World Population Total
World Population Growth Rate
It is abundantly clear that, worldwide, we are in danger of exhausting our natural resources. Our nonrenewable resources, those limited in supply, consist of things like land, fossil fuels and minerals. It seems that, eventually, it is inevitable that these resources will run out completely. Even our renewable resources (water, food, certain forms of energy) are in danger, because consumption is threatening to overcome the rate of replenishment. An entirely different concern is directly related to the problem of the exhaustion of our natural resources: pollution and loss of biodiversity, habitats, etc. These issues should be of great concern to all of us.
Initially, people thought that fertility rates alone were the main contributors to the loss of our resources. Obviously, they were right, to an extent. High fertility rates equal population booms, which equals strain on resources. However, the theory that this is the only factor causing this major strain is very clearly wrong. Consider China, the world's most populous country. When they realized how their population was effecting their consumption of resources, they decided to impose a 0 population growth plan, that limited each couple to only 2 children. Because of this, the country has decreased their fertility rate. Why, then, has their resource use (especially in respect to energy) continued to soar? First, while it is true that couples were having less children, the fact is that there were MORE couples to have children, due to previous population booms. The idea that the two children simply replaced the parents, and there was therefore no growth, was a fallacy. This is because each couples children would then go and have children themselves. Now, the family unit consisted of the couple, their two children, and the two children each of their two children. Obviously, this continues the population growth. To further explore this idea, consider the following fact: birth rates have dropped to nearly half of what they were in 1950, worldwide. (See above chart: World Population Growth Rate.) However, the world population will continue to increase. (See above chart: World Population Total.) So, even when people are limited in the amount of children they have, populations continue to grow, and the more people there are, the greater the strain on resources.
However, there are other factors that contribute to this strain. When it comes to energy consumption, "When a North American couple stops at two children, it is the equivalent of an East Indian couple stopping at 60, or an Ethiopian couple at 600." Wow. That is a startling statistic! This makes it very clear that economic development has an even greater impact on the overconsumption of our resources than population does. How is this even possible? One only has to consider the vast differences between the "comfortable" life we experience as Americans, in comparison to the way people struggle in LDCs. I can't even imagine living somewhere where my child was in constant danger of dying due to things like limitations of healthy foods, water contamination, and disease. In fact, the mere thought of it is horrifying to me. Instead, my four year old has everything she could possibly need. She can eat as much as she wants to fill her tummy, every single day. She has the luxury of electricity: air-conditioning, fans, lighting, music, movies, television, video games, computer, etc. Her water is filtered and clean, and again, she can drink as much as she wants of it every single day. She can take her nightly bath, and go to bed clean and comfortable. She receives vaccinations to keep her safe from the diseases that could otherwise kill her. When I think about it in this way, I am reminded of how lucky she is... and I am, to live in a place where all of this is routine. So, it is alien and heartbreaking to me to think of the way people in LDCs must live. However, I also realize how unfair it is for my children to have all of these luxuries when other children struggle so, and in turn, be partially responsible for the scary situation we are in regarding the exploitation of our resources. Is it necessary for us as a family to use the amount of energy we do every single day lighting our homes, watching our tvs, using our computers and video games for pure entertainment, etc? Absolutely not. And yet, because this is the life we are accustomed to, I can hardly even imagine living without our television for a week! "The per capita energy consumption rate in the U.S. is 11000 W, the approximate rate of energy consumption of a 30,000 Kg primate." So sad, but believable, based on my above commentary.
So, the answer the question "What else strains our resources?", besides population? Over-consumption. The overuse of our resources because we have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle, as a community. Basically, we are a spoiled Nation. We have become accustomed to driving everywhere, and having "unlimited" (or so we thought) access to things like electricity and water. Should we stop worrying altogether about population growth? Absolutely not; there is no doubt that it still contributes to the problem. But it is in no way the only problem. In all honesty, the "Go Green" movement is a wonderful start and has been a long time in coming, but until people begin to realize the truly devastating nature of our current situation when it comes to the exhausting of our resources, many people will not take it seriously, and the problems we are seeing now will only get worse for future populations.
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