essay topic about overpopulation

80 Overpopulation Topics & Essay Examples

Looking for interesting overpopulation topics for an essay or research paper? The issue is hot and definitely worth writing about!

• 🔝 Top 10 Topics to Write About
• 🏆 Best Essay
• 📌 Most Interesting Topics to Write about
• 👍 Research Questions & Topics

Here we’ve gathered a list of overpopulation essay examples, title ideas, and research questions related to the field. Get inspired with us!

🔝 Top 10 Overpopulation Topics to Write About

• Population dynamics in the world
• The role of medical advancements in human overpopulation
• Overpopulation: causes and effects
• Overpopulation and poverty: the correlation
• Does overpopulation threaten democracy?
• Social conflict and population growth: is there a connection?
• Overpopulation and pandemics today
• Population growth and human impact on environment
• Do we need to fight overpopulation?
• Human population planning

🏆 Best Overpopulation Essay

• Overpopulation: Causes, Effects and Consequences The primary objective is to highlight the deplorable consequences of overpopulation and thereby persuade people not to overpopulate. In the past, poor people gave birth to a lot of children to make up for high […]
• Overpopulation: Causes, Effects, and Solutions Advances in industry and production provide clothes and items for the growing population to use, thus creating and maintaining a higher standard of living.
• Overpopulation and Limit on Number of Children Another supporting factor of limiting the number of children is that it allows for more resources to be dedicated to each child both within microenvironments of the family and the macro considerations of the national […]
• Impacts of Overpopulation on the Environment Other primary causes of deforestation are construction of roads and residential houses to cater for the increasing population. As the natural habitats are destroyed, many wildlife species have been displaced and many died due to […]
• Human Population and the Environment The fertility rate of a given species will depend on the life history characteristics of the species such as the number of reproductive periods in the lifetime of the species and the number of offspring […]
• How Overpopulation Affects Our Economy These are: population dynamics and the demographic concept, reasons for the increase in the size of the population, effects of overpopulation in the economy, food production per capita index, lower national income, increasing burden on […]
• Overpopulation Effects on the Environment In comparison to the population in 2000, the population in 2050 is predicted to rise by 47 percent. The aim of this research is to describe the effects of overpopulation on land, air, and food […]
• Overpopulation and Homelessness in the Modern World According to the United Nations, more than half of the population resides in urban areas, making the problem of homelessness visible: cities cannot keep up with the high demand for housing, resulting in people living […]
• Overpopulation Benefits With this in mind, this paper shall set out to evaluate the impacts of overpopulation to the political, cultural, anthropological and economical perspectives to various economies and societies.
• Utilitarian View on Overpopulation and Life Quality Despite the various foundations of utilitarianism, it involves the association of actions based on the good will of the majority, hence the subjective nature to individualized domain.
• Global Issues, Climate Justice, and Human Overpopulation On the one hand, globalization has many positive aspects: the mutual enrichment of the world community, the exchange of best practices, and the availability of goods.
• The Issue of Overpopulation and Human Population Growth Control The consequences of overpopulation include the depletion of natural resources and climate change which have hindered the conservation of natural resources such as water and animals.
• Overpopulation: Is the Small World Getting Smaller? Nevertheless, despite the legitimacy of the concerns raised over the slow availability of numerous resources and the seemingly drastic and steep increase in the number of people worldwide, the issue of overpopulation is likely to […]
• Managing Overpopulation in India and Caused Problems The death of the aged reduces the population by 10. Employment to the youth reduces poverty.
• Overpopulation and Food Production Problem Therefore, the issue explored in this paper is the decrease of Earth’s natural resources and capacity to produce food re decreasing, while the problem of hunger remains and the population continues to increase. 3% of […]
• Problem of Overpopulation: Proenvironmental Concerns It is necessary to find the ways to solve future problems as the situation is likely to worsen over time. The mentioned quotes prove that it is possible to correct people’s thinking about overpopulation and […]
• Human Overpopulation and Its Global Impact Overpopulation presents a huge threat to the future of the planet, as the resources of the Earth seem to be at the breaking point because of their overexploitation caused by enormous rates of population increase.
• The Problem of Overpopulation and How to Fix It It can be stated the confidence that the solution to this global challenge is the primary duty of present and future generations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the overpopulation phenomenon and propose […]
• The Issue of the Overpopulation Particularly, the proponents of fertility control support their position by the fact that the degrading environment is no longer able to provide for the needs of so many people, and with the duration of time […]
• Does the Overpopulation of Our Planet Pose a Serious Problem? Another concern for the demographers is that while in certain developing nations the rate of population growth has been increasing, in the developed countries it has been found to be declining steadily.
• Environmental Problems From Human Overpopulation The significant movement of the population to the suburbs, coupled with economic prosperity and the technological improvement that made it possible, began to take its toll.
• Overpopulation: “Empty Planet” by Bricker & Ibbitson However, while some people are trying in vain to stabilize the average population growth in all parts of the world, others are becoming aware of the implications such drastic changes can bring to the future […]
• Birth Control Against Overpopulation Based on the information presented, it can be seen that the current growth of the human population is unsustainable in the long run due to the finite resources on the planet.
• The Impact of Overpopulation on the Global Environment In support of the motion that the global population is too large and that the United States and other industrialized countries should support active measures to control population growth in the developing world, it is […]
• Prison in the USA: Solutions to Reducing Overpopulation First of all, it is necessary to improve the justice system which is the reason of overpopulation in prisons. Secondly, it is necessary to rethink the life of inmates in prison.
• Overpopulation Challenges in China The population crisis in China has become a global issue, owing to the numerous contributions that the country makes towards the activities of the international community.
• The Problem of Overpopulation The purpose of this paper is to examine the causes and effects of overpopulation, potential threats to society, and the ecosystem, as well as the ways to overcome the problem.
• Overpopulation as a Challenge to Management’s Ethos It is based on this that when it comes to the threat of overpopulation as a challenge to management’s ethos of mass-production and mass-consumption, the problem lies in the fact that the ethos of companies […]
• The Challenges of Overpopulation: Vertical Cities The design of the building assumes that the structure will have a longer and sustainable life as compared to the degrading city and surroundings.
• The Problem of Global Overpopulation Insights gained from the chapters reveal that the main reason behind the problem of resource overconsumption which threatens the very future of the planet is the rampant overpopulation of humanity which threatens to drain the […]

📌 Most Interesting Overpopulation Topics to Write about

• The Effects Of Human Overpopulation On The Environment
• The Threat Of Terrorism And Overpopulation Concerns
• A Discussion on the Effects of Global Warming and Overpopulation in the World
• The Population of Our Planet and the Issue of the Overpopulation
• The View On Overpopulation: Looking Deeper Into The Hardinian Taboo
• The Growth Population and Problem of Overpopulation During the 20th Century
• The Effects of Overpopulation on the Economy of China
• Pet Overpopulation: Cause And Effect Of Homeless Pets
• The Growing Concerns Regarding the Overpopulation of the World Amid Limited Resources
• Thomas Malthus Overpopulation Theory
• The Importance of Slowing Down the Environmental Consequences of Overpopulation
• The Enviromnetal Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation
• A Comparison of the Insights on Overpopulation in the Media
• Problems Created By Overpopulation Population Growth World
• The United States: Future Contributions to Overpopulation
• The Growing Concerns over Global Overpopulation Relative to the Depleting Resources
• Why the Problem of Overpopulation is a Serious Problem Today
• The World Fastest Gowing Problems: Overpopulation
• Pet Overpopulation: Negative Effects and Prevention
• The Issue of Overpopulation and the Main Reasons Why Capital Cities Become Overpopulated

👍 Overpopulation Research Questions & Topics

• The Cause, Effect, and Solution to Overpopulation in the Philippines
• A Description of the Problem of Overpopulation of Cats in the United States
• The Struggle of Overpopulation: China’s Fight Against Numbers
• We Must Stop Overpopulation and Pollution of Our Environment
• An Analysis of the Big Concern and the Growth and the Overpopulation of Our Planet
• An Overview of the Natural Beauty and the Right to Decent, the Issues of Overpopulation
• An Analysis of Overpopulation and Population Growth
• Poverty Is Not Caused by Overpopulation, Overpopulation Is Caused by Poverty
• The Great Human Tumor : Earth ‘s Human Overpopulation Crisis
• Population Control Measures And Control Overpopulation
• The Cause and Effects of Pet Overpopulation
• An Analysis of the Environmental Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation
• Sociology: Overpopulation and Population Growth
• An Argument in Favor of Stopping the Environmental Problem of Overpopulation
• An Analysis of the Theme of Overpopulation in Population Bomb by Ehrlich
• The Decline of Environmental Conditions Due to Human Overpopulation
• Overpopulation: Unemployment and Possible Solutions
• Prison Alternatives as Possible Solutions to Controlling Overpopulation in American Prisons
• The Worsening Problem of Earth’s Overpopulation
• The Negative Impact of Overpopulation on the World
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Overpopulation Essay

500 words essay on overpopulation.

Overpopulation refers to an undesirable condition in which the number of existing human being exceeds the actual carrying capacity of the earth. It has many causes which range from a decline in the death rate to early marriages and more. The overpopulation essay will throw light on this issue.

Ill-Effects of Overpopulation

The ill-effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first one is that natural resources deplete at a faster level. Our planet can produce only a limited amount of water and food . Thus, overpopulation causes environmental damage including deforestation, pollution, etc.

Similarly, there is the degradation of the environment which happens because of the overuse of resources like coal, oil, natural gases and more. As a result, the quality of air also gets affected in this manner.

In developing countries, overpopulation puts a strain on resources. Thus, it gives rise to conflicts and tension. It also causes more diseases that become harder to control. Next up, we have the issue of unemployment.

Moreover, it rises due to overpopulation. There is more number of people than job opportunities. As a result, unemployment gives rise to crimes like theft and more. We also have pandemics and epidemics which happen due to overpopulation.

It is because overcrowded and unhygienic living gives rise to infectious diseases . Another ill-effect is malnutrition and starvation. When there are scarce resources, these diseases will likely to be on the rise.

Most importantly, we have a shortage of water which makes it tougher for people to get access to clean water. Similarly, lower life expectancy also happens because of the boom in population, especially in less-developed nations.

We also witness faster climate change as nations continue to develop their industrial capacities. Thus, they emit industrial waste which gives rise to global temperatures . It will keep getting worse if things are not checked immediately.

Solutions of Overpopulation

There are many solutions which we may take up to prevent overpopulation. The best measure is family planning to keep the overpopulation check. In order to do that, one can ensure proper spacing between the births of the children.

Further, limiting the number of children as per income and resources must also be important. Similarly, it is essential to increase resources. The government must make the horrors of overpopulation reach the public through the use of media.

Moreover, better education can help implement social change which can curb overpopulation. Next up, knowledge of sex education must be made mandatory in schools so students learn young about everything they need to know.

Most importantly, it is essential to empower women so they can break out of poverty. This way, they can learn about reproductive health and make better decisions. Another solution can be government incentives.

Many governments of countries already have various policies which relate to tax exemptions for curbing overpopulation. For instance, some waive a certain part of income tax for married couples with one or two children.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of Overpopulation Essay

All in all, overpopulation is no less than a curse that poses a permanent threat to the development of any country. It is essential to stop the flood of population. In order to do that, one must indulge in proper family planning and creating balance in society for a better world.

FAQ of Overpopulation Essay

Question 1: What is the main cause of overpopulation?

Answer 1: It is believed that the main cause of overpopulation is poverty. When there is a lack of education resource which coupled with high death rates, it results in impoverished areas witnessing large booms in population.

Question 2: How is overpopulation affecting the world?

Answer 2: Overpopulation is affecting the world as it is outpacing the ability of the planet earth to support it. It also has environmental and economic outcomes which range from the impacts of over-farming on global warming.

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104 Overpopulation Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Overpopulation is a pressing issue that affects societies around the world. With the global population steadily increasing, it is important to address the challenges and consequences of overpopulation. If you are tasked with writing an essay on overpopulation, it can be helpful to have a list of topic ideas to choose from. Here are 104 overpopulation essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing:

• The causes and consequences of overpopulation
• The impact of overpopulation on the environment
• Overpopulation and resource depletion
• Overpopulation and food security
• Overpopulation and urbanization
• Overpopulation and poverty
• Overpopulation and healthcare
• Overpopulation and education
• Overpopulation and immigration
• Overpopulation and social unrest
• Overpopulation and climate change
• Overpopulation and economic development
• Overpopulation and natural disasters
• Overpopulation and wildlife extinction
• Overpopulation and water scarcity
• Overpopulation and energy consumption
• Overpopulation and pollution
• Overpopulation and deforestation
• Overpopulation and biodiversity loss
• Overpopulation and land degradation
• Overpopulation and waste management
• Overpopulation and transportation
• Overpopulation and public health
• Overpopulation and global security
• Overpopulation and sustainable development
• Overpopulation and gender equality
• Overpopulation and reproductive rights
• Overpopulation and family planning
• Overpopulation and government policies
• Overpopulation and technological advancements
• Overpopulation and social inequality
• Overpopulation and cultural diversity
• Overpopulation and migration patterns
• Overpopulation and urban planning
• Overpopulation and housing shortages
• Overpopulation and public services
• Overpopulation and job opportunities
• Overpopulation and social services
• Overpopulation and social welfare programs
• Overpopulation and income inequality
• Overpopulation and quality of life
• Overpopulation and population control measures
• Overpopulation and sustainable agriculture
• Overpopulation and renewable energy
• Overpopulation and waste reduction
• Overpopulation and green technologies
• Overpopulation and carbon footprint
• Overpopulation and water pollution
• Overpopulation and air pollution
• Overpopulation and noise pollution
• Overpopulation and soil erosion
• Overpopulation and desertification
• Overpopulation and climate change adaptation
• Overpopulation and disaster preparedness
• Overpopulation and emergency response
• Overpopulation and conflict resolution
• Overpopulation and peacebuilding
• Overpopulation and international cooperation
• Overpopulation and diplomacy
• Overpopulation and humanitarian assistance
• Overpopulation and sustainable development goals
• Overpopulation and sustainable cities
• Overpopulation and smart growth
• Overpopulation and green infrastructure
• Overpopulation and sustainable transportation
• Overpopulation and green building
• Overpopulation and renewable resources
• Overpopulation and waste management strategies
• Overpopulation and recycling initiatives
• Overpopulation and composting programs
• Overpopulation and energy efficiency
• Overpopulation and clean energy technologies
• Overpopulation and carbon capture
• Overpopulation and reforestation
• Overpopulation and wildlife conservation
• Overpopulation and marine protection
• Overpopulation and sustainable fishing practices
• Overpopulation and biodiversity conservation
• Overpopulation and habitat restoration
• Overpopulation and species preservation
• Overpopulation and ecosystem restoration
• Overpopulation and climate change mitigation
• Overpopulation and disaster risk reduction
• Overpopulation and emergency preparedness
• Overpopulation and humanitarian aid
• Overpopulation and peacekeeping missions
• Overpopulation and conflict resolution efforts
• Overpopulation and peacebuilding initiatives
• Overpopulation and sustainable development projects
• Overpopulation and green technology innovations
• Overpopulation and renewable energy solutions
• Overpopulation and waste reduction measures
• Overpopulation and recycling programs
• Overpopulation and composting initiatives
• Overpopulation and energy efficiency improvements
• Overpopulation and carbon capture projects
• Overpopulation and reforestation efforts
• Overpopulation and wildlife conservation programs
• Overpopulation and marine protection efforts
• Overpopulation and biodiversity conservation projects
• Overpopulation and habitat restoration initiatives

These overpopulation essay topic ideas and examples can help you explore the complex issues surrounding overpopulation and its impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. By choosing a topic that interests you and conducting thorough research, you can write a compelling essay that sheds light on this important global challenge.

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Overpopulation - List of Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Overpopulation occurs when the number of people living in a certain area exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment. Essays could delve into the causes and effects of overpopulation, its impact on resource scarcity and environmental degradation, or the policies and strategies for managing population growth. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Overpopulation you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Overpopulation – Global Issue

Overpopulation is becoming a global issue because over the years we have created more lives than resources. there will not be enough food for everyone.7 billion people on Earth now,and roughly one in eight of us don't have enough to eat(Dimick, 2014). The population will keep on getting bigger by the time and we will have to be prepared to struggle or see others struggle. People have different opinions about populations like some say the population is getting bigger by […]

Overpopulation in the World

Introduction The current world population stands 7.6 billion as per the United Nations Statistics, while the human population is projected to clock 10.5 billion in the year 2040 and 12 billion by the year 2050. The current human population growth rate per year 70 million. China has got the highest number of people per unit area, with the total population being 1.2 billion. The African continent has reached the highest population growth rate, which is 6 percent while the lowest […]

World Population Growth

The human population in the world has been growing a an extremely fast rate, but with a growing rate of population, comes with it a potentially fatal problem: overpopulation. Overpopulation is when the environment, or in this case Earth, can no longer support a species due to it not having a sufficient amount of resources to handle the population. While overpopulation is always ultimately going to be a problem, the real issue is when overpopulation is really starting. There are […]

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How Big of a Problem is Overpopulation?

Overpopulation has become a much larger and larger problem as the years go on. There are many causes for overpopulation such as a decline in death, improved medical facilities and immigration. Some of these problems that come with overpopulation are increase of wars, increased global warming, the depletion of natural resources and much more. Some of the reasons why overpopulation has become a problem due to how the discrepancies in the birth rate to death rate. There are many more […]

Overpopulation Effects on Health and the Environment

Overpopulation effects all other aspects of our health and the environment in which we live. There has been more human-caused environmental disgrace in the last few thousands years than ever before, and with the population increasing five times its size in the last 300 years it is no wonder overpopulation has such a staggering impact in all areas of our health. Chronic disease is directly impacted by overpopulation. With the advancement we have in our medicine today compared with past […]

It has to a Boy: Another Dimension of over Population

First of all, we would like to thank our Allah Almighty who made us capable to put our efforts in the project. In performing our assignment, we had to take the help and guideline of some respected persons, who deserve our greatest gratitude and respect. The completion of this assignment gives us much Pleasure. We would like to show our gratitude to our course instructor Ma’am Sana Ashraf Chatha, for giving us a guideline for assignment throughout numerous consultations. We would also […]

Overpopulation in World

The world today has a total population of 7.6 billion people, inhabiting 195 countries and 7 different continents. As of 2018 there have been no issues regarding overpopulating the planet, but this subject worries many scientists and scholars. The rapid increase in population is the main concern, the projected population in 2050 is estimated to be 10 billion people (John C Caldwell). No one knows when overpopulation is going to happen, but the scary part is not knowing what happens […]

Overpopulation and its Effects on Human

Approximately 200 years ago, the total population of the Earth was less than one billion. According to the UN, as of 2017 the human population has reached a staggering 7.7 billion. (UN, 2015) Between 1900 and 2000, humanity saw a dramatic increase in its population from 1.5 to 6.1 billion. As the global population continues to balloon, one major issue that is looming overhead the human species is overpopulation. By 2050 the world population will reach to 10 billion people; […]

Overpopulation: not what you Think

Overpopulation, a word plastered on every headline and sowed into our very vocabulary. A word that brings fear, uncertainty and concerns to those who hear and/or read it, but why? How does this one word hold so much power? The very meaning of the word is how the number of existing humans exceeds the capacity of the Earth and in the recent centuries, that number has skyrocketed. Overpopulation is not something that humanity can sweep under the rug but it […]

Overpopulation: the Underrecognized Epidemic.

According to “How Many People Can Our World Support?” an article from World Population History, for the first time in human history, the number of people who go to bed hungry is more than one billion (“How Many”). Overpopulation is an underrecognized epidemic. An Epidemic that is leading to overwhelming amounts of preventable humanitarian and political issues and at the end of the day our earth cannot continue to support it. Our planet is now over seven billion people, and […]

Overpopulation and Climate Change

In the article Overpopulation and Climate Change Arthur H. Westing tells us that the in 1970, the greenhouse gas emission was beyond the sustainability level of the atmosphere and at that time the worlds population was 3.7 million and today it is 6.9 million. In the mean time emission from fossil fuel increased from 14 billion tons to 29 billion tons. Despite the growing awareness of climate change. In the article, Arthur H. Westing gives us the idea to divide […]

Overpopulation in US Prisons: a Result of Punishing Nonviolent Offenders

Releasing prisoners is never a good thing, right? Due to the over abundance of US incarcerations for several reasons, over 18 state prisons are overpopulated. Thus causing several major issues within the prison, the communities around and the overall justice system in the United States. Reforms should be brought to the government to solve the insane amount of incarcerations for non violent offenders which populate our prisons by 41%. It is an act that is necessary in order to solve […]

Overpopulation in Asia: Manila

Manila is the thriving capital of the Republic of the Philippines. It's also the densest city on Earth. However, just because Manila is extremely dense doesn't mean the whole country is overpopulated- but what effects are felt from the overpopulation of cities like Manila, and to the country as a whole? How did this city/country get so dense in the first place? And what can we do about it?One effect of the overpopulation in the Philippines is the enormous trade […]

The United States: Future Contributions to Overpopulation

The Earth currently holds 7.53 billion humans. The maximum supporting capacity of the Earth is estimated to be 9-10 billion. According to the United Nations Population Division, the human population will hit 9 billion by 2050, and 10 billion by 2100 (Wolchover, 2011). As one of the most powerful, knowledgeable, and resourceful countries in the world, the United States is on track to provide medical advancements that will contribute to overpopulation. Advancements such as the development of positive eugenics and […]

Overpopulation Hoax or True Concern

As a society, we live our lives day by day worrying about small things that might not matter focusing on wanting more and more as the days go by. Yet we never stop for a moment to think about the planet. The place that lets us create life and breathe in all the beautiful things that it provides for us. Letting us make a home surrounded by the people we love and things we desire. Now if we take a […]

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Essay About Overpopulation We have heard it all that every mammal on Earth instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding around him but the same doesn’t happen with a human. All they know is how to keep multiplying from one area to another. I came across this interesting topic from BBC and as I read more the more, I realized that Human Overpopulation is one of the biggest global issues we are facing at present. It is not only an environmental issue but also associated with the social and economic sustainability aspect. With increased pressure on our planet, we don’t realize the problems we are facing related to the scarcity of natural resources, high-low consumption fluctuations, fertility rates, poverty, global climate change, women rights, gender equality, lack of education and changing technology policy. It is predicted that the planet will have a growth in population by the end of the century which is estimated to be 11 billion. So, the question arises with this much higher population growth will it be possible to live on the planet or some ramifications will be added to sustainability in the long-term? Social Problems Overcrowding of humans on the planet can have some serious social problem to demonstrate some they are: Fertility rates The fertility rate among many nations is decreasing the reason being women end up aborting the babies at a very young age and in a later part of their life it becomes difficult to become pregnant. Also, there is high access to contraception’s in many countries due to this babies don’t end up living. For instance, if we take China’s example the country has the largest population in the world but it is facing the fertility rate issue reason being out of 100 children 60% are boys and rest 40% are girls’ and the reason for this discrimination is they do the gender detect and once they know it’s a girl they end up aborting the baby girl. They are also moving away from one child policy and encouraging adults to have the second baby. Women Rights One of the main suffering areas is when women are not treated well in society as compared to a man. Even in many developed countries, women are paid less than men, they face violence, abuse, and racial discrimination. As there are no rights given to women there comes a fall in education and fertility rates. Poverty Overpopulation is directly linked to poverty which is another very big social issue. There is a lack of education, a decline in the standard of living and poor contraception methods. Also, it was highlighted in class that the global population may not peak this century’’ which is actually doubtful. Now the question arises how will the status of women affect the overpopulation concern? Positive social aspects Education Education plays a very important role in society dealing with the overpopulation problem. It is simple with education there is more knowledge of having fewer kids, less child mortality and understanding the latest technology. With education, the fertility rates will decline. Since with the proper education poverty can also be curbed. This addresses to our SDGs Goal 1 – “NO POVERTY’’ and Goal 4- “QUALITY EDUCATION’’ Gender Equality Giving women equal rights will not only raise the standard in society but also women can generate employment opportunities. Gender Equality correlates with self-protection from diseases, birth control, and better child care. This addresses to our SDGs Goal 5- ” GENDER EQUALITY” These SDG goals in social aspect is to remove poverty, provide quality education and Gender Equality by 2030. Environmental Problems The relationship between a growing population and environmental implications is interlinked and very complex. In the class also it was mentioned about the ‘’environment stress continues to intensify’’ which is disastrous for all of us sharing the same planet. Global warming As there are more people there is a high demand for fossil fuels, oil, mines, and coal when burned there is high emission of CO2 in the atmosphere to trap warm air like greenhouse gases. Mostly the consumption of fossil fuel in developed nations is much higher than in developing nations. Deforestation is another component in greenhouse gases. When the trees are cut or burned approximately 25% CO2 of total greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere making the air toxic to breathe. It was highlighted in class that ‘’ Three years of flat global emissions ended in 2017 as rates jumped by 2% and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increased by the largest amount since measurements began. This basically means the CO2 has increased in the atmosphere and this will impact climate changes which will have an adverse effect on our planet. This can be addressed with the SDGs Goal 13- “CLIMATE ACTION’’ and also it is necessary to take urgent actions to combat climate change. Farming impacts Agriculture is solely responsible for deforestation across the globe. Intensive farming to create new farmlands has a negative outcome. As intensive farming increases there are chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in crops and this can cause soil erosion. Water pollution Water pollution is not only a huge concern for humans but also for other natural habitat. Due to the high wattage of plastics, toxic chemicals that enter the oceans we are losing the most valuable resource of our planet. Even though we know that we don’t have sufficient water supply in many countries then also we don’t take action against any damage to water resources. This addresses to Goal 6- “CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION’’ and the target by 2030, is to have access to clean water is affordable across the globe. Now the question arises, is it possible to reverse climate change and prevent global warming? Let’s find out in our next learning. Environmental solution Sustainable Infrastructure In order to lessen the emission of CO2 from buildings, it is important to renovate the old buildings. This plan will not only reduce infrastructure cost but also a long-term economic analysis of infrastructure. Clearly, sustainable infrastructure improves socio-economic factors like environmental degradation, energy and renewable conservation and remedy to protect soil from soil erosion. Economic Implications When there is an increasing rise in the population then it is definitely not good for economic development. Reduction in the rate of capital A huge population reduces the per capita availability of capital in underdeveloped and developing countries. Due to the rapid growth of the population, there is a decline in the availability of capital per labor which means there is low productivity. In developing nations, the population is determined to increase the rate of capital. This means since most people are dependent on others all they do is only consume and do not produce anything. Whereas, in developed nations, overpopulation shortens the availability capita per person for which there is a decline in labor. Their income reduces which indirectly affects capital formation. Reduction in unemployment Unemployment results in too many people having very few jobs. To be more descriptive, overpopulation leads to unemployment. For instance, there are two workers one is highly qualified and the other is not so qualified but the not so qualified candidate does not mind working at less pay. This means there will be tougher competition for a job employer would hire a person with minimum wage demand. This addresses to SDGs Goal 8- GOOD JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH’’ by 2020 it is a global strategy to provide jobs to youth and take immediate action against forced labor. To conclude undertaking from this article, I have learned that Overpopulation is one of the major problems in humanity. Overpopulation affects natural resources, poverty, pollution, global warming and the wellness of a person. More than 7.3 people are on this planet and it's not easy to solve social, economic and environmental problems. But to gain a sustainable future in which everyone has a good standard of living we all need to come together and take efforts to tackle such a global issue. Recommendations

The government must increase the age of marriage in some specific countries and should put a complete stop to child marriage. Population factor has a significant impact on the attainment of development objectives, international strategies should be taken into consideration as there is an interrelation between the resources, environment, population, and growth. Health improvement programs should be taken up by the government for the masses as health plays an important role in the growth of a country.

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Overpopulation: Cause and Effect

Conversations about overpopulation can quickly become controversial because they beg the question: Who exactly is the cause of the problem and what, if anything, should be done about it? Many population experts worry discussions around overpopulation will be abused by small-minded people to suggest some are the “right people” to be on the planet (like themselves), and some people are “the wrong people” (usually people in poverty, people of color, foreigners, and so on—you get the drift). But there are no “right” or “wrong” people on the planet, and discussing the problems of global overpopulation can never be an excuse, or in any way provide a platform, for having that type of conversation.

Each human being has a legitimate claim on a sufficient and fair amount of Earth’s resources. But with a population approaching 8 billion, even if everyone adopted a relatively low material standard of living like the one currently found in Papua New Guinea , it would still push Earth to its ecological breaking point. Unfortunately, the “average person” on Earth consumes at a rate over 50% above a sustainable level. Incredibly, the average person in the United States uses almost five times more than the sustainable yield of the planet.

When we use the term “overpopulation,” we specifically mean a situation in which the Earth cannot regenerate the resources used by the world’s population each year. Experts say this has been the case every year since 1970, with each successive year becoming more and more damaging. To help temper this wildly unsustainable situation, we need to understand what’s contributing to overpopulation and overconsumption and how these trends are affecting everything from climate change to sociopolitical unrest.

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The causes of overpopulation.

Today the Earth is home to over 8 billion people. By 2100 the population is on track to hit 10.8 billion , according to the United Nations — and that’s assuming steady fertility declines in many countries. Interestingly, if extra progress is made in women’s reproductive self-determination, and fertility falls more than the United Nations assumes is likely, the population in 2100 might be a relatively smaller 7.3 billion.

For now, the world’s population is still increasing in huge annual increments (about 80 million per year), and our supply of vital non-renewable resources are being exhausted. Many factors contribute to these unsustainable trends , including falling mortality rates, underutilized contraception, and a lack of education for girls.

Falling Mortality Rate

The primary (and perhaps most obvious) cause of population growth is an imbalance between births and deaths. The infant mortality rate has decreased globally, with 4.1 million infant deaths in 2017 compared to 8.8 million in 1990, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This is welcome public health news, of course.

At the same time, lifespans are increasing around the world. Those of us who are alive today will likely live much longer than most of our ancestors. Global average life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900 , thanks to advancements in medicine, technology, and general hygiene. Falling mortality rates are certainly nothing to complain about either, but widespread longevity does contribute to the mathematics of increasing population numbers.

Underutilized Contraception 

The global fertility rate has fallen steadily over the years, down from an average of 5 children per woman in 1950 to 2.4 children per woman today, according to the UN Population Division . Along with that promising trend, contraceptive use has slowly but steadily increased globally, rising from 54% in 1990 to 57.4% in 2015. Yet, on the whole, contraceptive use is still underutilized. For example, according to the WHO, an estimated 214 million women in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy are not using modern contraceptives.

These women aren’t using contraceptives for a variety of reasons, including social norms or religious beliefs that discourage birth control, misconceptions about adverse side effects, and a lack of agency for women to make decisions around sex and family planning. An estimated 44% of pregnancies were unintended worldwide between 2010-2014. Getting more women the access and agency to utilize family planning methods could go a long way in flattening the population curve.

Lack of Female Education    

Although female access to education has increased over the years, the gender gap remains. Roughly 130 million girls worldwide are out of school currently, and an estimated 15 million girls of primary school age will never   learn to read and write, compared with 10 million boys.

Increasing and encouraging education among women and girls can have a number of positive ripple effects, including delayed childbearing , healthier children, and an increase in workforce participation. Plenty of evidence suggests a negative correlation between female education and fertility rates.

If increased female education can delay or decrease fertility and provide girls with opportunities beyond an early marriage, it could also help to mitigate current population trends. 

The Effects of Overpopulation

It is only logical that an increase in the world’s population will cause additional strains on resources. More people means an increased demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and more. And all that consumption contributes to ecological degradation, increased conflicts, and a higher risk of large-scale disasters like pandemics.  

Ecological Degradation 

An increase in population will inevitably create pressures leading to more deforestation, decreased biodiversity, and spikes in pollution and emissions, which will exacerbate climate change . Ultimately, unless we take action to help minimize further population growth heading into the remainder of this century, many scientists believe the additional stress on the planet will lead to ecological disruption and collapse so severe it threatens the viability of life on Earth as we know it. 

Each spike in the global population has a measurable impact on the planet’s health. According to estimates in a study by Wynes and Nicholas (2017) , a family having one fewer child could reduce emissions by 58.6 tonnes CO2-equivalent per year in developed countries.

Increased Conflicts 

The scarcity brought about by environmental disruption and overpopulation has the potential to trigger an increase in violence and political unrest. We’re already seeing wars fought over water, land, and energy resources in the Middle East and other regions, and the turmoil is likely to increase as the global population grows even larger.

Higher Risk of Disasters and Pandemics 

Many of the recent novel pathogens that have devastated humans around the world, including COVID-19, Zika virus, Ebola, and West Nile virus, originated in animals or insects before passing to humans. Part of the reason the world is entering “ a period of increased outbreak activity ” is because humans are destroying wildlife habitats and coming into contact with wild animals on a more regular basis. Now that we’re in the midst of a pandemic, it has become clear how difficult it is to social distance in a world occupied by nearly 8 billion people.   

Discover the real causes and effects of overpopulation

What can be done about overpopulation.

When addressing overpopulation, it’s crucial to take an approach of providing empowerment while mobilizing against anybody advocating for the use of coercion or violence to solve our problems. The combined efforts of spreading knowledge about family planning, increasing agency among women , and debunking widely held myths about contraception will measurably change the trajectory of the world’s population.

As we carry out our work at Population Media Center (PMC), we see first-hand that spreading awareness about family planning methods and the ecological and economic benefits of having smaller families can change reproductive behavior. For example, listeners of our Burundian radio show Agashi (“Hey! Look Again!”) were 1.7 times more likely than non-listeners to confirm that they were willing to negotiate condom use with a sexual partner and 1.8 times more likely than non-listeners to say that they generally approve of family planning for limiting the number of children.

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY WITH CONVERSATIONS ON OVERPOPULATION

In the spirit of Earth Day, it’s crucial to approach discussions about overpopulation with sensitivity and inclusivity. Overpopulation conversations should focus on the collective responsibility to steward Earth’s resources sustainably, rather than assigning blame or dividing communities. By fostering understanding and promoting access to education and reproductive health services, we can work towards a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

At PMC we harness the power of storytelling to empower listeners to live healthier and more prosperous lives, which in turn contributes to stabilizing the global population so that people can live sustainably with the world’s renewable resources. Discover how PMC is taking action against overpopulation today!

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What lies ahead after the world’s population reaches 8 billion , how does overpopulation affect the economy, join us in promoting the equitable, sustainable world we’re all fighting for, one action at a time..

Can We Talk About Overpopulation?

As numbers soar, scholars revisit a thorny debate.

Twenty years ago, farmers looked out at the tropical woodlands and savannahs of Uganda and saw endless virgin territory. A young man, upon starting a family, would clear a patch of wilderness near where he was raised and plant his own fields of sorghum, millet, groundnut, plantains, or cassava.

Now, after decades of unprecedented population growth, the land is running out. In southern Uganda, as in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, farm communities are bumping up against one another and against dry lands, mountains, and rain forests. Pockets of arable land can still be found, but only in malaria-ridden hinterlands where nobody wants to live. Many farmers, rather than relocating long distances, are clearing rain forests near their homes, despite the fact that a tropical forest’s acidic soil is poorly suited to growing grains, fruits, and vegetables. Other farmers are subdividing their parents’ land, reducing the typical-sized farm plot in some parts of Africa to half an acre.

“That’s too small to feed a family,” says economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, who directs Columbia’s Earth Institute.

Africans will never be able to grow enough food for themselves, Sachs argues in his latest book, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet , unless they start having fewer babies. Subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa today raise an average of six children, which is causing the populations of some nations to double every 20 years. Few of these farmers are able to feed their children properly, let alone afford their education. Children thus grow up desperately poor and have huge families of their own. Shrinking farm plots add yet another burden: Food production on a per-capita basis is declining and malnutrition is worsening, which means that children are likely to grow up even less healthy and less productive.

“The poorest places in the world right now are stuck in a demographic trap,” says Sachs. “A family of subsistence farmers with six or seven kids doesn’t stand a chance.”

The only way to break this cycle of overpopulation and misery, Sachs writes in Common Wealth , is for wealthy nations to provide birth control to the world’s poor. Sachs recommends that rich countries quadruple foreign assistance for reproductive health programs to roughly $25 billion annually. That’s enough money, he estimates, to provide birth control, as well as maternal health care and STD treatment, to some 200 million women who lack it; most of them live in rural Africa.

The prospect of giving poor people contraceptives so they can lift themselves out of poverty might not seem particularly controversial, aside from the opposition that might be expected from some religious conservatives. Yet Sachs is the first mainstream economist in decades to formally propose this idea. Since the 1980s, family planning programs have been promoted strictly as a human right, not as a way to kick-start economic development. That’s because Western family planners in the 1960s and 1970s, in their zeal to slow population growth and to spur development in Asia, supported forced sterilizations, slum demolitions, and other abuses. Women’s rights advocates subsequently wrested control of international family-planning programs and made sure they never again aimed explicitly to lower birthrates.

The days of promoting birth control purely as a way to empower women, however, may be ending. There is a growing sense among scholars that the topic of overpopulation — which has faded from public consciousness as the world’s population growth rate has declined from its mid-1960s peak of 2 percent annually down to about 1.2 percent — is going to reemerge as a hot topic. Recently, the Sierra Club, the Worldwatch Institute, and other environmental groups have offered recommendations similar to those in Common Wealth , in which Sachs urges that we halt world population at 8 billion by 2050, rather than allowing it to grow to 9 billion from today’s 6.7 billion, as the UN projects.

Still, many population experts wonder: Is the marriage bed really the place to address economic and environmental problems? Is it even possible to manage people as numbers while respecting them as human beings?

Don’t blame the victim

Joel E. Cohen, a Columbia demographer, is an expert on population growth and environmental sustainability. He cringes at the term overpopulation .

“I have no idea what that word means, and you’ll never hear me use it,” he says. “It suggests that the size of a population can become so big that it starts causing problems in itself. That’s not the way it works. I’d put the situation this way: Rapid population growth makes it trickier for a poor country to deal with every problem that it faces, from distributing food and water during a drought to providing education and health care in rural areas. But it doesn’t cause these problems.”

There’s wide agreement among economists and demographers today that rapid population growth is troublesome. A report published in April by the UN Population Division concludes that high birthrates are hampering economic development across sub-Saharan Africa, mainly by limiting per-capita investments in education and health care. (Columbia economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin has shown that high birthrates typically stunt economic development.) The UN report also states that population pressure is worsening food and water shortages in the region. Environmental concerns also are real: rain forests in sub-Saharan Africa and in South America are being destroyed primarily by subsistence farming, according to NASA data, and deforestation is reducing local rainfall and exacerbating global climate change.

Cohen’s concern is that people often imagine a direct causal link between population growth and problems like hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. It’s easy to think this way when visceral images of teeming third-world slums and starving masses invite human-scale explanations: Why do these people have so many babies? Cohen says we then may ignore political factors that contribute to these problems. For instance, agriculture subsidies in rich nations contribute to hunger by driving down farm incomes in the developing world; and African governments are famous for mismanaging food and water supplies. “During the Ethiopian famines of the 1980s, cash croppers in that country were allowed to export alfalfa to Japan as cattle feed,” he says. “Is that a population problem? I don’t think so.”

Cohen agrees with Sachs that international family-planning programs are underfunded. But he says that family planning should continue to be promoted — both to Western donors and to government officials in developing countries — strictly as a human right. To advance birth control as a means to slow population growth, Cohen says, implies that poor people need to solve their societies’ problems through private choices of childbearing. Might this cause the West to back away from other aid obligations, or inspire poor countries to implement coercive methods of population control?

Cohen hesitates. “It’s not as if a developing country’s problems are going to vanish if it manages to lower birthrates,” he says. “I would say that until the West has done its utmost to give poor people access to education, health care, job training, and family planning for the purpose of giving them more control over their lives, it’s premature to talk about trying to convince them to have fewer babies.”

Dirt to dust

Sachs insists that we speak clearly about population pressures. The problem of dwindling farmland in sub-Saharan Africa, he says, is insurmountable without a major effort to slow population growth.

As arable land in Africa has vanished, Sachs explains in Common Wealth , farmers have abandoned land-management techniques they used previously to sustain the long-term fertility of their fields, such as allowing one of the fields to lie fallow each season. Three-quarters of all arable land in sub-Saharan Africa today is severely depleted of nutrients because it has been overused, according to a recent study by the International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development.

A doubling of the region’s population since the early 1980s helps explain why almost all of sub-Saharan African countries now depend on foreign food aid. Until a few years ago, most were food exporters . “There’s a tyranny of the present at work,” Sachs writes, “and the poor, in their desperation to survive, are often contributing to massive local environmental degradation.”

Population control isn’t the only way to address food shortages, of course. Sachs points out that farmers in sub-Saharan Africa can’t afford chemical fertilizers, high-yield seed varieties, or modern irrigation. He and colleagues at the Earth Institute, as part of the United Nations Millennium Villages project, which Sachs initiated, are helping the governments of a dozen nations in Africa introduce modern farm technologies. They’ve had some remarkable success: The tiny, famine-prone nation of Malawi has tripled its grain yields in the past two years by subsidizing chemical fertilizer for all farmers.

“The problem is that these kinds of agricultural improvements never will produce gains to keep pace with a doubling of population every generation,” Sachs says.

Other types of foreign aid, such as for education or health care, also will bring diminishing returns if population growth rates don’t decline, says Sachs, who is academia’s most influential proponent of aid to Africa. He says that countries in sub-Saharan Africa now must spend huge portions of their budgets providing basic services, which leaves little money for the type of agricultural investment that Malawi is making in its fertilizer program. Economists thus say that countries experiencing explosive population growth must expend their budgets on “service widening,” to deliver basic services to more and more people, rather than on “service deepening,” to improve average services per person.

“If people continue having huge numbers of kids, and if farm sizes continue to shrink,” Sachs says, “I can’t imagine how the next generation is going to make it.”

Sordid history

Back in the 1960s, the populations of many poor countries in Asia, Latin America, and North Africa were growing as rapidly as the populations in sub-Saharan African countries are today. International health programs had gone into former colonies in these areas following World War II with antibiotic drugs, vaccines, and pesticides, which lowered mortality rates dramatically. Farmers in poor countries had always had lots of babies: They needed to, in order to ensure that at least one son grew up to work their fields and to take care of them in their old age. The problem was that while more of their children were surviving, rural people retained a cultural proclivity for huge families. Furthermore, they had little or no access to modern birth control, so they ended up with even more kids than they would have otherwise chosen.

Population growth soon was outpacing food production, especially in Asia, causing Western officials to fear that widespread famine would destabilize the continent, Columbia history professor Matthew Connelly explains in his latest book, Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population . President Lyndon B. Johnson and his advisers viewed the situation through a lens of Cold War–inspired paranoia: Johnson, speaking to U.S. troops stationed in South Korea in 1966, warned that hordes of starving Asians might one day “sweep over the United States and take what we have.” His fear didn’t seem so irrational: 19 Nobel laureate scientists in 1960 had issued a public letter decrying how overpopulation could push the world into “a Dark Age of human misery, famine, and under-education, which could generate growing panic, exploding into wars.”

So in the late 1960s, the U.S. government began pouring tens of millions of dollars annually into international family-planning programs. The programs were administered primarily by Planned Parenthood, under the auspices of the newly formed United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which was financed largely by U.S. dollars and which claimed that its programs provided contraceptives, sterilization procedures, and abortions on a voluntary basis. In reality, American and British economists and demographers had designed these programs to slow population growth by nearly any means necessary, according to Connelly.

South Asian countries with caste systems were willing to push family planning most aggressively, Connelly writes, because many ruling-class Hindus feared social unrest among the hungry lower castes. So Indian officials, under the guidance of Western family planners, agreed to pay famished people small sums of money to be sterilized; they also agreed to fire doctors who didn’t meet sterilization quotas. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka implanted in women a type of intrauterine contraceptive device that was proven to cause infections and the rupturing of the uterine wall. Couples in all of these countries lost medical, housing, and education benefits for having more than a designated number of children. When local health officials balked at implementing aggressive programs, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the UN threatened to shut off Western food aid.

The endgame for this chapter of family planning started to unfold in 1975, when Indira Gandhi’s government bulldozed entire blocks of Delhi slums where large numbers of residents refused to be sterilized. Around the same time, police rounded up at gunpoint all of the men in the Indian village of Uttawar and forced them to get vasectomies. These atrocities drew international outrage and led to Gandhi’s being voted out of power the following year. They also prompted a backlash from feminists and women’s rights advocates who were assuming leadership roles within the NGO community in the 1970s.

International family-planning programs, which by this time had spread throughout Latin America and North Africa, gradually abandoned coercive methods over the next few years. The population control movement would have one last gasp, though, when UNFPA and Planned Parenthood helped China launch its draconian one-child policy in 1979.

Women’s choice

By the late 1980s, the UNFPA and Planned Parenthood had cleaned up their programs so that medical workers on the ground no longer were expected to lower birthrates. Clinicians now concentrated on helping women make informed choices about their sex lives and childbearing. If family planning executives discussed the prospect of slowing population growth in public, Connelly says, it was only as an ancillary benefit of giving women more control over their bodies.

“The term population control has since had a negative connotation, as well it should,” Connelly tells Columbia .

The economic benefits of slowing population growth, though, were apparent: as birthrates plummeted in most of the developing world, prosperity and modernization typically arrived. The governments of many countries in Asia and Latin America, now that they had proportionately fewer poor people to care for, could afford to invest in industry and modern agricultural methods, which boosted grain production 300 percent in some nations between the 1960s and the 1980s. (Connelly, in Fatal Misconception , makes the controversial argument that family planning programs have received too much credit for declining birthrates, and hence for development; see sidebar to the left.)

The good news for women’s rights advocates was that voluntary family-planning programs seemed to have lowered birthrates just as much as had coercive programs. For instance, a UN-sponsored program that had offered birth control pills to all poor women in Thailand in the 1960s, on the advice of a young field-worker named Allan Rosenfield, who later became dean of Columbia’s public health school, helped to halve the number of children born per woman in that country, from six to three, in less than 20 years. Across the developing world, birthrates declined where family planners provided a range of safe contraceptives and taught people the benefits of limiting their family size — not only where they bribed people to be sterilized or threatened tax penalties.

Yet, just as family planning programs were beginning to define a new humanitarian mission, funding stagnated. The trouble started during Ronald Reagan’s first term as president, Connelly writes, when the emerging pro-life movement in the U.S. launched a major lobbying effort against international family-planning programs. Abortion opponents called attention to the fact that Planned Parenthood and UNFPA were providing technical assistance to China for its country’s one-child policy, which in the mid-1980s was in its most coercive phase, allegedly requiring some women to have abortions and to be implanted with intrauterine devices. “It was not much,” writes Connelly, “but it was enough of a perch to permit pro-lifers to pile calumny upon calumny on China’s program and all who could be associated with it.” Since then, every Republican president has refused to contribute to UNFPA, which is the primary source of funding for international family-planning services. Partly as a result, financial support for international family planning has remained flat, which means that the funding hasn’t kept pace with increasing demand as populations in poor countries continue to climb.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to most women who lack access to birth control today in part because family planning programs arrived to the region late, in the 1980s, when the money had already begun to dry up, say family planning executives. Family planning came to Africa late, they say, because international health programs, with their ensuing population boom, had arrived late, too.

A lack of money isn’t the only thing that has kept family planning from many Africans, though: “There is mistrust in some nations about family planning programs because of their checkered past,” Connelly says. “In African countries where there are ethnic tensions, for instance, it can be politically difficult for leaders to implement family planning programs because many people fear that they’ll be used to reduce the populations of some groups, and not others.”

Counting backward

Today, UN-backed family-planning programs operate in nearly all developing countries. If the UNFPA were better funded, say its proponents, birth control would be more available in rural Africa as well as in many Muslim and Catholic countries, where Western family planners must work hard to educate local leaders about the benefits of reproductive health services.

How to raise the money? Advocates for family planning are doing a lot of soul-searching these days. Many leaders in the NGO community believe that family planning organizations would be better financed if they once again promoted their work as a way to slow population growth, says Suzanne Petroni, a researcher who monitors funding for reproductive health programs at the Summit Foundation, a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit that promotes environmental sustainability.

“The sense among many family planners is that they’re getting less money than they used to from Western donors, in part because their programs are no longer connected to a practical purpose,” says Petroni. “They believe that the human rights pitch hasn’t worked.”

Particularly tempting to some family planners, Petroni says, is the prospect of exploiting public concerns about global warming. The sales pitch would go something like this: if we limit the number of people on earth, we limit the number of carbon footprints. (Sachs validates this logic in Common Wealth , warning that decades from now, when the crowded nations of sub-Saharan Africa modernize — and Sachs is optimistic that they will modernize eventually — energy consumption on the continent will skyrocket.)

Many women’s rights advocates fear that if family planning programs are positioned once again as a means to combat overpopulation, the door will open for more human rights abuses, Petroni says. This debate within the aid community is contentious because there remains distrust between feminists and some older environmentalists who backed the original population-control movement.

Matthew Connelly sides with the women’s rights advocates. He was convinced in writing Fatal Misconception , he says, that family planning programs that aim to lower birthrates are bound to commit abuses. He found, for instance, that crimes occurred in the 1960s and 1970s even when Western family planners tried to operate their programs ethically: medical workers in several South Asian countries strong-armed patients into accepting sterilizations because they thought that lowering birthrates was good for their own careers, and family planning programs inevitably devoted more resources to sterilization procedures and to abortions than to follow-up care.

Connelly worries that Western nations, if their aid programs once again were promoted as a means to slow population growth, would be tempted to withhold other forms of development aid from countries if they don’t lower birthrates to specified levels.

Lynn Freedman, a Columbia public health professor and an attorney who is an expert on population issues, concurs. “The idea that foreign aid could be linked to a country’s success at lowering birthrates is not wildly unlikely,” she says. “Aid agencies today are in the habit of designing all sorts of performance targets in order to account for the efficiency of their programs, and these targets can easily be misused in a way that violates people’s rights. The ’60s weren’t that long ago.”

Sachs doesn’t see that happening. “The worst I could imagine is that an agency might attempt to link a country’s family- planning money to birthrate reductions,” he says, “but I don’t think that other kinds of foreign aid would be linked in this way.” He also dismisses as unrealistic the possibility that international family-planning programs could once again employ coercive methods. Family planning programs must, and will, remain voluntary, he believes.

The greater moral danger today, Sachs argues, is that large numbers of women will continue to want for birth control, and populations will continue to grow rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa and in places like Haiti, Bolivia, Venezuela, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Myanmar, in part because Western scholars and aid workers insist on tiptoeing around the subject of overpopulation for fear of being seen as insensitive to the abuses of the past. In Common Wealth , Sachs even advances the term population control, which has long been considered impolitic among scholars, because he says he wants to break the taboo.

“For years people have been telling me, ‘Don’t talk about population, talk instead about access to reproductive health services,’” Sachs says. “And I’ve said, ‘No, I want to talk about population, because it’s a serious problem.’ I think it’s time we take this subject out of the whispers.”

Birth control, under audit

Columbia professor Matthew Connelly’s Fatal Misconception, a history of the population-control movement of the 1960s and 1970s, is shocking for its parade of morally compromised scholars and diplomats who spread birth control around the world. There’s Planned Parenthood head and ecologist William Vogt, who thought that starving people in the developing world should be left to die and therefore opposed food aid; there’s Robert McNamara, who, as head of the World Bank, resisted funding healthcare programs in poor countries because they saved lives and contributed to overpopulation; there are the Planned Parenthood doctors who at a 1963 UN conference decided that a female contraceptive’s tendency to pierce the uterus, causing sterilization, was to be considered a side benefit.

Fatal Misconception was among the most controversial scholarly monographs of 2008, not just because Connelly calls out early family planners as xenophobic and racist, however. His most startling critique is that these programs didn’t even lower birthrates as designed: he says that between 1950 and 2000, the dozen or so developing nations that employed the most aggressive family- planning tactics reduced birthrates little more than did other countries. Relying on UN data, Connelly notes that China, for instance, reduced the number of children per woman from 6.2 to 1.7 during that 50-year period. In Brazil, where little effort was made to encourage family planning, the numbers fell from 6.2 to 2.3 children during the same period. Connelly lists half a dozen such examples to make his point. He then argues that girls’ education, women’s employment, and other social factors affected birthrates more so than did family planning programs.

“In many poor countries where birthrates declined dramatically,” Connelly tells Columbia, “the declines actually started before family planning programs even showed up.”

How could people have managed to have fewer babies without contraception? The same way they did in early-19th-century Europe, where birthrates plummeted a full century before modern birth control became available, Connelly says: They used traditional forms of birth control like the rhythm method.

Connelly charges that UN and Planned Parenthood officials who administered most family-planning programs in the 1960s and 1970s knew that data on the ground weren’t validating their efforts. They soldiered on, he says, because of institutional inertia. “These programs gave jobs to millions of people, and administrators weren’t interested in scrutinizing the numbers,” he says. “They were interested in making payroll.”

Many contemporary family planners are apoplectic over Connelly’s assertion that birth control programs don’t lower birthrates. Steven Sinding, a professor at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health and past director-general of Planned Parenthood International, has blasted Connelly over his book’s conclusions. Sinding claims that about 50 percent of birthrate declines in poor countries are attributable to family planning programs.

Columbia called T. Paul Schultz, a Yale economics professor who has spent his career studying birthrate dynamics. This subject invites confusion, he says, because no long-term controlled studies have ever been conducted. That’s partly because there are a multitude of factors that influence birthrates, so aid agencies whose programs target any one of these areas are reluctant to fund expensive, long-term studies to showcase the relatively small impact that their work likely has on fertility. The dearth of data, Schultz says, allows both advocates and opponents of family planning to cherry-pick statistics.

But the most sophisticated data available, collected over two decades in Bangladesh, Schultz says, suggest that the availability of free contraception accounted for about 20 percent of the region’s birthrate decline. That’s a strong relationship, considering how many variables were tested, he says. “The intuition of development experts has always been that family planning must slow population growth,” Schultz says, “and I’ve never seen any good data that suggest otherwise.”

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• Overpopulation Essay

IELTS Overpopulation Essay

This model essay is about  overpopulation in cities . You specifically have to talk about the  problems  of overpopulation, and suggest some  solutions  to this problem.

Note that this question specifically asks you what governments and individuals can do.

Here is the question:

Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous problems.

Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that governments and individuals can tackle these problems.

Organising a Problems & Solutions Essay

Note that this overpopulation essay question specifically asks you what governments and individuals can do.

You MUST, therefore, write about what both of these can do in order to fully answer the question.

Note as well that you must talk about  serious  problems.

The easiest way to organize a problems and solutions essay is as follows:

Body 1: Problems

Body 2: Solutions

In this essay, a separate paragraph has been written about government and individual solutions, so it is organized as follows:

Body 2: Solutions - Government

Body 3: Solutions - Individuals

Model Essay

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

IELTS Overpopulation Essay - Sample Answer

Many countries of the world are currently experiencing problems caused by rapidly growing populations in urban areas, and both governments and individuals have a duty to find ways to overcome these problems.

Overpopulation can lead to overcrowding and poor quality housing in many large cities. Poorly heated or damp housing could cause significant health problems, resulting in illness, such as bronchitis or pneumonia. Another serious consequence of overcrowding is a rising crime rate as poor living conditions may lead young people in particular to take desperate measures and turn to crime or drugs.

In terms of solutions, I believe the government should be largely responsible. Firstly, it is vital that the state provides essential housing and healthcare for all its citizens. Secondly, setting up community projects to help foster more community spirit and help keep young people off the street is a good idea. For example, youth clubs or evening classes for teenagers would keep them occupied. Finally, more effective policing of inner city areas would also be beneficial.

Naturally, individuals should also try to address these problems. One way is to put pressure on the government to ensure they tackle the problems by, for instance, forming action groups to lobby the government and request intervention and adequate funding. They could also form Neighbourhood Watch areas to try and help reduce the high levels of crime.

Therefore, it is clear that the problems caused by overpopulation in urban areas are very serious. Yet if governments and individuals share a collective responsibility, then it may well become possible to offer some solutions.

(260 words)

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More Problems & Solutions Essays:

IELTS Problem Solution Essay Example: Why is immigration problematic?

This problem solution essay example is about the increasing number of professionals who are leaving their own poorer countries to work in developed countries

Competing for Jobs Essay

Competing for Jobs Essay: This is a model essay about the problems arising when older people have to compete with younger people for jobs. you need to write about the problems that arise if older people have to compete for jobs with younger people.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Overpopulation — The Causes, Effects, and Consequences of Overpopulation

The Causes, Effects, and Consequences of Overpopulation

• Categories: Overpopulation Population Growth

About this sample

Words: 683 |

Published: Jan 29, 2024

Words: 683 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Causes of overpopulation, effects of overpopulation, consequences of overpopulation, potential solutions, references:.

• Cohen, J. E. (1995). How many people can the earth support?. Norton & Company.
• Daniels, R. J. (2008). The effects of overpopulation on environment and society. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 105(2), 212-218.
• Ehrlich, P. R. (1968). The population bomb. Sierra Club/Ballantine Books.
• Mazur, L. A. (1998). A concise guide to the world population. ABC-CLIO.
• World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights. (2019). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

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IELTS Essay, topic: Overpopulation

• IELTS Essays - Band 6

The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in population, which is causing problems not only for poor, undeveloped countries, but also for industrialized and developed nations. Describe some of the problems that overpopulation causes, and suggest at least one possible solution. You should write at least 250 words. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Nowadays, the population dramatically in most countries around the world. This is true for the developed and developing nations. Overpopulation a different number of problems. However, the government can these problems in many .

There are different problems that overpopulation causes in rich nations. Firstly, it is very difficult for governments to provide helpful public services in overcrowded cities. Moreover, there is generally a higher level of crimes being committed, such as drugs abuse, murders, thefts, . often cause by the high rates of unemployment.

However, overpopulation problems in nations have two main which they are by governments. Firstly, the government must educate people about limiting the size of the family. For example, in China they have a policy called “one child policy” which limits the size of the family to one or two children, and this is beginning to have an effect on the world’s most crowded nation.

To sum up, if the impulsive population increase continues, many more people will die of hunger in the poor countries. Also, in rich nations, the life in the cities will become more and more difficult.

This essay covers the task and has a good content. However there are several areas to improve. The grammar needs more attention (see comments underlined in blue). In the first paragraph, the last sentence has instances of repetition of solve and solution, you could say instead “can find many solutions to those problems”. In the third paragraph, the last sentence has poor structure and looks unfinished. Overall, this looks like a Band 6 – 6.5 essay.

Click here to see more IELTS essays of band 6

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2 thoughts on “IELTS Essay, topic: Overpopulation”

Pingback:  IELTS Essay Samples of Band 6 | IELTS-Blog

In some countries young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and starting university. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this

Travelling unprecedented states after completing high school predominantly, crutches young people on acquiring knowledge and experience.When young people gain knowledge, it does favour for them in upcoming curriculum.Beside this, visiting in other countries assist young people for dealing with the lifestyles and cultures of others.To cite an instance,last year me and my friend had visited African countries resulting in, being familiar with african lifestyles.This not only, wides the knowledge and skill but also, contributes massively in freshing our minds and providing pleasure.

On the other hand,while travelling other countries,it rises some sort of cons. Initially,it mesmarises young people toward those countries. Nevertheless, going other places have a major obligation in gaining knowledge,it could fascinate young people in those countries.For example,young people of developing countries are migrating day by day in western lands in sue of better life styles and accommodations.More importantantly, this scenario is leading in shortage of manpower in native province.Therefore, day by day it is fabricating huge scarcity of skill human resources in developing nations.

In a gist, it is optimal for visiting other countries during vacation but, it is awful in shifting towards those countries.In my opinion, young people should not lure those countries in shake of better life.

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Home Essay Examples Sociology Overpopulation

Overpopulation: Causes And Consequences

• Category Sociology
• Subcategory Human Populations
• Topic Overpopulation

The concept of global challenges is very ambiguous as it encompasses multifarious types of challenges, consequences and solutions. However, Professor Kristen Gelsdof succinctly defines a global challenge as “any major trend, shock or development that has the potential for serious global impacts” (1). I would like to extend this definition with “and can only be solved with global compliance and collaboration”, as I believe that no global challenge can be solved by any one nation or institution alone. They require collaborative action among all members of the international community, including IGOs, NGOs and corporations (2).

A significant challenge facing us today is world population, which can be characterised as overpopulation and as a growing threat to human survival on Earth. From the beginning of human history, it took until 1804 to reach a world population of 1 billion people, but only approximately 200 years after that to reach 7 billion (see Figure 1). Now, humans are reproducing at an unprecedented rate, with the population expected to increase by 2 billion in the next 30 years and peak at 11 billion by 2100 (3). The Industrial Revolution was a pinnacle point of human history that brought advancements in science, technology and transport worldwide. These advancements have enabled more people to reach the reproductive age and have reduced the fatality rate. As a result of this, increasing worldwide population growth has become a major contributor to climate change, rising sea-levels, exhaustion of natural resources and rising living costs and unemployment (4). It is now more important than ever before to face overpopulation with global solutions, otherwise the consequences will be devastating.

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In her report The Population Explosion: Causes and Consequences, Carolyn Kinder defines overpopulation as “the condition of having more people than can live on earth in comfort, happiness and health and still leave the world a fit place for future generations” (6). With more than 220 000 consumers being added to the planet daily (7), the disparity between human consumption and renewed global resources is increasing at an extremely unsustainable and alarming rate.

Earth Overshoot Day is the date which marks the depletion of the global allowance of the Earth’s yearly quota of natural resources. These resources include clean water, clean air and carbon sequestration (8). In 2019, Earth Overshoot day was July 29th, the earliest date recorded. To put this into perspective, in 1987 the date was October 23rd and in 2005 it was August 26th (9). This current usage is equivalent to 1.7 Earths, and if this trend continues, with more people using more resources, three Earths will be needed by 2050 (see Figure 2) (10).

The first step in solving overpopulation is recognising it as a global challenge and acknowledging that it’s growing beyond its limits. When looking at Gelsdorf’s definition, it is quite evident that the concept of overpopulation cannot be denied as a global challenge. This trend has the ability to effect any area of the globe and has the ‘potential for serious global impacts’, such as resource depletion. Furthermore, because overpopulation is “trans-institutional in solution” (12) it can only be solved with ‘global compliance and collaboration’.

The 1994 International Conference of Parliamentarians on Population and Development recognised this fact. The conference identified that there is a “delicate balance between population and natural resources” (13) and it urges national governments to take responsibility to resolve their own population issues “in a way that respects their own national and cultural identity, values and tradition” (14).

A prominent example of a nation taking specific action to tackle population growth is China and it’s one child policy. Introduced in 1980, this unique and unprecedented domestic measure established strict government monitoring to ensure that Chinese couples were having one child only. Incentives were offered to those who complied with the policy, including paid vacation and priority housing. With China making up 19% of the global population alone, the policy has been effective in preventing approximately 400 million births (15), but despite this success, China has suffered from some negative side effects, including a skewed male population, an aging population and a shrinking workforce. The policy framework focused on numbers only and did not – or was not able to – take account of entrenched cultural biases that favoured survival of male children over female children. So, resolving the challenge clearly lies within shrouds of moral, religious, political and practical circumstances, as well as numbers.

Recent modifications to the policy now allow couples to have two children if either parent is a single child. A study published by The Lancet by Professor Yi Zeng and Professor Therese Hesketh highlighted that the two-child policy will “not result in a baby boom, but rather a moderate increase in fertility” (16), because of the low fertility culture in China due to the previous policy. Currently, China’s birth rates are at 1.9 children per mother (see Figure 3) and if this rate is sustained, it will lead to depopulation. However, the rate of decline will not mean a dramatic reduction in total population numbers, which still stands at 1.4 billion (17).

For the global community to benefit the most out of this solution, other nations should follow suit and implement their own birth policies within the bounds of their culture and awareness, especially nations with higher populations like India, the United States and Indonesia (18). It’s a non-disruptive way to slowly decrease the population as it doesn’t impact individuals who are already alive, but instead prevents births.

Another international solution is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which outline 17 goals for the international community to work towards that are “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” (20). Because of state sovereignty, the SDGs are not legally binding. Instead, they are an innovative and effective way to exert pressure on nations and hold them accountable to accomplish the goals within their own borders (21). Additionally, compliance with the SGDs allows nations to create or maintain ties with other countries and establish a positive reputation within the global community. Although there is no specific SDG for overpopulation, the interconnective nature of the goals ensures that progress of some SDGs, especially ‘gender equality’ and ‘quality education’, is progress towards reducing overpopulation.

In his documentary Bill Nye Saves the World, scientist Bill Nye discusses the link between empowering women and overpopulation, stating, “by empowering women, we can lower the birth rate and keep population growth manageable” (22). Giving women access to a quality education and career is an impactful and ethical way to lower the birth rate. Not only is an education a vital way to gain knowledge about the many birth control options, but having a career usually means a woman can choose to have children later in life, which usually is linked to having fewer children. While this is a desirable aim, it is unfair for the female population to address this alone. The attitude and expectation of the male cohort must change if increased population levels are to be stabilised or reduced over time.

If the UN were to modify the SDGs to add a specific overpopulation goal, it will increase awareness about this issue and hopefully encourage nations put in place their own policies to sustain their precious resources and ensure the future of the world. Such an approach requires some sort of incentive which may include attaching achievement of population goals to financial assistance levels. World lending and aid organisations need to link their practices to a more sustainable level of population growth in spite of the moral and ethical issues that such an approach presents and the financial implications of doing so.

The actions we as a global community take now to combat overpopulation will determine the future of humankind and the environment. We have the power to decide whether we want to prosper as a race or succumb to irreversible environmental degradation and resource depletion. It is vital for all members of the international community to collaborate, cooperate and comply to ensure that the global solutions put in place are effective and sustainable.

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Essay on Overpopulation Problems

Students are often asked to write an essay on Overpopulation Problems in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Overpopulation Problems

What is overpopulation.

Overpopulation happens when there are too many people and not enough resources like food, water, and space. Imagine a classroom that is meant for 30 students but has 60 instead. It gets crowded, right? That’s how Earth feels with overpopulation.

Strain on Nature

With too many people, nature suffers. Forests get cut down for homes, animals lose their habitats, and rivers dry up. This means less fresh air, fewer animals, and not enough water for everyone.

Running Out of Food

More people mean we need more food. But there’s only so much land to grow crops and raise animals. This can lead to hunger because there isn’t enough food to go around.

Hard Life in Cities

Cities get too crowded when there are too many people. Roads become jammed with cars, houses are packed, and it’s harder to find jobs. Life becomes tough for everyone, especially for kids.

What Can We Do?

To fix overpopulation, countries can educate people about family planning. Sharing resources and using less can also help. If we all work together, we can make sure there’s enough for everyone.

250 Words Essay on Overpopulation Problems

Overpopulation is when there are too many people in one place. This can cause lots of problems because there might not be enough things like food, water, and space for everyone. Imagine a classroom that is meant for 30 students but has 50 instead. It would be crowded, right? That’s how overpopulation feels.

Why Overpopulation is a Problem

Firstly, when there are too many people, there might not be enough food to go around. This can make people hungry and unhealthy. Secondly, finding a place to live can be hard. Too many people in a city can mean not enough homes, which can lead to people living in tight spaces or not having a home at all. Thirdly, too many people can hurt our planet. More people means more trash and pollution, which can make the air and water dirty.

How Does Overpopulation Happen?

Overpopulation happens when more people are born than the number of people who die. Sometimes, it’s because people live longer due to better medicine. Other times, it’s because families have lots of children. Also, if a lot of people move to the same place all at once, that place can become overpopulated.

To fix overpopulation, countries can educate people about family planning. This means teaching them how to plan for smaller families. Governments can also make sure there are enough jobs, houses, and food for everyone. It’s important to take care of our planet by recycling and keeping our environment clean.

Overpopulation is a big challenge, but by working together and being smart about how we live, we can solve it.

500 Words Essay on Overpopulation Problems

Overpopulation happens when there are too many people living in a place. This can be a city, a country, or the whole world. Imagine a classroom that is made for 30 students but has 50 students. It gets crowded, right? That’s what overpopulation is like, but on a much bigger scale.

Why is Overpopulation a Problem?

When there are too many people, it can cause a lot of problems. Let’s look at some of these issues.

Not Enough Food

One big problem is that there might not be enough food for everyone. Farmers work hard to grow food, but when there are too many people, there may not be enough to go around. This can make people hungry and can even cause them to get sick because they’re not eating enough healthy food.

Running Out of Space

With so many people, we can also run out of space. Houses and apartments can become too crowded. Parks and playgrounds can become too full. This can make it hard for kids and adults to find places to play, relax, or even live comfortably.

More Trash and Pollution

More people means more trash. Think about all the wrappers, paper, and other waste we throw away every day. When there are more people, there’s more trash, and it can be hard to keep our cities and nature clean. Pollution from cars and factories can also get worse, which is bad for the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Harder to Find Jobs

When there are too many people, it can be harder for adults to find jobs. This is because there are more people looking for work than there are jobs available. This can make it tough for families to earn money and buy the things they need.

Using Up Resources

Our planet has a lot of resources like water, oil, and minerals. But there’s only so much to go around. With too many people, we can use up these resources too quickly. This can lead to shortages, which means there might not be enough for everyone in the future.

It’s important to think about solutions to overpopulation. Families can choose to have fewer children. Governments can help by making sure people have access to education and healthcare. By learning and understanding more about the problem, we can all help take care of our planet and make sure there’s enough for everyone, now and in the future.

Remember, every person can make a difference. By taking care of the environment, being thoughtful about resources, and helping to spread the word, kids and adults alike can work together to solve the problems caused by overpopulation. It’s all about being smart with what we have and thinking about the future.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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