Jones3

Too many can be a bad thing
By Blake Jones

There are certain serious problems in the world that do not get much attention because a practical solution does not fall within the realm of political correctness. The exponential and seemingly unstoppable worldwide growth of the human population is one such problem. Humans find it relatively simple to control and manage any other overpopulated or endangered species outside of its own. Yet the question still remains, what makes the control of overpopulated humans a horrible act in comparison with the control of overpopulated deer or mosquitoes? As outrageous as that may sound, the truth is that when all political, moral and economic interests are set aside, if the issue of human overpopulation is not actively addressed in the near future, the Earth and everything on it may well pay grave consequences.

"Vital Signs 2001" issued by the World Watch Institute documented 2.555 billion people on Earth in 1950. The number listed for the year 2000 of 6.1 billion people is frightening when compared to the population just 50 years ago. The population has also risen since 2000. The human population boom is even more astounding when compared to periods of time such as 1 to 1000 CE when there was virtually no population growth of any significance.

The first and most obvious problem with overpopulation of any species is a lack of adequate nutrients for all members of the population. A lack of adequate nutrients ensures that a population will end up with many weak members. These weak members will, in turn, breed and cause exponential multiplication of their own kind. This phenomenon will eventually help cause the decline of any species, no matter how dominant it once was. There is no doubt that such decline has happened with other species. There is also no reason this could not happen to the human species if proper action is not taken. For example, in contemporary times we have already seen countless short and long-term food shortages all over the world in areas such as Africa, India, and China. If populations continue to soar, food shortages may well become a part of everyday life for humans.

Another problem that overpopulation causes is land scarcity. World Summit's "State of the World 2002" noted that there are currently 1.9 billion people living in 40 countries where there is less than one quarter acre of land per person. This planet, like any other planet, has a limited surface area; therefore, it can only sustain a limited amount of people in the aggregate. This fact seems to elude many people who spawn excessively large families. For instance, overcrowding is already a tremendous problem in almost every major city throughout the entire world. Simple logic suggests it is only a matter of time until overcrowding reaches into the suburbs, and even into rural areas.

However, it is not only humans who will suffer from the cramping of overpopulation. The natural habitats of many animals are being altered beyond use, if not totally destroyed. According to "State of the World 2002" 19 of the world's biodiversity hotspots (areas with many different species interacting and reproducing) are being threatened by human overpopulation. This may cause the extinction of many species that are either directly of indirectly related to our own survival.

Possible Solutions

There have been many passive attempts to control population. For example, in China, there is a restriction on how many children a family can have-one child per family. Many schools and independent organizations all over the world are making an effort to educate children and young adults about human reproduction. Continued population growth since the implementation of these programs in the latter part of the 20th century indicates that these programs have had minimal, if any, success. Things that directly contribute to population control are things such as high alcoholism, high cholesterol, suicide, homicide, war, disease, and freak accidents. Although these phenomena do help to thin out population, they are obviously random in effect and not intended for population balance, which they do not achieve.

The issue of human over-population is in great need of active attention. Until that reality is common knowledge, humans will continue to populate themselves into extinction. With that in mind, population control is a very humanitarian idea. People must not be afraid to openly discuss possible solutions. The seriousness of the matter is that if something is not done soon, permanent damage may well occur to most, if not all ecosystems. This damage will result from misuse and over use of natural recourses, as well as space scarcity. If humans are the dominant and supposedly the most intelligent of all animals, why can we not, with wisdom and maturity as a species, create a solution to control our own population?

Time is running short. It is time to view the future of Earth as a habitat for the human species as well as all other species linked by a common struggle for survival. More attention must be given to solving this problem while there is still time to provide an effective and politically correct remedy.

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Blake Jones is a Communication major at Kennesaw State University. He is also a philosophy minor. He has been a percussionist for 13 years.

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