Overpopulation as a Social Problem
Sociology 103
Research Project
April 25, 2011
Overpopulation as a Social Problem
In our world today, there are shocking numbers. For example, 3 people are born every second, 170 people are born every minute, 10,000 people are born every hour, and 240,000 people are born every day (Heyword, n.d.). The world’s population is currently approximately 6.9 billion people, yet the sustainable population level based on available resources is approximately 2-3 billion people, based on a European standard of living (“Current population is three times the sustainable level”, 2010). With these shocking numbers in mind, it is not hard to believe that overpopulation is an issue in the world today, effecting countries on nearly every continent. For the record, overpopulation is not a complete concrete concept; many different opinions exist in determining criteria for overpopulation and deciding which countries should be labeled “overpopulated.” However in this paper, the following questions concerning overpopulation will be addressed in hopes of developing a better understanding of overpopulation and how it affects many countries of the world: What is overpopulation? Where are some places in the world that are heavily overpopulated? Why is overpopulation a social problem? What are some solutions that have been carried out to address overpopulation?
What is overpopulation?
In referring to human population, overpopulation occurs when the population of a country, city, or area exceeds the amount of resources available in that area during a given time period. In other words, the concept of overpopulation not only depends on the size of the population, but the ratio of population to sustainable resources available (“Overpopulation”, 2011). Overpopulation also depends on the way that resources are used and distributed throughout the population, large or small. For example, very low population areas like desert or arctic areas can be considered overpopulated if the amount of
Research Project
April 25, 2011
Overpopulation as a Social Problem
In our world today, there are shocking numbers. For example, 3 people are born every second, 170 people are born every minute, 10,000 people are born every hour, and 240,000 people are born every day (Heyword, n.d.). The world’s population is currently approximately 6.9 billion people, yet the sustainable population level based on available resources is approximately 2-3 billion people, based on a European standard of living (“Current population is three times the sustainable level”, 2010). With these shocking numbers in mind, it is not hard to believe that overpopulation is an issue in the world today, effecting countries on nearly every continent. For the record, overpopulation is not a complete concrete concept; many different opinions exist in determining criteria for overpopulation and deciding which countries should be labeled “overpopulated.” However in this paper, the following questions concerning overpopulation will be addressed in hopes of developing a better understanding of overpopulation and how it affects many countries of the world: What is overpopulation? Where are some places in the world that are heavily overpopulated? Why is overpopulation a social problem? What are some solutions that have been carried out to address overpopulation?
What is overpopulation?
In referring to human population, overpopulation occurs when the population of a country, city, or area exceeds the amount of resources available in that area during a given time period. In other words, the concept of overpopulation not only depends on the size of the population, but the ratio of population to sustainable resources available (“Overpopulation”, 2011). Overpopulation also depends on the way that resources are used and distributed throughout the population, large or small. For example, very low population areas like desert or arctic areas can be considered overpopulated if the amount of