Over population
From Envirowiki
Over population by human beings on earth is one of the root causes of all environmental issues we see today. The problems of climate change, environmental damage, decimation of forests, greenhouse gases, extinction of species, the list goes on, can all be attributed to an imbalance of the human population which is consuming the earth.
This information is substantiated in the United Nation's Environment Programme's recent report: "Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development (GEO-4)"[1]
Although the present worldwide emphasis on the reduction of greenhouse gases is encouraging, it is important to stress that other factors need also be considered in our quest for sustainability on earth, the most important of which is to obtain a balanced human population. Humans will never be able to live without having any impact as individuals, however the collective impact can be minimised and become sustainable through a greatly reduced population.
Impact can be loosely described by the famous I=PAT formula, where:
- Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology
From this it can be seen that impact is directly related to population, but also consumption. i.e. a lower population with higher affluence and technology can potentially have a higher impact than a more dense population with much lower consumption rates.
[edit] 1 History of human population
The growth in human population has been exponential over the last few thousand years. It currently stands at 6 billion, and in a BAU scenario, would be expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.
[edit] 2 Optimum population of earth
what is it? (edit the page if you know)
