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06
Feb 25

When Will We Reach Our Breaking Point?: The Influence of Population Growth on Water Consumption, Living Space, and Other Essential Resources

The Resource Dilemma 

A phenomenon exists where, in a world of scarce resources, restraint must be had so that those resources do not get depleted. Usually, avoiding the depletion and extinction of those resources is a group effort, with group members taking small hits to their personal well-being in favor of protecting the whole. What happens, though, when someone becomes greedy and takes too much? Or when, as time progresses, there simply isn’t enough to go around?

Here lies the resource dilemma. How can we proficiently give everyone an equal share of resources and protect against the depletion or overuse of those resources, especially by individuals whom we are not in contact with?

In recent years, the world’s population has grown extensively. About 100 years ago in 1920, the United States population alone was just over 106 million people; in 2020, that number tripled to over 331 million (US Census Bureau, 2022). With the recent influx of people living on the planet, the finite amount of resources available on Earth has become increasingly stretched thin. 

Shortages in freshwater, living space, and other essential resources like oil and wood are bound to happen if they are not happening already. The following report details where we currently stand on various forms of resource depletion and where we are projected to run out of these resources if no major changes are made. 

Water

As it stands, only 3% of Earth’s total water is freshwater, that is, water that can be used easily in an everyday environment.

In the United States alone, data from the 2015 US Geological Survey suggested that the average American uses about 82 gallons of water each day, whether it be through lengthy showers, leaving the faucet on while brushing their teeth, or washing their clothes, cars, and landscapes (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2024). When you multiply that number by the 331 million people living in the country, the sheer amount of water usage is shocking–estimated to be about 322 billion gallons per day (Water Science School, 2018).

Though the US may never fully run out of water, we surely do use a lot of it, and there is no way to guarantee that it will always be in a usable place when people need it. Many areas, especially drier regions in the western states, are constantly living through water shortages and droughts, and the problem is only expected to get worse. One short article published by Harvard University even stated that in about half a century, the country’s water supplies will be a third of their current size, not even accounting for the increased demand for water that will come with higher populations of people (Wilkerson, 2019).

Living Space

As for living space, an astute lack of affordable housing is plaguing the United States. Homelessness is on the rise, and with housing costs rising faster than most incomes, those looking to live on their own may struggle in the coming years (Collyns, 2025).

But at what point will we truly run out of places for people to live? Again, we are faced with a nonimmediate issue. The United States is currently home to a lot of open land, so space is not necessarily the limiting factor. Competing with the job market and getting resources where they need to be is the largest hurdle to be jumped. 

Other Essential Resources

Oil

  • The US produced 12.9 million barrels per day in 2023 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024a).
  • The US used about 20.25 million barrels of petroleum per day, much more than we were able to produce (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024b).

Wood

  • Nearly 439 million cubic meters of roundwood was harvested from American timberlands in 2018 (Greene, 2020). This number does not include all timber that has been harvested, only roundwood timer, which is supplied in log form.
  • Americans use 10 to 15 billion cubic feet of wood per year, collectively (United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, n.d.). Again, we are using more than we harvest, but efforts of conservation of this particular resource should also be accounted for in this comparison.

Conclusion

The world is growing, and overconsumption, at least in the United States, is bound to have its impacts sooner or later. If, instead, we were able to band together and each do a small part in conserving these resources, the cumulative effects could be mountainous. Then, rather than letting our resources deplete past the point of no return, perhaps more logical solutions to the population problem may be explored. 

 

References

Collyns, C. (2025). Why has the US Homeless Population Been Rising?. Econofact. https://econofact.org/why-has-the-us-homeless-population-been-rising#:~:text=There%20were%20771%2C480%20people%20recorded,the%20 numbers%20recorded%20in%202023. 

Greene, J. (2020). How much timber does the US harvest, and how is it used?. ResourceWise. https://www.resourcewise.com/market-watch-blog/how-much-timber-does-the-us-harvest-and-how-is-it-used#:~:text=In%202018%20(the%20most%20recent,come%20to%20depend %20on%20in 

United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. (n.d.). Wood Products in Everyday Life. Forest Atlas of the United States. https://apps.fs.usda.gov/forest-atlas/benefits-wood-products.html 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Statistics and Facts. EPA. https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts 

US Census Bureau. (2022). Historical Population Change Data (1910-2020). https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html 

U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2024a). United States produces more crude oil than any country, ever. EIA. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61545 

U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2024b). Frequently asked questions (FAQs). EIA. https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=33&t=6#:~:text=Although%20we%20use%20petroleum%20product,7.39% 20billion%20barrels%20of%20petroleum. 

Water Science School. (2018). Total water use in the United States. USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/total-water-use-united-states

Wilkerson, J. (2019). Future widespread water shortage likely in U.S. Science in the News. https://sites.harvard.edu/sitn/2019/03/20/widespread-water-shortage-likely-in-u-s-caused-by-population-growth-and-climate-change/ 

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14
Sep 21

What’s the…resource dilemma?

Resource dilemmas involve a conflict between the self-interests of a group and the welfare of the group or society as a whole. If a majority of individuals fail to restrain themselves, inadequate common resources such as water, air, and forests will be eventually depleted or completely polluted. These types of resource dilemmas will someday, quite possibly effect us all.

When you think of a resource dilemma in terms of environmental concerns, the problem is that the amount of available resources will hypothetically remain the same. If the population continues to grow, the need for more land to develop or more water to drink, with the alternative being to cut down more forest, or deplete more freshwater supplies, and then that is just another form of an environmental resource dilemma.

Lack of the proper knowledge about how others act (social uncertainty) and about the degree of depletion/pollution of a resource (environmental uncertainty) are still other factors which affect cooperation. (Bier, 1995) An environmental resource dilemma that poses a threat would be our oil consumption. Oil is a very slow reproducing resource that once used, cannot be used again. This is a staple of society because without oil we cannot drive our cars or operate our industries. Educating people on green ways to drive cars and produce energy will help society ween off the need for oil, creating solutions to this dilemma, providing that much needed cooperation, 

Even if egoism is constrained, how the individual is affected by collective consequences is still salient. (Bier, 1995) As such, the results are perceived to be uncertain, increasing uncertainty will make cooperation less consistent. These groups of individuals will not be willing to see in common. They will want to protect their own resources, not the resources of the majority as a whole, which could potentially develop into another resource dilemma. The objective of having the group cooperate to protect the environment and responsibly use common resources is simply a matter of life and death for all life on this planet.

Anders Biel, Tommy Gärling,The role of uncertainty in resource dilemmas, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 15, Issue 3, 1995, Pages 221-233, ISSN 0272-4944, https:doi.org10.1016/0272-4944(95)90005-5.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0272494495900055)

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24
Sep 20

Growing Greener

In recent weeks we have seen over 3 million acres of land burned on the west coast of the United States and for the second time in modern history, we have 5 tropical storms formed in the Atlantic. Some may say that this is just chance, but for many who are watching the environment, they can’t help but believe that these all too often occurrences are due to human impact on the environment. As we watch the world change before us, in more ways than one, there are those who are asking the question, “Can we make changes that can have a lasting impact?” Nona Yehia would say it is possible.

We know throughout history that wars have been fought over land and resources. Our environment is changing on a daily basis and we are finding a world that seems to be less hospitable to its inhabitants due to the lack of behavior change in order to help our planet be a healthier place. We continue to cut forests, rely on fossil fuels and use pesticides that end up as run off in our lakes and ponds and we are seeing the results of our poor behavior. The consequences are only going to get worse. Resources will become scarcer, temperatures will continue to climb and clean water will be harder to find unless we make changes. This is a Resource Dilemma. We consciously make the choice to continue to water our lawns and use up precious resources like they will always be there. (Gruman et al., 2017)

As we look to business and government to make a change in the world to value the planet over the all mighty dollar we are beginning to see leaders rise up from the crowd in a hope to make an impact in the world and their environment. A recent news article I saw out of Wyoming in the Chariton Newspaper online, told the story of an architect turned entrepreneur, Nona Yehia, who developed a business called Vertical Roots. The basic premise of the business was that it took a10th of an acre building and grows 10 acres of food in it. The building not only supplies readily available food to local residents and restaurants year round, it does it with no pesticides, zero water consumption and the owner even built the business around hiring those who are underserved in the community. This is a Social Dilemma or taking a space or building that is of little to no use for the good of mankind and turning it into something that is. (Gruman et al., 2017)

Vertical Harvest Farms in Wyoming has 42 employees. 25 of these employees are disabled in some way however, by working with Vertical Harvest Farms they are able to learn new skills and abilities.  They no longer have a job but a career. (Vertical Harvest Farms, n.d.)  Through her efforts she is changing her behavior and her communities’ behavior, which in turn, gives this out of the way place in Wyoming a sustainable resource that is helping the community thrive. This one building provides local foods for over 80 different businesses in 3 states. These businesses would normally not have this kind of access due to the location of the rural cities and towns. (Vertical Harvest Farms, n.d.)
It is thinking like that of Nona Yehia and her Co-Founders that will make the biggest impact to regain the ground we have lost in fighting the war on saving our environment.  Vertical Harvest Farms is opening another facility in Maine in 2022 and gives information on how to start a Vertical Harvest facility on their website, verticalharvestfarms.com. (Vertical Harvest Farms, n.d.). To see how Vertical Harvest started and their first 15 months, check out the video Hearts of Glass. https://www.heartsofglassfilm.com/
The Chariton Newspapers. (2020, September 13). How a Wyoming farmer grows 10 acres of      food on a tenth of an acre.

https://www.charitonleader.com/news/national/video_191f3d0c-2a4f-5830-9b5b-                        0152241921e8.html

 Vertical Harvest Farms. (n.d.). Fact sheet.

http://vertharvest.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/VerticalHarvestFactSheet.pdf

Gruman, J. A.,  Schneider, F. W. , &. Coutts, L.M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems 3rd edition. SAGE Publications.

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02
Feb 19

The Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons is a resource dilemma concept introduced by a prominent 19th century economist named William Lloyd. In his allegory, he discussed the fact that in our world where resources are finite, people will consume these resources in a self-interested manner which will eventually lead to their depletion (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). We can look at history to see that, in certain situations, this theory holds true and we will see that economic principles may provide a potential remedy for this problem.

For a resource dilemma example, we will consider water rights to a certain creek in Montana. Rob Harmon gave a thought-provoking TEDxRainier Talk in 2010, entitled Blue is the New Green: Water Footprints, on the Prickly Pear Creek and how people with senior water usage rights used their allotments (even when they did not need the water) solely to maintain their rights. This consumption in a self-interested manner led to the complete drying up of the entire creek. We can also see tragedy of the commons when we consider the over-fishing of so many species in our oceans, the irresponsible and extravagant use of clean water sources, excessive deforestation, etc. This is a problem that economists and environmental psychologists are both are struggling to solve.

These examples are evidence that the choices of a few can affect the welfare of many. Economists view these types of problems as negative externalities. Negative externalities are the spill-over effects (usually seen as costs to a third party) that are not accounted for in the original transactions of production or consumption. These negative externalities are treated as market failures by environmental economists; too much of a good is being produced due to the fact that its full cost is not being accounted for (Callan & Thomas, 2013).

One solution for this type of market failure was proposed by Ronald Coase in 1960. In his paper “The Problem of Social Cost” he hypothesized that the assignment of property rights would bring the market back into equilibrium. According to Coase, it does not matter who is assigned the property rights, whether it’s the party we feel is harmed or the one doing the harming (1960). To briefly explain the Coase Theorem, we will use the problem of air pollution.

For this example, the citizens who live around an oil refinery will be assigned the property rights to the air in their town. If the citizens own the rights to a public good, such as clean air, then the refinery will have to pay them in order to pollute that air. Due to this extra cost, refined oil will become more expensive, and as a result the demand for it will decrease. This will in turn cause a reduction in the air pollution. This is how property rights can bring the market back into equilibrium.

In certain situations, I think that this concept could help environmental psychologists mitigate resource dilemmas such as the tragedy of commons and improve the manner in which people consume resources. Perhaps an intervention could be designed that would increase participants’ feelings of ownership of the environment. This intervention could utilize cognitive dissonance in the same manner that Dickerson, Thibodeau, Aronson, and Miller did in 1992 to encourage water conservation.

First, the intervention would establish the understanding that the Earth belongs to everyone which translates to the participants assuming individual ownership of the Earth. This relates to the Coase Theorem as it would be assigning conceptual property rights to the participants. The next step would be to ask participants how they take care of their most valuable possessions, especially those that cannot be replaced. Finally, feelings of hypocrisy would be induced when participants are made aware of the disparity between how they choose to treat their belongings in contrast with how they misuse our Earth and its finite natural resources. The intended result would be that participants choose to use natural resources in a more conscientious and sustainable way. Perhaps if we implemented an intervention in this manner, combining environmental economic and social psychological principles, the tragedy of the commons (market failure) would become a problem of the past.

 

References:

Callan, S. J., Thomas, J. M. (2013). Environmental economics & management: Theory, policy and applications (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Coase, R. H. (1960). The problem of social cost. The Journal of Law & Economics, 3, 1-44.  

Dickerson, C.A., Thibodeau, R., Aronson, E., & Miller, D. (1992). Using cognitive dissonance to encourage water conservation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22, 841-854.

Harmon, R. (2010, December 10). Blue is the new green: Water footprints [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV3ZjORGwoI

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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14
Sep 16

Environment Blog: What’s in Your Latte? Almond milk and resource dilemmas

I’ll never forget how perplexed I was when my now sister-in-law first explained that her family ran an “ah-mond” ranch in Northern California. Silly me, I’d thought they farmed “ahl-monds,” but she insisted that the five generations of her family were ranchers, not farmers, and that the word almond should be pronounced just as salmon— “the ‘l,’” she said, “is silent.” I’ve since learned to avoid calling their rows of carefully cultivated trees an orchard, although I still have visions of cowboys rounding up fleeing packs of wily almonds when I think about her family’s ranch.

In spite of drought conditions in recent years, new large-scale almond groves (I still can’t bring myself to call them ranches) have proliferated in California as the demand for alternatives to dairy milk have grown (Philpott, 2014). Soy milk was once the go-to substitute for milk drinkers concerned about the lactose content or ethical considerations of dairy, but due to health concerns soy milk has declined in popularity (Saner, 2015). Almond milk has now become increasingly popular, not only domestically, but internationally as well, particularly in Asia (Philpott, 2014).

The ecological impact of fulfilling this growing demand has been significant. Almonds require an astonishing amount of water to produce—according to Mother Jones, roughly 1.1 gallons of water are needed in order to produce a single almond (Park and Lurie, 2014).

Image source: Mother Jones

Image source: Mother Jones

Consequently, thousands of new wells have been drilled in California (which produces 80% of the worlds almonds), thereby contributing to draining already taxed aquifers (Philpott, 2014). Almond cultivation alone now accounts for an astounding 10% of California’s total water supply per year (Holthaus, 2014). To illustrate the fragility of these aquifers, consider that US Geological Survey hydrologists have discovered that in California’s San Joaquin valley, ground levels have dropped an average of eleven inches a year due to excessive groundwater removal (Sneed, Brandt, & Solt, 2013).

In short, the drive to capitalize on global demand for almonds comes into conflict with current and future public access to the resource of water. As it stands now, growers are experiencing something “akin to an arms race,” according to one hydrologist, because new, deeper wells tap ground water below the level of existing wells, leaving neighbors to choose between drilling even deeper or running dry (Krieger, 2014). “People don’t know, or don’t care, that they are also pulling water from thousands of feet around them,” [the hydrologist explained], “If their neighbor suffers? Well, it’s a dog-eat-dog world” (Krieger, 2014). Unless measures are taken to fairly manage water consumption, this situation could become a classic case of what William Lloyd referred to as the tragedy of the commons (Schneider, Grubman, & Coutts, 2012).

In addition to placing legislative constrictions on water use, I believe applied social psychology interventions could be implemented to influence consumer demand for water-intensive agricultural products. Taking shorter showers is a nice step to take in order to be more environmentally conscious, but curtailing the purchase of some of our preferred products can, potentially, have a greater ecological impact. For example, while the amount of water used to produce almond milk is startling, it pales in comparison to the amount of water needed to produce animal products such as dairy or beef (Walker, 2015). Regardless of which agricultural product one believes should be vilified, the fact remains that altering our consumer behavior can impact our environment as much as (if not more than) our personal habits.

References:

Holthaus, E. (2014, May 14). 10 percent of California’s water goes to almond farming. That’s nuts. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

Krieger, L. M. (2014, March 29). California drought: San Joaquin Valley sinking as farmers race to tap aquifer. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/03/29/california-drought-san-joaquin-valley-sinking-as-farmers-race-to-tap-aquifer/

Park, A., & Lurie, J. (2014, February 24). It takes how much water to grow an almond?! Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/wheres-californias-water-going

Philpott, T. (2014, July 14). Your almond habit is sucking California dry. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/07/your-almond-habit-sucking-califoirnia-dry

Saner, E. (2015, October 21). Almond milk: Quite good for you – very bad for the planet. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/oct/21/almond-milk-quite-good-for-you-very-bad-for-the-planet

Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M., & Gruman, J. A. (Eds.). (2011). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Sneed, Michelle, Brandt, Justin, and Solt, Mike, 2013, Land subsidence along the Delta-Mendota Canal in the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley, California, 2003–10: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5142, 87 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20135142

Walker, T. (2015, May 5). California drought: Almond growers fight back over reports they are causing chronic water shortages. The Independent – Americas. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-drought-almond-growers-fight-back-over-reports-they-are-causing-chronic-water-shortages-10224339.html

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20
Sep 15

Why Our Environment Does Not Change

In my family group, we attempt to leave as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Teaching lessons in conservation and protecting our resources is rather important.  With this said, I found myself in quite a dilemma the other day while driving to the store with my seven-year-old son.

The conversation went like this:

Son: Mommy, what is the black stuff coming from that truck?
Me: Well, it depends on the truck as if it is a diesel truck, it is the “normal” exhaust. If it is a gasoline truck, it could be an issue within the engine.
Son: Is it bad?
Me: Yes, it is bad for our air.  It is called pollution.  Remember?  We have talked about pollution and you learned in class.
Son: I remember. Why can’t we tell the person they are wrong and to stop?
Me *can not form words*

How does a parent explain to their child that you cannot simply walk up to another and inform them they are polluting the air we all have to breathe?  Life does not work in that manner nowadays.  However, when you think about it the way my son did, someone should in fact make a comment to the individual.  Too many individuals today are so nonchalant when it comes to the limited resources we have on Earth.  I am not sure if it is simply for the reasons they do not care or if they are not informed.  It reminds me of trying to persuade an individual to be energy conscious or to recycle.  One cannot be forced, they must understand the benefits and have desire to make a change.

The social dilemma here is too many individuals are not venturing to make a change.  Many times an electric car limits the individual to short driving, i.e. staying in the town they reside as there are not areas for them to charge.  When it comes to recycling, all too often smaller towns do not have a recycling program (such as the town we reside) therefore if an individual desires to recycle, they must drive a few towns away.  Whether it is simply for the reason that electric cars are not feasible or implementing a community/city wide recycling plan is too costly, the problem will not change until someone or group begins the process.

Many groups have come forward over the years to inform the public of the many issues we can face down the road if change does not happen soon.  At times, individuals hear what is being said and decide this is something they want to do, although they are unsure how much time, effort, or even money it will take to contribute to the campaign.  If they do make the decision, they may begin the campaign, stick with it for some time, but then stop as they are becoming overwhelmed with the extra effort they are giving when they do not see others doing the same.

Our environment has given the individuals of this world so much bounty; however, this bounty will not last forever.  It is time to stand up and make a change.  It is election time in many local communities, therefore, make the issue known and see that change is made.

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06
Feb 15

The Resource Dilemma

Over recent years, there has been an incline in social campaigns to promote green living to help keep the Earth’s environment healthy. Water conservation, recycling, and electric cars seem to be an appealing practice within American culture today. In America, we do not experience the lack of useable water as people experience in developing countries. Some women must walk 3.7 miles every day to have drinking water for their families (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, p. 303). With nearly 7.23 billion people in this world, as noted through the US Census Bureau, who is in charge of dividing the world’s water supply?

The growing population, and the insufficient availability of clean drinking water is a part of a resource dilemma, or a commons dilemma. Resource dilemmas are situations when an individual must choose between their self-interest and more of a resource, or the interest of the community and sharing the resource so everybody has a portion (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 298). Other resource dilemmas can be seen in science fiction movies concerning food, as well as real-life problems, like those concerning over-fishing or taking countless fish faster than the fish population can reproduce.

When thinking about resource dilemmas and how some people take more than they allow others to have, it can be seen as a sense of entitlement. Recent research has indicated that leaders can develop a sense of entitlement, and claim a disproportionate amount of the resource for their self (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007). A simple example of this is seen within the book, and movie, The City of Ember. This story line is set 200 years into the future, while the inhabitants of an underground city are suffering. The issue is that the city had only been stocked with enough food rations to last 100 years. However, the instructions to leave the city after those years were lost, until the main characters find them. Since there were only a limited supply, and the rations were dwindling, the Mayor implements a food ration. Spoiler alert, Mayor Cole feels entitled, and hides the best food for his self. He even has a private room stocked with food that could feed multiple families. In the dilemma of food rationing, he chooses self-interest over community interest. Because he is Mayor, he feels that he is entitled to more and better food.

Additionally, the idea of resource dilemmas is common around the world today. Overfishing the world’s waters is a growing problem. Commercial fishing is taking more and more fish faster than the fish population can replenish itself. It is estimated that the total edible fish supply will collapse by the year 2048, creating a tragedy of the commons, if humans continue to overfish and illegally catch fish (National Geographic, 2015). The top five countries of fish consumers, in ascending order, are Japan, China, the US, Indonesia, and Russia (Alshalabi, 2014). These are countries that support large fish markets, and take the most fish by any means necessary. Market driven and commercial fisheries add to the resource dilemma of over fishing.

overfishing-infographic

These problems can be seen in movies, and real life, alike. With recent findings about how detrimental human behaviors and markets can be on the environment, the recent push for more eco-friendly behaviors and products is understandable. To change the grim outlook concerning the world’s fish populations, humans can only change their views about this resource that does not replenish itself as fast as people believe. Creating social interventions, like green and eco-friendly campaigns, possibly even vegetarianism, helps reinforce the ideas that humans can destroy Earth, as well as keep it and living organisms alive.

Resources

Alshalabi, A. (2014, Aug 29). Stop Overfishing. Retrieved Feb 5, 2015, from fishfishme- Everywhere Fishing: http://www.fishfishme.com/blog/stop-overfishing/

Baumeister, R. F., & Vohs, K. D. (2007). Encyclopedia of Social Psychology. Sage Publications.

National Geographic. (2015). Overfishing- Plenty of Fish in the Sea? Not Always. Retrieved Feb 5, 2015, from National Gepgraphic: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-overfishing/#?1#?1#WebrootPlugIn#?1#?1#PhreshPhish#?1#?1#agtpwd

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA, USA: Sage.

United States Census Bureau. (2015, Feb 5). U.S. and World Population Clock. Retrieved Feb 5, 2015, from United States Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/popclock/

–Orlena Riner

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04
Feb 15

Can Population Increase be our Downfall?

 

There is a theory called the triadic reciprocal determinism that states that the environment that people live in both influences human behavior and personal factors as well is influenced by those Bandura (1986). What this theory means is that the environment directly influences people’s behaviors and their cognitive and biological factors. As our population increases rapidly, resources that we need to survive will soon dwindle because they’re simply will not be enough for everyone. It is becoming a slow reality because our population has reached more than 7 billion humans (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Population Division, 2009). This number is not decreasing any time soon, and if looked at previous decades, it is increasing at a very fast pace. An example of an environmental issue that could pose a threat would be our oil consumption. Oil is a very slow reproducing resource that once used it cannot be used again. This is a staple of our society because without oil we simply cannot drive our cars nor operate most of our industries. This is an example of a resource dilemma which are situations in which individuals must chose between self interest, and the interest f the community or environment (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

A growing population (environment) would lead to more family’s having more than one car (Personal behavior) which would lead to oil price increase and competitive consumption (behavior) which could lead to the depletion of oil. This could lead to a population decrease due to jobs being cut because oil industry’s and most industrial company’s are now out of business. This vicious cycle would not end until the population has decreased to a number where the current oil could sustain them, however many that would be.

This general idea could be used to create a positive effect on the world, because everyone who inhabits it must take a stand and realize that it is our job to prevent something like this from happening, and could result in a “humanity unity” so to speak. We would all understand the problem and actively find solutions such as all electric cars that are being produces now, but at a miniscule rate. Not only could it be oil consumption but also water consumption and distribution. We could encourage the masses to drink more tap water, whether it is raising the price of bottled water or simply showing data that bottled water is the same as tap water.

The biggest resource we have on this planet is liquid water, which unfortunately is mostly salt water. We as humans need clean water to survive, and without this our race would surely face extinction. What this means for our population today, is to make wiser decisions about water consumption, and attempt to cut back on the unnecessary usage. The reason for drinking so much bottled water could be that it is convenient and we should essentially drink a certain amount of water per day. To cut back on this trend we can take a stand and start refilling water bottles from the tap, cut back on the plastic consumption and buy gallons in one container. This is a great start to reducing the amount of plastic we waste that pollutes our earth even further.

We as humans are the only ones who can kill or save our earth, and thus our future. If we chose to irresponsibly reproduce and consume our rarest resource to the fullest, we will not have enough sustainable resources to continue on with our race. So many people decide that it is not their problem; they will probably never see the day when the earth doesn’t have enough water. That may be true but it is no longer a futuristic theory, it is eerily creeping upon us until sooner than later it will be a reality.

 

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles.

Anthony Ferrono

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