OverpopulationIs the World Overpopulated?

Overpopulation:“the condition of having a population so dense as to cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or

a population crash.” (Merriam, 2009)

Introduction:

• In biology, the concept of a carrying capacity is important when discussing populations of species in an ecosystem. • Carrying capacity is the maximum amount of individuals an ecosystem

can support.

T= Time, and the y-axis is the population.K= the carrying capacity

The rate at a population grows is known as the growth rate.

Growth rate= Crude birth rate- Crude death rate + net immigration rate (# of immigrants- # of emigrants)

Introduction cont.

• The 2009 world population growth rate is estimated to be 1.188%

• The current world population is over 6.7 billion people in April 2009, with an average density of 45 people/ square kilometer.

• This density figure is comparable to the density numbers for the country of Montenegro.

Introduction cont.

Population

The Demographic Transition Model highlights 4 stages of population growth for a group of people.

Stage 1- Low Growth• Most of human history has been within this stage; high birth rates and high death rates

Stage 2- High Growth• Birth rates are still very high during this stage, while death rates fall dramatically. • Advances in medicine and technology lead to a sudden population explosion in the 1800s• As of now, all countries have gone through or currently are in at least Stage 2.Examples: Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Bolivia

Stage 3- Moderate Growth• Death rates continue to fall at a slower pace. • Birth rates fall quickly as the population growth slows. • A change in social customs causes the birth rates to decline, as women gain rights and

begin to make the choice of whether or not to have children.Examples: USA, Mexico, South Korea

Stage 4- Low Growth• Birth rates below or equal to the death rate. • Zero population growth characterizes developed countries such as France or

Japan. • Urbanization is high, and families are small for economic reasons

Examples: Italy, Germany, Japan, France

Population cont.

Population cont.

• Most of the world’s growth in population comes from less developed countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. • The countries within these regions are all in

Stage Two or beginning Stage Three. • The developing countries of the world are

projected to make up most of the 9 billion population expected in 2050 (World 2012).

• In many countries, agricultural land will be put under more pressure • Providing jobs and education will be difficult.

• In the developed world, especially Europe and Japan, population decline is expected• High levels of immigration has been a policy in

maintaining the populations in Europe. The Maldives has the world’s fastest growth rate, at 5.570% (CIA Factbook), most of the

population lives on 250 islets.

Natural Resources• As a population of an organism grows, so does the resources needed for survival.

As people, food and water is most needed for survival in all parts of the world.

• Desertification, the process of arid and semi-humid land becomes a desert, is occurring at a fast pace in many areas of the globe. • Africa may be able to feed only 25% of it’s population by 2025, leading to a

decline in food security in savanna and drought-prone areas.

• Over drawing water from underground sources constrains the high production needed in agriculture to feed an ever-larger population. • China is a net importer of wheat because of the low water tables in the north,

while American famers have trouble maintaining a crop surplus without irrigation.

Overpopulation of Developed Regions?

BosWash Corridor

Northwest Metropolis

Taiheiyo Urban area

• In the developed world, there are three large and noticeable concentrations of people.

• Northwest Metropolis, the BosWash Corridor, and the Taiheiyo Urban Area.

Northwest Metropolis• During the Industrial Revolution in the

1800s, the population in Europe grew at a fast rate, with many also urbanizing in the process.

• England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark make up the Northwest Metropolis, with a combined population of 394 million as of 2002.

• Due to the population pressures from higher birth rates, overexploited and highly polluted environment, and lower quality of life, Industrial Europe could have been considered to be overpopulated.

Northwest Metropolis cont.

• As technology advanced throughout the world, Europe’s health improved. • Personal sanitation, sewage

systems, and medical advances such as penicillin lead to a cleaner environment for those in the Metropolis.

• Due to the scientific breakthroughs, the quality of life is improved greatly, the population has leveled off • Now the governments worry

over declining numbers of individuals

London in the 1800s, and now

BosWash Corridor• The BosWash Corridor contains 5 major

cities- New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.

• Approximately 55 million people live in the corridor, on only 2% of the U.S. land area.

• The dense population is mainly due to economic development in New York City, and historic settlement around capitals.

• Within modern times, high-tech jobs and a service sector economy has led to the population increase, especially of New York City. • On Manhattan island, over half of it is

covered in pavement and buildings, but overall environment and people have a good quality of life

Taiheiyo Urban area

• Japan has long had an extremely high physiological population density• Most of the country is unsuitable

for agriculture. • The Taiheiyo area composes the

cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and the Mt. Fuji area. • Many other smaller cities are a part

of this belt of 82.9 million people. • Due to the higher levels of pollution

from the burning of garbage, smog is more potent. Housing in Japan is extremely limited

• The overall quality of life is better though than those of less developed regions

Overpopulation of Less Developed Regions?

Ganges RiverSichuan BasinNile River

• Less Developed regions of the world experience a high urban migration rate when compared to those in the developed world.

• Many of the people within these high density places are subsistence farmers.

• Overall development in these regions are low, with low control over various factors such as pollution, regulation of industries and waste.

Nile River• The Nile River has a long history of

people depending upon it’s floods. • The Nile today is still depended upon by

nearly 99% of Egypt’s 79 million people. • Many are concentrated around Alexandria

and Cairo, the economic hub of Egypt.• Due to floods malaria and other water-borne

diseases are prevalent• During the 1980s, the Nile was dammed

to help control the floods• Many desert environments were destroyed

with some populations of people having to relocate.

Sichuan Basin, China

• The Sichuan Basin is a relatively flat piece of land surrounded by high mountains on all sides.

• The total area is around 88,500 square miles, with close to 110 million people living within the basin. • Vast majority are farmers,

cultivating rice. • Other industries include oil and

gas, coal, small amounts of iron mining.

• Due to the Chinese government’s

emphasis on economic development, pollution is high as plants have no filters for toxins in the air.

Ganges River

• The Ganges River is considered by many in the Hindu faith a holy river.

• 400 million people live along the Ganges river, with 150 million of them making up the country Bangladesh. • The fertile soil allows a diversified

farming, with a plentiful supply of water (Mountain fed-river).

• However, India’s economic development (2nd fastest in the world) is leading to parts of the Ganges river heavily polluted from factories. • Water-borne diseases also impair

the quality of life for those who depend on the Ganges.

Conclusion

• The world at large is still empty in many places, mostly desert and other inhospitable terrain.

• The fertile lands of the world have some of the highest density of people ever encountered.

• While those areas in developing countries can be considered overpopulated due to the pressures on the

land and the low quality of life • One must remember that similar situations were once

common throughout the now developed world of Europe, America and Japan.

• It appears that economic factors such as poverty and high dependence on farming, leads to a Local amount of

overpopulation, not the world at large.