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| http://ecifasejyk.blogspot.com/2011/04/shortage-of-water-supply.html |
There is no doubt that overpopulation is having a huge impact on Earth's resources, but do we really have too many people, or do we simply consume more than we need? In my opinion we do not have too many people, however we have too many greedy people. Keep in mind that when I say greedy I do not mean power hungry tycoons after more money. I mean everyday people like you and me, who use much more than we need. We use too much water, electricity, food, etc. but we do not give enough back. We live in a society where this is normal, but the effect it is having on the Earth is astounding.
Many people who are aware of the effect that we are having on the Earth are fearful that half of the worlds population will be subject to "water stress" or "water scarce" conditions. It isn't the people in third world countries that are causing all these problems, it is actually people in developed nations that are used to having an unlimited amount of resources. For example, Americans only make up about 4 percent of the worlds population, yet they consume 25 percent of the worlds resources. But lets not blame the Americans, here in Canada we use a huge amount of resources as well. Partly because of the size of our country, and partly because we like Americans are used to unlimited amounts of resources.
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| http://keetsa.com/blog/pollution/now-japan-has-smog-problems/ |
Another huge problem that we are facing is air pollution. Again, I believe that it isn't overpopulation that is the problem, I happen to think that the Earth is more than capable of supporting the large number of people that we have. I just think that the demand for factory made products is extremely high because people are used to expecting too much (again going back to unlimited resources point). Some of the issues that we face due to pollution are health impacts, large volumes of uncollected waste, and animals being subjected to toxic substances, and a loss of habitat.
Overall, I don't believe that overpopulation is the problem. Let our numbers climb, we'll find ways to support everyone. However people in more developed countries do need to change their attitudes if we are to keep our resources flowing, otherwise we will face a crisis.
An interesting video by National Geographic, as well as two very informative articles.
