Population and Global Concerns

As we develop new green technologies we begin to consume more and in turn use more energy. As a population we begin to require more energy for our production. However, we are consistently ignoring how our population size has an effect on our global concerns. In developed countries, we have the opportunity to seek help from medical facilities in order to limit the amount of children we bear. This gives us a sense of freedom where we may choice to precede our lifestyles in the which ever we please. However, it needs to be considered that the population growth has become unequal. The United States has become the fastest growing developed country and in turn in using a greater percentage of energy. However it needs to be recognized that countries population size varies in density. We are beginning to see that smaller countries have larger densities and are consuming more energy than larger developing countries. As a nation we are beginning to see a population decrease in many countries because of alternative contraceptives, advancement in occupations and the given opportunity of choice.

Our environmental degradation is originating from the issue of population size, the level of consumption and the damage that we are inflicting on our environment by the resources we use to consume products to maintain our lifestyle. However the world’s population has increased more than double and is estimated to expect double the amount within the next fifty years. How will our environment sustain such a large increase in population? We believe that increasing the population size will allow more consumers into our environment to help our ecological system. Although, it will take a heavy toll because we will exceed the size that the world can sustain. Granted, I believe that green technology will allow us to adapt to less energy consuming lifestyles but adding people into the population will increase more consumers and unbalance our level of consumption. In order to change our lifestyles, we must adapt to a less consumptive lifestyle and decrease our population rate.

Although many of us may think that population rate does not affect our level of degradation, I believe this is false. It does. We need to recognize the pattern of growth that we are seeing across different countries around the world. We cannot just assume that countries that have declining birthrates because they have access to contraception- will in fact help decrease energy usage. Areas of the world are condensing with people and these are the regions that are impacting our overall environmental degradation. Take for example the United States; we currently have the highest rate of population among the developed countries. And even though we have access to most forms of contraception, we are still coping with population size. Our cities have become flooded with inhabitants to the point where we are reaching our maximum capacity.

We also need to take into consideration the amount of immigration that comes into the United States. Many peoples are migrating in order to seek a better environment because their land has become inhabitable. However, large amounts of immigration will increase our level of environmental destruction. We are reaching a point where the “bomb is ticking” and our growth is only enhancing the problems that we will in. but the idea of consideration population size in relation to environmental damage has disappeared from articles, papers and journals written about global warming. “ Green peace” has debated that the amount of people in a population does not act as a worldly threat. Think about it in the long-term perspective. How can we consider new policies, which will better over level of conservation without considering how many people we are dealing with? Regardless the amount of green products we put into our society, the increasing population will continue to demand more each year. We need less people in order to decrease our risk of global warming.

However a stronger argument has been brought up which considers where the excess energy consumption is coming from. About thirty percent of our green house gases are being produce by RICH DEVELOPED countries that maintain high consumption lifestyles. Although we only documented a three percent usage in Africa. Consider the size of Africa and then consider why their consumption percentage is so low. It is claimed that much of our problems are due to “just large populations and how we choose to life” however, the poor are numerous and consume far less resources than the rich. But we cannot blame the poor- they lack fertility options and are unable to seek for help. The poor, immigrants and the people that are impoverished take up more room in population statistics than the percentage of the rich. Yet, the rich are having fewer kids and spending more energy. It seems like a double standard irony to just blame large population. We cannot make the poor people the victims. Even though the poor may lack fertility options and may be the cause of population increase, they are still not consuming the energy.

One way to look at this situation is to consider the density their population and how inhabits those regions. In the United States we have the highest percentage in states like New York, Texas and California. These states are filled with so many people that we need a lot of energy to maintain ourselves. Our concern for climate change has become a catastrophe. We see released articles daily, which entail that “the end is coming” and that we need to change our behavior patterns in order to put a stop to destruction. We need to recognize that large population in general is NOT a bad thing. Instead the patterns of rich countries habits are a bad thing. That is what is causing our increasing concern of global warning.

So the idea of “Fight Global Warming: Wear a Condom”. I do not think the problem is about wearing a condom and protecting yourself from population growth. Clearly, we understand that energy consumption is not coming from the large populations that are poor. The increasing energy is evolving from rich population-keep in mind how low the percentage of rich people are in the United States and the world (around five percent).

The calculated number can only help us yield how many people we are dealing with. But we cannot ignore what regions this number is coming from. Thomas Malthus once argued, “Without “moral restraint” and other checks to control fertility, populations will increase, use up our resources and result in things like famine, war and disease to balance resources and population.” There is a belief that the poor remain poor because they continue to reproduce and are unable to sustain their family needs. Regardless whether the poor may not be able to have “control” over their fertility rates- it is wrong to blame the poor for overpopulation and blaming them to using excess energy for resources when they cannot even afford them.

I believe it is foolish to tell anyone to limit their family size if they are able to maintain their well being. Perhaps a larger family will eventually bring in additional wages and will eventually gain access to a better life.

Size of Economy (GNP) from Table 1.1, World Development Report 2000, World Bank

Albert Bandura- Moral disengagement

Professor Hirsch- November 16, 2009 Lecture