Exponential Population Growth and Its Global Effects

Introduction: The Scale of Exponential Population Growth

Today, the human population of the world is over six billion, and there are fears that it might double within this century. This rapid growth means little to most people living in the world, yet it is a phenomenon that should concern everyone. It is strange that among people living in different parts of the world, very few know the population of the world, of their nation, or even of the state where they reside. No authority has ever told them it was important to know those numbers — except to suggest that, in general, more people is better. No one has told them that, unless couples on average have no more than two children, population will grow ever faster, compounding like money in the bank to unimaginably large numbers — a phenomenon called exponential population growth.

The human population reached approximately two billion people, and it took from the beginning of human history to the Industrial Revolution around 1945 for our species to reach that figure. Looking at the numbers after 1945, we realize that this figure has more than doubled — and even tripled. There is a fear that if left uncontrolled, and if the population continues to grow exponentially, the total could reach nine billion during the rest of our lifetimes.

Environmental Effects of Population Explosion

The rapid increase in global population has had a profound geological impact visible to all. The worst impact of the population explosion has shown itself through global warming, which is already producing harmful effects. Changes in the environment are creating serious problems even in areas where overpopulation itself may not be a direct issue. In Arctic regions, for example, structures built atop permafrost are collapsing. Polar ice is melting, releasing freshwater flows that may alter the great ocean circulations, thereby changing climates, temperatures, and agricultural production across vast areas. High mountain glaciers and snowfields are no longer reliable sources of spring river flows, meaning that water for agriculture does not arrive at the time or in the quantities most needed.

Environmental problems have always been human-made, but never before on such a scale. Forest encroachment, deforestation, fuel-wood depletion, soil erosion, declining fish and animal stocks, and inadequate and unsafe water and air are just some of the problems the environment faces due to overpopulation. There is a constant debate about the relationship between population and environmental degradation. As one source describes it:

"The population continues to grow until the available resources are consumed. After that point in time a die-off occurs. The magnitude of the die-off and the amount of habitat damage reflects in part the degree of excess population above capacity prior to the die-off. For example, a small group of 25 reindeer were released on the 41 square-mile Saint Paul Island off the coast of Alaska in 1911 (Scheffer, 1951). The reindeer grazed primarily on lichens, which were abundant at the time of release, and the population expanded exponentially until 1938, when the lichens became overgrazed. With the destruction of their food supply, the population plummeted to only eight animals in 1950" (The Subversive and Conservative Science of Human Ecology).

Health, Food, and Education Impacts

Overpopulation also results in high fertility rates, which in turn harm the health of mothers and children. It increases the health risks associated with pregnancy, and closely spaced births have been shown to reduce birth weight and increase child mortality rates.

Feeding the world's population becomes increasingly difficult as population grows rapidly. New technologies of production must be introduced more rapidly, since the best agricultural lands have already been cultivated. International food relief programs have become widespread in the context of the population explosion.

It is generally agreed that large family size and low incomes restrict the opportunities parents have to educate their children. At the national level, rapid population growth causes given educational expenditures to be spread more thinly, lowering quality for the sake of quantity. This in turn constrains economic growth because the stock of human capital is reduced by rapid population growth.

References

"Global Population Growth: The World's Most Important Problem." Retrieved September 29, 2006.

Richman, S. (July 1993). The Population Problem That Isn't. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from http://www.fff.org/freedom/0793c.asp

Pimentel, D., Huang, X., Cordova, A., & Pimentel, M. (February 9, 1996). Impact of Population Growth on Food Supplies and Environment. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from http://dieoff.org/page57.htm

Recon, D. (2004). World Population Reaches 6.4 Billion: What to Do? Retrieved September 29, 2006, from http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/1/22/173143/411

"The Subversive and Conservative Science of Human Ecology." Retrieved September 29, 2006.

Quinn, M. Our Journey Home: The Power of Community. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from

Wenner, J. Population Growth and Resource Depletion. Retrieved September 29, 2006.

"Overpopulation." Retrieved September 29, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation