UNICEF estimates that approximately million children are currently working, primarily in countries that have few child labor laws. This can result in children being seen as a source of income by impoverished families. Furthermore, children who begin work too young also lose the educational opportunities they should be granted, particularly when it comes to birth control.
Improvement in medical technology has led to lower mortality rates for many serious diseases. Particularly dangerous viruses and ailments such as polio, smallpox and measles have been practically eradicated by such advances. While this is positive news in many ways, it also means that people are living longer than ever before.
Though it only plays a minor role in comparison to the other causes of overpopulation, improved fertility treatments have made it possible for more people to have children. The number of women using various fertility treatments has been on the rise since their inception. Now most have the option of conceiving children, even if they may not have been able to do so without such treatments. Unchecked immigration into countries may lead to overpopulation to the point where those countries no longer have the required resources for their population.
This is particularly problematic in countries where immigration numbers far exceed emigration numbers. In some cases, immigrants may be attempting to escape overpopulation in their own countries, only to contribute to the same issues in the countries they move to.
However, data also exists to show the immigration can bolster economies, with the effect in the UK being particularly pronounced. Effects of overpopulation mainly involve the number of resources required to support a large population, which can lead to a great deal of pollution and other detriments to the environment.
In many countries. This will place those living in impoverished areas that already have limited access to such water at great risk. While higher life expectancy is leading to increases in population in developed countries, lower life expectancy may be caused by the booms in population that less developed nations are experiencing.
This stretches the resources these countries have thinner resulting in less access to medical care, fresh water, food and jobs, all resulting in a fall in life expectancy. As demand for land grows, so too does the destruction of natural habitats, such as forests. Data has also been collected to show that there is a direct link between increases in human population and decreases in the number of species on the planet.
As the population grows, so too does the amount of resources needed to keep so many people alive. Food, water and fossil fuels are all being consumed at record rates , placing greater demands on producers and the planet itself. The primary and perhaps most obvious cause of population growth is an imbalance between births and deaths. The infant mortality rate has decreased globally, with 4. This is welcome public health news, of course. At the same time, lifespans are increasing around the world.
Those of us who are alive today will likely live much longer than most of our ancestors. Global average life expectancy has more than doubled since , thanks to advancements in medicine, technology, and general hygiene. Falling mortality rates are certainly nothing to complain about either, but widespread longevity does contribute to the mathematics of increasing population numbers.
The global fertility rate has fallen steadily over the years, down from an average of 5 children per woman in to 2. Yet, on the whole, contraceptive use is still underutilized.
For example, according to the WHO, an estimated million women in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy are not using modern contraceptives. Getting more women the access and agency to utilize family planning methods could go a long way in flattening the population curve.
Although female access to education has increased over the years, the gender gap remains. Roughly million girls worldwide are out of school currently, and an estimated 15 million girls of primary school age will never learn to read and write, compared with 10 million boys.
Increasing and encouraging education among women and girls can have a number of positive ripple effects, including delayed childbearing , healthier children, and an increase in workforce participation.
Plenty of evidence suggests a negative correlation between female education and fertility rates. If increased female education can delay or decrease fertility and provide girls with opportunities beyond an early marriage, it could also help to mitigate current population trends. More people means an increased demand for food, water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and more.
And all that consumption contributes to ecological degradation, increased conflicts, and a higher risk of large-scale disasters like pandemics. An increase in population will inevitably create pressures leading to more deforestation, decreased biodiversity, and spikes in pollution and emissions, which will exacerbate climate change. In the past, equilibrium between mortality and fertility was achieved through the operation of natural factors.
Now, with the reduction in mortality as a result of human intervention, it has become necessary to bring about a decline in fertility through human intervention. Human intervention in the control of fertility is a difficult and complex process.
The solution to the population explosion is family planning, rapid economic development, and appropriate social transformation.
0コメント