“Population growth is a choice, not an inexorable force of nature.”

–Institute for Population Studies

While the public may not be worried about the growing population of our world, demographers certainly are. For centuries, scientists have warned about future detrimental impacts of population growth. Since population growth appears to carry benefits, the average person struggles to understand the harsh tolls it is taking on our world. If the population continues to increase, our species will be negatively affected in numerous ways, including nutrition and standards of living.

John Wilmoth, head of the United Nations Populations Division and an author published in Science, has estimated that in 2050, the population will be roughly 9.6 billion people, and that by 2100, Earth will inhabit 10.9 billion people. Wilmoth states that these numbers are not predictions, but rather “ ‘are projections of what will happen if current trends continue.’ “ Other predictions from the UN suggest that the population could potentially add one billion people every decade, therefore surpassing 16 billion at the end of the century. One of the
leading factors of population growth is the world’s birth rate. I believe these estimates differ due to the unpredictability of this and other similar matters. Africa is expected to be the main leader in the increase of population over the next century, and health experts believe that this is due to low access to family planning resources and education throughout the continent. As a well-developed country, it is necessary that we take our knowledge and resources and spread them throughout the world, especially in struggling nations. I believe that creating more effective programs that focus on health education and providing family resources in these African countries would help slow the population rate.

Another prominent contribution to the rise in population is an increase in the quality of health care in developed countries, which results in longer lifespans. Furthermore, the infant mortality rate in underdeveloped nations is high and therefore, parents birth more children to ensure a higher chance of some surviving. Generally, a majority of these children do survive and reproduce, therefore exponentially increasing the world population. Based on this research, I believe an extremely effective way to help slow population growth is to provide these nations with adequate health care. While financially this would be a hurdle, the demand for health care is skyrocketing. Events in one country heavily affect other countries throughout the world, which was recently seen through the outbreak of Ebola. Therefore, helping other nations will help us in return.

Population growth poses several complications for humans. One of the created issues is food. How are we going to feed all of these people? Truthfully speaking, it does not seem realistic. Currently, one billion people throughout the world go to bed hungry. That is one in seven. 25,000 of these people die daily of malnutrition, and nearly 18,000 of these individuals are under five years old. In addition to food, one billion people do not have access to clean, drinkable water. Increasing the population will only further worsen these issues. I think that it is crucial that before we concern ourselves with the issue of feeding billions of additional people in the upcoming years, we find a solution to nourish the people currently living on Earth through more effective means of food production and distribution.

Another concern includes shortages of housing. In order to make room for housing and other buildings, the United States uses roughly 1.2 million acres of rural land each year. My chain of thought begins as this: an increase in population means more housing would be needed. More housing would result in destruction of rural and fertile land, which in turn would reduce the world’s food supply. All of these issues are intertwined, and therefore we must approach each problem with caution and understand that resolving one issue will have an effect on the others.

While there are numerous solutions to help the population problem, I believe that one of the most realistic and effective ways would be to improve health care throughout the world. Unfortunately, conducting experiments is hard because we only have one Earth. Therefore, we must base our hypotheses on current data. I think that improvements in health care would result in a lower infant mortality rate, and in turn would decrease the total fertility rate, or the number of births per woman. Improving health care is not only limited to medicine, but also includes nutrition. To me, it is important to help provide developing countries with beneficial meals and clean drinking water. While it is challenging for a single person to slow population growth, being aware of these issues is the best way to start.