Protecting the Global Environment Essay

1.IntroductionPopulation branch is one of the study environmental issues today. Some flock argue, that rapidly festering being is not unaccompanied problem and tenders result not destroy animation- s ride system on which we completely depend. Contrary round argue that ontogenesis race is a key driver factor of environmental destruction. The intention of this research project is to explain the main assembly lines of both sides and to recommend mathematical work on in recount to face with most important problems. galore(postnominal) countries follow through contradictory the problem of race emersion. Those country with relatively modest state ontogenesis but high rates of expenditure state that the existence is a main problem. On the other give way countries with diminished level of consumption but high birth rates verbalise that the consumption is a main problem. http//priven.com/popsprawl.html This debate is one of the main issues in modern view of env ironment, so which policy we should apply? Should we try to strike d throw population increase or consumption, or perhaps both?2.Human population account statement check to Cunningham (2000) for a most of mankind history, population issue was very(prenominal) slow. Many studies of hunting and gathering societies show that the total manhood population wasnt much than than a few million pot before innovation of agriculture and the domestication of animals around 10,000 years ago. The larger and more secure food supply matters in human population to growth, occuring perhaps 50 million great deal (b.c). Moreover, some diachronic evidence and description suggest that solitary(prenominal) slightly(predicate) 300 million people were living at the time of Christ. During the Middle Age, many diseases and wars held k straightwayledge base population. The main reasons were lack of hygiene and life condition and as force made human life short and uncertain. During the most destructive disease, plaque that took many lives betwixt 1348 and 1350, it is estimated that at least one-third of European population perished.At the end of live on great plague, on that localise w atomic number 18 round 600 million people on the earth. after 1600 human population join on rapidly and in 1800 reach one one grand piano thousand. It took a century and a half more to reach the 1950 figure of 2.5 billion. But in a post World War II period thepopulations was doubled in less than forty years, and exceed 5 billion. By the year 2000 world population had passed six billion. Today we atomic number 18 facing with a human population explosion, in other words every second slightly cardinal or five children are born somewhere on the earth and in the same second two other people die. This means that we have increase by an average of 250,000 in human population per day, which is equivalent of another Switzer agriculture every 30 days, and a untested China every 30 ye ars.(www.nyo.unep.org/action/Text/06-t.htm)When we discussed population growth we must consider that 90% of the projected growth come from vestigial or currently developed nations of Asia, Africa and Latin America. In these developing countries there are a number of socio-economic realities that lead women to have more children. In economies that depend on family or communal agriculture, children are an economic assets they nominate a valuable labour and the cost of rising them are very low. Many communities around the world still have limited irritate on adequate health care facilities, which often result in a high infant mortality rates and low life expectancy.When family lose, on average one in tree or four children they usu exclusivelyy chose to have as many as it possible in order to maximize the number of children that ordain survive. On the other hand in developed countries where there are fewer educational and immune carrier opportunities, there tends to be earlier marr iage and child bearing. In some countries woman often start having babies when they are 15 years old, which result in more children per couple3. Limiting population as a central strategy in protecting environmentThe debate ab show up whether human population growth is a fundamental cause of ecologic problems and whether limiting population should be a central strategy in protecting the environment has long historical roots.The rapid growing of population led the British classical economist Thomas Malthus in 1798 to spell out Essay on the Principle of Population as it affects the Future avail of Society. (Harris, 2001) He warned that the humanraces leave excide productivity capacity, leading to food crisis and poverty. History has proved Malthusian hypothesis wrong His holloions were undetermined by technical improvement. On the other hand, if we consider a more sophisticated variation, the argument that a growing human population and economy system will eventually outrun its b iophysical support system, we ordure see that the debate has pie-eyed current relevance.Authors such as Paul and Anne Ehrlich published The population give way (1968) and later The population explosion (1990) warned that continuing population growth could smite all the benefits of modern science and economic growth and result in devastated and miserable planet. This Neo-Malthusians point of view achieved more attention and provides the strong point in debate on population growth. agree to this approach a limiting population growth would be result in work many environmental problems however result vary a lot, depending on which country or which type of damage we are looking at. match to the Harrison (1994) the case of Madagascar shows s faecest(p) think between growing population and land degradation. Madagascars forests have been reduced to a narrowing strip on the eastern escarpment. Of the original forest cover 27.6 million acres only 18.8 acres remained in 1950. Today t he number of acres forest is only 9.4 acres, which means that habitat for the islands unique wild life has been halved in just forty years. Another example, which shows the process at work, is one village, Ambodiaviavy, practiced Ranomafana. Fifty years ago the whole area was dense forest. After French colonials burned down the old village, eight families came in Ambodiaviavy in 1947.At firstly they formed only valley bottoms, which they easily irrigated from the stream running down from the top of hills. There was no shortage on land and each family took as much of land as they were up to(p) of working. After forty-tree years number of families grew to thirty-six but all-cultivable lands was occupied, so they started to clear forest, today they two-thirds of the way to the hilltop. Quite simply, more people on a planet will mean more resource to support them. name level are arisingIt is not surprising that many criminologists are now warning that a massiveglobal climate shift is underway and the main reason are human activities, especially the burning of fogy fuel. Problems like erosion, acid rain or global warning sometimes we do not even know where they are happening until they are far advanced, as in a case of ozone hole. Many scientists predict that thermal expansion of seawater and melting of glaciers and polar ice will result to a metre move up in a see level over a next 100 years. One billion people may be at risk from a one-metre rise in a see level many in the poorest countries season many of the low-lying Pacific and Indian Ocean nations may disappear. The thousand glaciers in east Himalayas have disappeared over the last century, 92% of Kenyas largest glacier has gone over the same interval, Artic sea-ice has thinned 40% in the last 30 years, and the Greenland ice-sheet has thinned 6 metres since 1992. www.population.org.an/pressrm/ newbornslet/nl200212.pdf One of the most threatening possibilities is that a massive inflow of cold fresh water from the Artic will layover the Gulf Stream, which drives much of the global ocean circulation.As a upshot this would cause Europe to freeze while the rest of the world sweltered. rather than wait for global crisis dictates that we should take an action now. However, most analysts accept that increasing population places extra stress on the environment and resources, and there is wide-eyed agreement that limiting population is necessary. But how is to be accomplished? According to the Harris (2001) most well known example of this is Chinas one-child family policy. kind rates can fall rapidly, however especially woman reach higher level of education, literacy, and take benefit from employment opportunities. Significant involuntary reduction of birth rates in many East Asiatic countries as well in the state of Kerala in India has resulted from higher levels of base education, health care, and job security.Taking action to address population growthThere are many solutions that can be adopted in order to slow high growth population rates, done both by individual and community. Firstly admirer to develop awareness in the community, so that everyone can understands the impact of population growth on the environment. Second, reply to the media. Take action immediately to reports and comments nearly environmentalproblems and make links between population growth and environmental issue and development issue. Thirdly, support family planning initiatives, in order to inform people more about this political platform and to let them know the benefits that effective family planning could have for their community and the whole global environment. Another step could be encouraging all levels of government support (both expertise and founds). And finally develop special program for women that create more opportunities for them to enter, re- enter or stay it the workforce, especially in undeveloped countries.4. Population growth opposing factorAccording to Harrison (1994) state-controlled from William Cobbett to Karl Marx attacked Malthuss arguments that population growth need immediate limit. U. S. land crusader Henry George in Progress and poverty (1879) that a huge U. S. population growth had surged side by side with a huge increase in prosperity. Economist Julian Simmon see moderate population growth not a problem at all. Instead of limiting population, more people mean more brain to think up more solutions. There is no meaningful limit to our capacity to keep growing forever. he wrote in 1981 in the Ultimate Resource. There can be benefits as wall as disadvantages in large human population. According to the Cunningham (2000) more people mean larger markets, more workers and continuing casing of mass production. Large number of people also means more intelligence and enterprise to overcome problems such as contaminant or resource limitation. Human creativity and intelligence can create new resource by substituting new materials for o ld materials.Technology will discover practically limitless new or replacement resources, that pollution will be controlled by technology. While populations growth rates are definitely an issue, the size of human population is not the only determinant on the impact on the environment. The impact of people on their environment is not only in their number but also in their location in biosphere theirs level on consumption of energy and materials, and the technology used to attain a given prototype of living. Mahatma Gandhi said 50 years ago that there is enough for everyones need, but not enough for everyone greed. According to the Alan Durning of the Worldwatch Institute, population acts as a multiplayer.Therefore, the total human impact on theglobal environment can be reduced by the moderating consumption. For example, industrialized nations, home of 22 % of the worlds population, consume 60% of the worlds food, 70 % of its energy and 85 % of its wood. They generate almost three- q uarters off all carbon dioxide emission, which make them the main causes of most of the ozone depletion. (Hartman, 1994). Moreover, there are many countries where governments use inappropriate incentives for a food production, such as high-spirited subsidies may result from poor policy planning.Taking community action to address Unsustainable ConsumptionMany different actions can be utensil in order to promote the concept of sustainable consumption. One of the actions is to help build awareness. Every individuals, organization and community can help aiming to deepen attitudes and behavioural toward environmental sound product selection and lifestyle choice. It can be operate an environmental awareness program, which explore links between local production, consumption and environment, while motivating people to change their own behaviour. Another step is work with schools and the media in order to inform in store(predicate) generation. Also to promote green- consumption, encoura ging people to purchase environmentally-sound product whenever they are available.5. ConclusionThere are many reasons that population growth has unionise impact on environment. But which strategy we should choose in order to face with this problem? In the face of such uncertainty, we must beseech what is at stake in the risky we chose to take. If the pessimist views of limits on the Earth overturn out to be correct, the horror and misery that would unfold as a result of continued population growth. On the other hand, if optimists turn out to be correct, there will be many generations ahead in which a gift of life can be extended to additive billions. It is obvious that we need more than one strategy for dealing with growth. Therefore, solving a planets ecological crisis is not just about a having small families. Consumers also need to take responsibilities. It also should take into account the long-term effectof those action could have on ecosystem at both local and global level s.ReferencesAaron org. (1999) Population Growth and Sprawl. On line on tap(predicate) fromhttp//www.priven.com/popsprawl.html Accessed 17.11.2002AESP, celestial latitude 2000 Population The neglected Element in the Greenhouse Debate On line Available fromhttp//www.population.org.an/pressrm/newslet/nl200012.pdf Accessed 15.11.2002Cunningham and Saigo, Environmental Science, Global Concern, McGraw Hull, 7th edition, 2002 p. 137-158Harris M. J. (2001) Population and Environment. on line Available fromhttp//www.esig.ucar.edu/kuob/text.html Accessed 17.11.2002.Goldford D.T. Taking sides clashing views on controversial Environmental issues, Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 8th edition, 1999.