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Population
Population growth, variation
among nations
Our global human population, 6 billion at present, will cross
the 7 billion mark by 2015. The needs of this huge number of
human beings cannot be supported by the Earth's natural resources,
without degrading the quality of human life.
In the near future, fossil fuel from oilfields will run dry.
It will be impossible to meet the demands for food from existing
agro systems. Pastures will be overgrazed by domestic animals
and industrial growth will create ever-greater problems due
to the pollution of soil, water and air. The seas will not have
enough fish. Larger ozone holes will develop due to the discharge
of industrial chemicals into the atmosphere, which will affect
human health. Global warming due to industrial gases will lead
to a rise in sea levels and flood all low-lying areas, submerging
coastal agriculture as well as towns and cities. Water 'famines',
due to the depletion of fresh water, will create unrest and
eventually lead countries to war. The control over regional
biological diversity, which is vital for producing new medicinal
and industrial products, will lead to grave economic conflicts
between biotechnologically advanced nations and the bio-rich
countries. The degradation of ecosystems will lead to extinction
of thousands of species, destabilizing natural ecosystems of
great value. These are only some of the environmental problems
related to an increasing human population and more intensive
use of resources that we are likely to face in future. These
effects can be averted by creating a mass environmental awareness
movement that will bring about a change in people's way of life.
Increase in per capita production of agricultural produce at
a global level ceased during the 1980s. In some countries, food
shortage has become a permanent feature. Two of every three
children in South Africa are underweight. In other regions,
famines due to drought have become more frequent. The present
development strategies have not been able to successfully address
these problems related to hunger and malnutrition. On the other
hand, only 15% of the world's population in the developed world
is earning 79% of income! Thus, the disparity in the extent
of per capita resources that are used by people who live in
a 'developed' country as against those who live in a 'developing'
country is extremely large. Similarly, the disparity between
the rich and the poor in India is also growing.
The increasing pressures on resources place great demands on
the in-built buffering action of nature that has a certain ability
to maintain a balance in our environment. However, current development
strategies have led to a breakdown of our Earth's ability to
replenish the resources on which we depend.
Global
population growth
The world population is growing by more than 90 million per
year, of which 93% is in developing countries. This will essentially
prevent their further economic 'development'. Present projections
show that if our population growth is controlled, it will still
grow to 7.27 billion by 2015. However, if no action is taken,
it will become a staggering 7.92 billion.
Human population growth increased from:
1 to 2 billion, in 123 years
2 to 3 billion, in 33 years
3 to 4 billion, in 14 years
4 to 5 billion, in 13 years
5 to 6 billion, in 11 years.
It is not the census figures alone that need to be stressed,
but an appreciation of this impact on our natural resources.
The extent of this depletion is further increased by affluent
societies that consume per capita more energy and resources,
that less fortunate people. This is of great relevance for developing
a new ethic for a more equitable distribution of resources.
In the first half of the 1900s, human numbers were growing rapidly
in most developing countries such as India and China. In some
African countries the growth was also significant. In contrast,
in the developed world population growth had slowed down. It
was understood that the global growth rate was depleting the
Earth's resources and was a direct impediment to human development.
Several environmental ill-effects were linked with the increasing
population of the developing world. Poverty alleviation programs
failed, as whatever was done was never enough as more and more
people had to be supported on Earth's limited resources. In
rural areas, population growth has led to increased fragmentation
of farmlands and unemployment. In the urban sector, it has led
to inadequate housing and an increasing level of air pollution
from traffic, water pollution from sewage, and an inability
to handle solid waste. By the 1970s, most countries in the developing
world had realized that if they had to develop their economics
and improve the lives of their citizens they would have to curtail
population growth.
Though population growth shows a general global decline, there
are variations in the rate of decline in different countries.
By the 1990s, the growth rate was decreasing in most countries
such as China and India. The decline in the 90s was greatest
in India. However, fertility continues to remain high in sub-Saharan
African countries.
There are cultural, economic, political and demographic reasons
that explain the differences in
the rate of population control in different countries. It also
varies in different parts of certain countries and is linked
with community and/or religious thinking. The lacks of Government
initiatives for Family Welfare Program (FWP) and limited access
to a full range of contraceptive measures are some of the serious
impediments to limiting population growth in several countries. |
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