Human population growth trends and impacts

Human Population Growth Factors

The growth in human population has been steadily increasing throughout most of history, but in the last 200 years it has escalated rapidly. There are numerous factors which account for the growth in human population, however those with the greatest influence include fertility and mortality rates, demographics, production of food, diseases and medical advances, economics, to name but a few. In the United States, the population has also expanded, growing from "76 million in 1900 to 304 million in 2008," with one of the largest increases coming in the years 1946 to 1964. (Miller, 2008, p.82) Although the rate of population growth has decreased since 1964, the population of the United States is still growing at a faster rate than any other industrialized nation. And while it is true that as a nation becomes more industrialized its rate of population growth decreases, the growth in population in the U.S. over the next fifty years can potentially lead to many social, economic, and political problems.

One of the most important factors in determining population growth is the rate of fertility and mortality. The fertility rate can be considered to be the rate at which babies are born in a specific population, while the mortality rate is the rate at which people die. A number of factors can have an influence that rate, specifically the availability of food, for instance, has a direct affect on the fertility and mortality rate; and food production depends upon other factors such as climate and technology. These rates can also be affected by economic factors such the economic resources of parents, the availability of advanced medical care, education and employment opportunities, as well as urbanization and the availability of abortion services. With economic wealth comes better medical care, including preventative medicine, more and better nutritional intake, and the a greater likely an infant will survive childbirth and live a healthier and longer life.

At the current rate of growth the population of the United States will increase to nearly 400 million. ("U.S. Population Growth") Added to this, while the rest of the world's "ecological footprint" is 7 acres per person, the average American leaves an "ecological footprint" of about 25 acres. This potential increase in the population of the United States will increase the need for food, and the price for it. In addition to the increase in land usage and food prices, it is estimated that the oil and gas reserves needed to power the United States could run out in the next 50 years, leaving the price of energy to skyrocket. Finally there is the issue of water management and the fact that at present, the groundwater reserves are being depleted faster that they are being recharged. Because groundwater provides almost a third of the water used in agriculture, shortages of water can lead to the growth of arid and semi-arid regions, increased food prices, and shortages of water for individual personal use.