggest that there would be about 15.3 billion people in the year 2100.
The issue of human overpopulation, however, inspires many debates, with positions in favor of taking measures to prevent it and others that deny that there is a real danger of overpopulation.
Concerns about population growth gained strength in the early 19th century after the publication in 1798 of the Essay on the principle of population, by the British clergyman and scholar Thomas Malthus (1766-1834). In this work it was stated that overpopulation would lead humanity to self-inflicted extinction around the year 1880, given that the rate of growth was exponential and the resources available to feed it were practically the same.
Malthusian theories were openly criticized by thinkers of different orientations, including Karl Marx (1818-1883), who stated that the development of science and technology would be capable of sustaining the world population indefinitely. However, Malthus's concerns did not die then, but are still valid in the field of social sciences.
In fact, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the term “neomalthusianism” was coined to refer to the political, philosophical and ideological trends that understand the continuous growth of the human population as a risk, and propose different strategies to contain or limit it.
See also: Urbanization
Causes of world overpopulation
Those who warn about the risk of world overpopulation use as their main argument the so-called Malthus Law, which establishes a necessary correlation between the existing population and the amount of food it is capable of producing. Therefore, the amount of vital resources that civilization is capable of producing is the great limitation that would determine when the human population has begun to grow excessively.
However, Thanks to scientific and technological advances, humanity can surpass this frontier and continue to reproduce beyond the limits. Medicine, sanitation, improvements in work and other aspects of the modern lifestyle make it possible to control mortality rates (especially infants) and build an easier, longer and more stable life for the species.
In this context, uncontrolled reproduction would not bring with it the immediate disadvantages of overpopulation, but rather would allow an artificial growth of acceptable numbers of the species.
Consequences of world overpopulation
The consequences predicted by Malthus's theories regarding human overpopulation are quite drastic. Some are:
- Increase in unemployment energy consumption and the cost of living, which leads to widespread impoverishment and a decrease in the standard of living of the species.
- Widespread ecological destruction with the end of various ecosystems and the extinction of numerous animal, plant and fungal species.
- Recurrence of diseases and epidemics difficult to control among the crowded population.
- Increasingly fierce competitions for basic resources food, housing and work.
- Eventually, civilizational collapse and extinction of the human species.
Solutions to global overpopulation
Although there is no universally accepted plan To combat global overpopulation, since there is no consensus as to whether it is really a future risk or not, there are some strategies to solve a possible problem of human overpopulation:
- Control of birth rates and widespread reproductive education.
- Ecological development models capable of reduce the environmental impact of civilization and that allow sustainable growth.
- More efficient production models that maximize the resources available to feed, clothe and employ the growing population.
- Expand the world population to other planets and colonizable satellites, assuming that the technology for that exists in the future.
Is the planet really overpopulated?
The human population on the planet has not stopped growing steadily since the end of the Black Death in Europe, in the mid-14th century and over the last two centuries it multiplied by seven, largely thanks to advances in fertilization and agricultural development in the 20th century.
However, as the standard of living has improved, infant mortality has plummeted and life expectancy has almost tripled, population growth has slowed, i.e. The growth rate has slowed since 1980. This does not mean that the absolute number of human beings has stopped, but rather that it is growing much more in some regions than in others. For example, population growth in sub-Saharan Africa is a cause of concern for the United Nations, given the low level of development of many countries in the region.
Likewise, it is accepted today that The growing number of individuals, and the satisfaction of their demands for food, energy consumption and others, pose a challenge for the global economic model and a considerable threat to the balance of the ecosystem, especially to the support of the Earth's atmosphere. Many of the great contemporary ecological dramas are due, indirectly, to the rapid increase in population humanity in the last three centuries, and the way in which its needs have been attempted to be met.
Even so, population specialists warn that humanity is heading towards population stabilization throughout the 22nd century, which will be a direct result of the gradual decrease in birth rates in the first world and the demographic and economic transition in the third. Thus, it is possible that after 2100 some regions will have a smaller population than in 2005, at least in theory. If true, this means that humanity is in the 21st century in the last portion of the upward curve of its population, in the stage prior to the estimated population maximum.
Continue with: Exploitation of natural resources
References
- “Human overpopulation” on Wikipedia.
- “Malthusianism” on Wikipedia.
- “Global challenges: population” at the United Nations (UN).
- “Overpopulation: a problem that does not stop growing” in Unicef's Youth Opinion.
- “Human overpopulation” (video) in Kurzgesagt.
- “Is our planet overpopulated? “We ask the expert” in The Guardian (United Kingdom).
