Human overpopulation and the conflict between human and environmental rights

Human Population

World Overpopulation: The Rights of Humans vs. The Rights of Nature

Plan for Sustainability

Throughout history, different attitudes about the ideal interaction between humans and the earth have been standard. Traditionally, the biblical view that humans were dominant over the land drove many to believing the world was simply humankind's empty canvas. Throughout the middle ages, science began to move from an elementary to a more sophisticated state, and planetary and moon movements began to be documented accurately for the first time. Perhaps this first glimpse at the ability of humankind to explore nature using science shifted the thinking a bit, suggesting that nature could be observed by humankind, but not necessarily dominated. The industrial revolutions throughout Europe and the United States, however, debunk this theory, as humans began to harness nature and machinery in order to move into a new realm of production and technology. Of course, the giddy innovators during the industrial revolution, and thier opponents, were more concerned with profits, child labor, working conditions, and other human issues than the revolution's affect on nature. Only years later, however, would industry be blamed for so many of the planet's environmental problems. Humans, of course, were blamed too, not only for their production, waste, and other harmful actions, but also for their very existence, their overuse of natural resources. Thus, overpopulation has entered the classification of environmental problems. Through a detailed explanation of overpopulation, contributors and creators of the problem, effects, and ways to achieve sustainability, this paper will present a comprehensive overview of the issue of human overpopulation, why it is a problem, and what can be done to solve it.

Detailed Explanation of the Problem

According to Negative Population Growth (2008), an overpopulation advocacy group, overpopulation is defined as happening "when an area is populated too heavily for the available resources and the capacity of the environment." Negative Population Growth (2008) also states that overpopulation occurs when the human population uses nonrenewable resources to the point where they can no longer support future generations. Thus, overpopulation can occur at both a local and a global level. Historically, nomadic tribes operated on a principal of overpopulation, moving to a new area when their numbers threatened to deplete resources. Today, transportation and technology make exporting and importing so easy that areas traditionally unable to sustain much life can now become viable. Still, overpopulation can still become a problem on both a national and global level as humans begin to use more and more resources that the earth cannot quickly replenish.

According to Negative Population Growth (2008), overpopulation is both a problem in the United States and the in the world. While World Population Awareness, another advocacy group, argues that an increasing population is augmented by a decrease in global sustainable land, they do not debate that increasing human population is also to blame. The advocacy group argues that increasing deserts and rising sea levels have been shoving increasing populations into a smaller area of available land worldwide ("Why Population Matters" 2008). The increasing amount of unsustainable land is affecting many third world countries and other areas filled with the impoverished. World Population Awareness lists China, Tunisia, Mexico, Morocco and others among the list of those countries that are suffering sustainable land loss because of natural changes ("Why Population Matters" 2008). Although the decreasing land certain is increasing the population problem, it is far from causing them. Growing population is certainly a problem, and some groups argue that it is a most severe problem in the United States. While environmental advocates have continued to focus on energy usage, emissions, and waste in the United States, the World Population advocacy organization argues that "the trend...to reduce personal resource consumption" is not enough. Instead, the United States population, because of its massive use of energy, must decrease ("Why Population Matters" 2008). Negative Population Growth (2008) agrees, stating that the United States has grown by 83% in the last 50 years, and future projections of population in the United States are in the 400 millions. Because the issue of overpopulation affects many customs, religious beliefs, and cultural practices, Negative Population Growth (2008) argues that these problems must be "solved at the national level," citing the complexity of global awareness and legislation regarding the issue.

Thus, global overpopulation is a problem for both the environment and the human population. For the environment, more people mean more energy usage, more waste, more emissions, etc. Although personal energy and waste reduction has been both the norm and the primary environmental media campaign for several years, it is not enough to make a large enough dent in the issue. Thus, some environmentalist suggest that population control is the only way to insure that the world can continue to not only support a healthy environment but also the world's future generations. Some issues that must be considered when evaluating this information are emissions and global warming, food production, and available land, among others. Although global overpopulation is, by name, a worldwide problem, some suggest that the United States is the way to start combating the problem. This information is based both on the fact that the United States is one of the more industrialized countries, causing the most harm, and on the realization that global overpopulation is a difficult issue to attack across cultures and countries. Although it is a problem in need of much further research, environmentalists can agree that world overpopulation is a problem, and that sometimes must be done.

Effects

The effects of overpopulation are twofold. First, overpopulation affects both today's human population and the human population of the future. Second, overpopulation affects the environment. These issues are intertwined because environmental sustainability is what determines human viability. Thus, they will be treated as such in this explanation. Because of increased usage, the peak oil problem is exacerbated by increasing population. According to Duncan and Youngquist (2005), oil will not be produced in sufficient amount after 2040, based on the current rate of usage. Because oil is so necessary for today's world, this will drastically affect human life. Although oil is probably the most popularized, overpopulation also drains other resources, such as water, food, and trees ("Sustainability, Carrying Capacity, and Overcompensation" 2008). According to the World Population Awareness Organization, these conditions lead to human social problems, including "poverty, disease, malnutrition and often death" ("Sustainability, Carrying Capacity, and Overcompensation" 2008). Furthermore, the organization suggests that those suffering from these conditions must "destroy their environment in order to survive" ("Sustainability, Carrying Capacity, and Overcompensation" 2008).

Omole-Ohonsi, (2007) in his study of sub-Saharan Africa confirmed these affects by suggesting that overpopulation of a locality not only damages the environment and sustainability but "feeds the cycle of poverty" (20). Thus, from non-renewable resources to social problems, the effects of overpopulation are large and far-reaching, encouraging a cycle of environmental destruction and poverty.

Ways to Achieve Sustainability

As previously mentioned, overpopulation is a difficult problem to solve because it deals directly with personal rights, beliefs, religions, and attitudes. Regardless, many potential solutions have been discussed and implemented on a local level. Omole-Ohonsi (2007) suggested a government agency to enforce family planning policies, in addition to restructuring attitudes about these policies and overpopulation (22). Warner (2004), however presents the opposite side of the argument by insisting that problems occur in some state mandated family planning programs. While it is true that mandated family planning may work in certain situations, religious, ethical, and other personal beliefs about the issue must be taken into account. With this knowledge, my plan to reach sustainability includes a non-governmental organization (NGO) providing incentives on a nation or cultural group-based model throughout the world. This program would dispatch overpopulation educators to different areas of the world in order to discuss and research ideas about family planning. Simultaneously, these educators would meet with national officials about the problem. Together, the national officials, cultural groups, and educators will develop a plan that is sensitive to the particular group's beliefs regarding family planning. In addition, proper sex education will be given to children and teenagers by these educators. Finally, the NGO and national government will agree upon a recommendation or mandated family planning procedure, in addition to incentives for following that procedure for each and every country. Benefits of this plan would include attacking the problem at the root, knowledge, and customized plans that preserve rights while achieving sustainability. Challenges to this plan, however, consist of the fact that this plan will be slow in implementation. To design a plan for each nation or cultural group may take time, and could be impractical. Instead, educators may have to focus on targeting regions. Furthermore, the NGO would require global support from other agencies like it, the United Nations, and large powers. While money would eventually come from donors and member dues, at the beginning of its launch, the NGO may need to rely on those willing to contribute to the start-up fund and other similar organizations raising awareness. Furthermore, society must be open to an agency that addresses these issues publicly. Thus, while the problem of overpopulation still exists, this unique and compassionate plan can be well implemented.