Lillian Liem 6S 26

Date: 22-12-2003

Discuss on the impact of human population explosion on the environment and the world food problem as a biological and social issues

Population explosion refers to the situation that the human population grows so fast that it exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment such that human lives are threatened. It is evident that some areas on the Earth are already so over-populated that a single disturbance, such as a flood, drought or crop failure, will result in the deaths of thousands or even millions of people.

Impact of human population explosion on the environment

The living of human beings depends upon a large variety of natural resources including food, energy, water and land. They also depend on various materials for medicinal, recreational and many other purpose. As the population continue to grow, there is an increasing rate of consumption of resources in the environment. Thus the natural resources that support human population are being exhausted at a faster and faster rate. At the same time, utilization of natural resources results in production of waste products, which continuously pollute the environment. The impacts caused by the depletion of natural resources and the pollution problems are becoming more severe as the human population grows.

The over exploitation of natural resources and environmental problems are closely related to the increase in the world population. Over-exploitation of timber can affect human in different ways such as destruction of habitats, loss of nutrient availability, soil erosion, climatic changes. The modern fishing methods involve large and powerful vessels, effective nets and traps, as well as advanced electronic devices. This damages sea grass, disrupts the availability of food for aquatic organisms, and kills a large number of bottom-dwelling organisms, especially coral reef and the fishes associated. Population growth and socio-economic development are currently driving a rapid increase in the demand for water. The world is facing pressure of water shortage. Undergoing rapid industrialization, overgrazing and inappropriate agricultural practices which cause serious problems of water pollution. Improper treatment of domestic and agricultural sewage many contaminate the existing water sources, and threaten human and animal life.

Over exploitation of non-renewable resources also causes serious impact of environment. Burring of coal generate the greatest amount of pollutants that adversely affect the environment such as generate various air pollutants. The exploitation of minerals leads to habitat destruction, great energy consumption, air pollution and water pollution, etc.

Furthermore, an over-populated society always faces the problems in job opportunities, education, housing, health, crimes and social services. Parents have too many children many find themselves short of time to take care of their children and difficult to support the family financially.

Impact of human over-populated on the world food problem

Food is known as a major limiting factor for organisms. As we know, farmers in many developing countries grow cash crops. Therefore, less land is available for growing food crops. In some countries, people allow too any cattle and sheep to feed on the pastures. The vegetation is eaten away at a rate much faster than it grows. Consequently, the fertile topsoil is stripped off, resulting in the transformation of pastures into deserts. Deforestation is another reason for turning fertile soils into deserts in some countries. Thus the exposed topsoil I subjected to soil erosion. Large quantities of food are being wasted in developed countries due to the wasteful eating habits of the people. Modification of the environment by human activities has resulted in increased chances of having natural disasters such as droughts, flood and pests in many parts of the world. This would lead t the slow-down of food production. Also, frequent warfare in some developing countries seriously disturbs the production of food. Actually, there is a surplus of food in developed countries while starvation and famine occur in some developing countries. It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population is consuming over one-half of the world’ food supply. The present problem is mainly an unbalanced food supply. The obtaining of the right amounts and types of nutrients is not easy to most people in developing countries.