Overpopulation

Presented by Kuldeep Dodiya ( 12UP04 )

6.5 billionThis is not a whole lot of bacteria, but when it comes to humans, it is a very formidable number. The human population has been increasing at an extremely high rate in the last century and unfortunately, not much has been done to slow down this process. Undoubtedly, overpopulation is a global issue. It is global because it pertains to all of humanity, but global also means that it affects the whole world, i.e. the environment. Almost all human activities impact negatively the environment in one form or another, and as human population expands, the damaging effects on the environment multiply. Overpopulation does not just affect the standard of living, but also the environment. Every person on the planet takes up space, but space is needed for farmland, and forests. People excrete wastes and pollution that flow into water systems, and animal habitats, polluting water, and killing wildlife. Many people cannot bathe or brush their teeth because of the status of the water in their land. Forests are being torn down as more wood and land is needed to support our ever-growing population. The loss of these forests leads to extinction of plants and animals. These plants could contain cures for diseases that will never be found. Urban areas are expanding, polluting the air and water systems. These areas deplete the Earths resources, and over 2 billion hectares of arable land have already been lost, with 16 million more hectares being removed each year. In Nigeria alone, 351 000 ha of land are being removed every year. 51% of the fossil fuels on Earth are being used byUSA and China alone, leaving less than half for the remaining countries, including those inAfrica. In fact, most of those remaining fossil fuels go to other developed countries, leaving a dismal amount for Africans.

Some facts..
The human population stands at 6.5 billion and is projected to rise to more than 9 billion by 2050. In less than 50 years the human population has more than doubled from its 1960 level of 3 billion. China is the most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people. India is second with more than 1.1 billion. By about 2030 India is expected to exceed China with nearly 1.5 billion people. About one in every three people alive today is under the age of 20, which means that the population will continue to grow as more children reach sexual maturity. Britain's population of 60 million is forecast to grow by 7 million over the next 25 years and by at least 10 million over the next 60 years, mainly through immigration. This is equivalent to an extra 57 towns the size of Luton (pop 184,000)

World human population ( 10,000 BC2000 AD. )

The most significant increase has been in the last 50 years, mainly due to medical advancements and increases in agricultural productivity. Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in immigration.

Countries by population density

A map of the world, with colours to highlight the population density of each country or territory. Numbers on the legend are in people per km2, and all countries smaller than 20,000 km2 are represented by a dot.

Overpopulation has been disastrous for the planet. Greater populations have polluted and consumed more, ruining the environment and creating or intensifying a variety of problems. Also, with the food supply limited, increases in population make shortages in many parts of the world even worse.