April 5, 2020
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| The red line shows the rate of increase in human population from 1750 but the blue one shows population by year. |
Throughout the years, it has become clear that the mankind reproduces in an uncontrollable manner, and with such rapidity that at some point nature will not be able to cope with this development. It is a fundamental feature of all organisms to multiply, but all reproduction must happen in balance with nature and what belongs to it. By the beginning of the 20th century, the world population was around 1.6 billion, and by the start of the current 21st century, it had grown to almost 6.2 billion. Since humanity was able to increase its population by 4.6 billion people in a time period of 100 years, it is no surprise to see how nature‘s situation is today. The crisis isn‘t about the fact that reproduction only takes place, it is about how fast it takes place. It is time to slow down.
So how does human overpopulation affect the nature? Not only is it about the concern of the reproduction rapidity, but more importantly the concern of balance. The word ‘balance’ refers to a situation that does not change as time goes on, and having balance is what nature wants. In a brief article about environmental matters, André Beauchamp explains why overpopulation, among other factors, is a global issue. He says that “It is a global crisis of humanity because it is connected with the Earth as a system and its balances” (Beauchamp 14), and that “Human beings have upset balances in place” (Beauchamp 13). By reproducing rapidly, and spreading all around the world as well, we have made the Earth become sick in a very similar way as cancer makes humans sick. It isn’t a beautiful fact to face but humanity has indeed become Earth’s cancer.
Overpopulation is undoubtedly a difficult subject for people to address and is hard to argue for, and that’s why it is often overlooked when we talk about the environment. Nevertheless, the world must be more aware of it, because it is indeed the source of today’s climate problems. Humans are nothing but guests. They are hotel guests at an amazing 5-star hotel called Earth.
Works Cited:
Beauchamp, André. “A Time for New Hope.” Ecumenism, no. 183, 2011, pp. 13-14.
I like how you emphasized that this is a topic that needs to be addressed more often. The impacts of overpopulation are widespread as it can strain many different aspects of Earth's natural resources. Lack of reproductive health education and resources may be an area where improvements can be made.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this, the world is overpopulated and according to data much of the destruction on Earth is due to us. I think it is important for this topic to be known and for humans to find ways to make the world more sustainable for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of overpopulation is something that I have become increasingly interested in. Especially when it comes to overconsumption of resources. Consuming larger than our share can have disastrous effects on future generations.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this topic being overlooked because it is hard to argue for. I think it is very important and should be addressed more because like you said It is the main source of todays climate problems. I really liked your ending it summed up the topic very well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic as overpopulation has been sought to being a main reason for the damaging affect of over using resources. Sustainability is what needs to be made a top priority.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is something that most people don't think about, however, it is a very real situation that has had, and will have, astronomical effects on our world and ecosystems. Becoming a society that uses sustainable products and lives a more sustainable lifestyle, seems to be the best route for counteracting the effects of overpopulation.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is super interesting and is frequently overlooked. I feel like it's important that this topic is addressed because of the overuses of resources.
ReplyDeleteOverpopulation is a difficult topic to discuss politically and for that reason among others it is under-reported and not talked about enough. If our population isn't slowed by 2100 there could be serious repercussions.
ReplyDeleteThis conversation is often willingly overlooked because it is often used to defend mass genocide and allowing the poor to die. If not that then this argument would be used to promote reproductive health, which then becomes a human rights issue and not an environmental issue.
ReplyDeleteMany people talk about the problem of over population but they always skim over it and ignore the details. You did a good job at talking about the specifics and saying why there are problems.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that is discussed and always seems scary. The massive increase in population is insane. The fact that it harms our earth so much is scary, and it does need to be discussed more often. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for choosing a topic we touched on in class. It definitely expanded my knowledge on overpopulation and reinforced ideas we learned previously.
ReplyDeleteOverpopulation is definitely a topic people are reluctant to fully address and it is brought up only to be cast aside. It is a complicated problem that nobody has a good solution for. Thanks for further addressing this topic from class.
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