Samantha Godbold 02/27/2016
Human Overpopulation
Over the course of our lives, we are taught that human overpopulation refers to the number of how many people live on this planet and that it is the reason why Earth is not going to be able to sustain us for much longer. Many people believe, however, that the population of the human race isn’t the reason for Earth’s decline in resources. It is, in fact, us. We, as a species, are solely responsible for Earth’s sudden decline in sustainability. It is not how many of us there are, it is how we live and how we produce, consume and waste our many resources. One of the biggest issues in todays world has a lot to do with the state of the environment, and the fact that we are the ones …show more content…
The fact is that our demand for water is going through the roof, and has been increasing for several generations. One surprisingly little known fact is that we don’t just use water to drink. There is something called “hidden water,” and it is used to produce things we consume. For example, chicken, beef, cotton, cars, chocolate, and even mobile phones. Did you know that it takes around twenty-seven thousand liters of water to produce one kilogram of chocolate? That’s two thousand and seven hundred liters of water per bar of chocolate (Emmott, 2013). In short, we are consuming water, like food, at a completely unsustainable rate. Fresh water is the most fundamental finite resource with no substitutes for most of its uses, and yet we are consuming it at least ten times faster that it is being replenished ("Effects of Human Overpopulation.”). As the human populations grow, so will the problem of water availability and just as the saying goes…”We never know the worth of water till the well is dry” (Thomas …show more content…
It has been concluded by several scientists that human consumption has far outstripped available resources ("Effects of Human Overpopulation.”). Along with the lack of natural resources, the climate has drastically changed which coincides with global warming. Climate disasters have been on the rise for several decades, and are gradually going to increase as time goes on. Some have argued that climate change is actually caused by natural occurrences; however, as it is explained by Ecolife, the earth’s average surface temperatures have risen by 0.4C since the 1970s, which is an irregular increase that can only be caused by human overpopulation and carelessness ("Definition of Climate Change.”). Some of the effects we have on the environment is ridiculously massive and very serious. Not only is there an increase in surface temperature, as we all know, but there is a rise in sea levels, the melting of sea ice, changes in participation, and an increased intensity of extreme weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes. (“Definition of Climate Change.”). The only way to change these aspects of global warming, climate change, and the depletion of our natural resources is to immediately change our behavior and make active efforts to help the Earth instead of hurt
Human Overpopulation
Over the course of our lives, we are taught that human overpopulation refers to the number of how many people live on this planet and that it is the reason why Earth is not going to be able to sustain us for much longer. Many people believe, however, that the population of the human race isn’t the reason for Earth’s decline in resources. It is, in fact, us. We, as a species, are solely responsible for Earth’s sudden decline in sustainability. It is not how many of us there are, it is how we live and how we produce, consume and waste our many resources. One of the biggest issues in todays world has a lot to do with the state of the environment, and the fact that we are the ones …show more content…
The fact is that our demand for water is going through the roof, and has been increasing for several generations. One surprisingly little known fact is that we don’t just use water to drink. There is something called “hidden water,” and it is used to produce things we consume. For example, chicken, beef, cotton, cars, chocolate, and even mobile phones. Did you know that it takes around twenty-seven thousand liters of water to produce one kilogram of chocolate? That’s two thousand and seven hundred liters of water per bar of chocolate (Emmott, 2013). In short, we are consuming water, like food, at a completely unsustainable rate. Fresh water is the most fundamental finite resource with no substitutes for most of its uses, and yet we are consuming it at least ten times faster that it is being replenished ("Effects of Human Overpopulation.”). As the human populations grow, so will the problem of water availability and just as the saying goes…”We never know the worth of water till the well is dry” (Thomas …show more content…
It has been concluded by several scientists that human consumption has far outstripped available resources ("Effects of Human Overpopulation.”). Along with the lack of natural resources, the climate has drastically changed which coincides with global warming. Climate disasters have been on the rise for several decades, and are gradually going to increase as time goes on. Some have argued that climate change is actually caused by natural occurrences; however, as it is explained by Ecolife, the earth’s average surface temperatures have risen by 0.4C since the 1970s, which is an irregular increase that can only be caused by human overpopulation and carelessness ("Definition of Climate Change.”). Some of the effects we have on the environment is ridiculously massive and very serious. Not only is there an increase in surface temperature, as we all know, but there is a rise in sea levels, the melting of sea ice, changes in participation, and an increased intensity of extreme weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes. (“Definition of Climate Change.”). The only way to change these aspects of global warming, climate change, and the depletion of our natural resources is to immediately change our behavior and make active efforts to help the Earth instead of hurt