EFFECTS OF OVERPOPULATION

“Overpopulation occurs when a species’ population exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche. It can result from an increase in births (fertility rate), a decline in the mortality rate, an increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources.”

1. The Decline 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.

Talking about overpopulation shows that while there are many factors that can increase the death rate for short periods of time, the ones that increase the birth rate do so over a long period of time.

2. Agricultural Advancements

Technological revolutions and population explosions occur at the same time. There have been three major technological revolutions. They are the tool-making revolution, the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution.

Agricultural advancements in the 20th century have allowed humans to increase food production using fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and yields further. This allowed humans with more access to food that leads to subsequent population explosions.

3. Better Medical Facilities

Following this the industrial revolution started. Technological advancement was perhaps the biggest reason why the balance has been permanently disturbed.

Science was able to produce better means of producing food, which allowed families to feed more mouths. Besides, medical science made many discoveries, thanks to which they were able to defeat a whole range of diseases.

Illnesses that had claimed thousands of lives until now were cured because of the invention of vaccines. Combining the increase in food supply with fewer means of mortality tipped the balance and became the starting point of overpopulation.

4. More Hands to Overcome Poverty

However, when talking about overpopulation, we should understand that there is a psychological component as well. Poverty is considered as the leading cause of overpopulation. In the absence of educational resources, coupled with high death rates, which resulted in higher birth rates, that is why impoverished areas are seeing large booms in population.

For thousands of years, a very small part of the population had enough money to live in comfort. The rest faced poverty and would give birth to large families to make up for the high infant mortality rate.

Families that have been through poverty, natural disasters, or are simply in need of more hands to work are a major factor for overpopulation.

6. Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment

With the latest technological advancement and more discoveries in medical science, it has become possible for couples who are unable to conceive to undergo fertility treatment methods and have their own babies.

Today there are effective medicines that can increase the chance of conception and lead to a rise in the birth rate. Moreover, due to modern techniques, pregnancies today are far safer.

7. Immigration

Many people prefer to move to developed countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, where the best facilities are available in terms of medical, education, security, and employment. The result is that those people settle over there, eventually making those places overcrowded.

If the number of people who are leaving the country is less than the number of people who enter, it usually leads to more demand for food, clothes, energy, and homes.

This gives rise to a shortage of resources. Though the overall population remains the same, it just affects the density of the population, making that place simply overcrowded.

8. Lack of Family Planning

Most developing nations have a large number of people who are illiterate, live below the poverty line, and have little or no knowledge about family planning. Besides, getting their children married at an early age increases the chances of producing more kids.

Those people are unable to understand the harmful effects of overpopulation, and lack of quality education prompts them to avoid family planning measures.

9. Poor Contraceptives Use

Poor family planning on the part of partners can lead to unexpected pregnancies though contraceptives are easily available in developed countries.

10. Conflicts and Wars

Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which could result in wars.

Starvation is a huge issue that the world is facing, and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest hallmark we see when talking about overpopulation.

All of this will only become worse if solutions are not sought out for the factors affecting our population. We can no longer prevent it, but there are ways to control it.

11. Rise in Unemployment

When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there are fewer jobs to support a large number of people. 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.