Overpopulation Effects - Everything Connectseverythingconnects.org/overpopulation-effects.html

Effects of Human Overpopulation

Loss of Fresh Water

According to UN-Water, 75% of planet Earth iscovered in water. 97.5% of that is ocean and2.5% is freshwater. 70% of freshwater is dividedinto glaciers and ice caps and the remaining30% into land surface water, such as rivers,lakes, ponds and groundwater. Most of thefreshwater resources are either unreachable ortoo polluted, leaving less than 1% of the world'sfreshwater, or about 0.003% of all water onEarth, readily accessible for direct human use.According to the Global Outlook for WaterResources to the Year 2025, it is estimated thatby 2025, more than half of the world populationwill be facing water-based vulnerability andhuman demand for water will account for 70%of all available freshwater. Furthermore, a reportin November 2009 by the 2030 Water ResourcesGroup suggests that by 2030, in somedeveloping regions in the world, water demandwill exceed supply by 50% and a report jointlyproduced by more than two dozen U.N.bodies states that, "By 2030, nearly half of theworld's people will be living in areas of acutewater shortage." The planet is in the midst ofwhat the United Nations is calling a "GlobalWater Crisis." Freshwater is the mostfundamental finite resource with no substitutesfor most uses, yet we are consuming fresh waterat least 10 times faster than it is being

Species Extinction

Human beings are currentlycausing the greatest massextinction of species sincethe extinction of thedinosaurs 65 million yearsago at rates 1000 to 10,000times faster than normal. The2012 update of the IUCN RedList of Threatened Speciesshows that of the 63,837species examined worldwide,19,817 are threatened withextinction - nearly a third ofthe total. If present trendscontinue, scientists warn thatwithin a few decades, at leasthalf of all plant and animalspecies on Earth will beextinct, as a result of climatechange, habitat loss,pollution, acidifying oceans,invasive species, over-exploitation of naturalresources, overfishing,poaching and humanoverpopulation. Humanoverpopulation has beendominating planetaryphysical, chemical, and

Lower Life Expectancy in theFastest Growing Countries

According to a Harvardstudy, "Over the next fortyyears, nearly all (97%) of the2.3 billion projectedincrease will be in the lessdeveloped regions, withnearly half (49%) in Africa."Already strained withrelentless populationexplosion, many developingcountries, such as in SubSaharan Africa andSouthern Asia, willexperience a degradation oftheir quality and length oflife as they face increasing difficulties to supply water,food, energy and housingto their growingpopulations, which will havemajor repercussions forpublic health, securitymeasures and economicgrowth. These situations areespecially dire forpopulations in Uganda,Nigeria, and Bangladesh,which will double and, in

replenished in regions of northern Africa, theMiddle East, India, Pakistan, China, and the U.S..According to the World Resources Institute,"Freshwater ecosystems – the diversecommunities found in lakes, rivers, andwetlands – may be the most endangered of all.Some 34 percent of fish species, mostly fromfresh water, are threatened with extinction,according to the latest tally of the WorldConservation Union (IUCN), which tracks threatsto the world’s biodiversity. Freshwaterecosystems have lost a greater proportion oftheir species and habitat than ecosystems onland or in the oceans; in addition, they areprobably in greater danger of further lossesfrom dams, pollution, overfishing, and otherthreats. In extent, freshwater ecosystems arequite limited, covering only about 1 percent ofthe Earth’s surface. Yet, they are highly diverseand contain a disproportionately large numberof the world’s species." As human populationsgrow, so will the problem of clean freshwateravailability. Finite Earth: Fresh Water

Source: UNEP | Click to enlarge

“We never know the worth of water till thewell is dry.” ~Thomas Fuller

Less Freedom, More Restrictions

As population densities increase, laws, whichserve as a primary social mediator of relationsbetween people, will more frequently regulateinteractions between humans and develop aneed for more rules and restrictions to regulatethese interactions. Aldous Huxley predicted in1958 that democracy is threatened due tooverpopulation and could give rise tototalitarian style governments and it turns outhe was right. Rules and restrictions can be goodideas, but only because they are necessary in

biological conditions andlimits, with an annualabsorption of 42% of theEarth’s terrestrial net primaryproductivity, 30% of itsmarine net primaryproductivity, 50% of its freshwater, 40% of its landdevoted to human foodproduction, up from 7% in1700, 50% of its land massbeing transformed for humanuse and atmosphericnitrogen being fixated byhumans than all other naturalprocesses combined.Compared to the naturalbackground rate of oneextinction per million speciesper year, we are now losing30,000 species per year, orthree species per hour, whichis faster than new species canevolve. The chart belowfurther exemplifies thecorrelation between humanpopulation and speciesextinction. Learn more.

Source: Center for BiologicalDiversity | Click for source

Depletion of NaturalResources

As the human populationcontinues to explode, finitenatural resources, such asfossil fuels, fresh water,arable land, coral reefs andfrontier forests, continue toplummet, which is placingcompetitive stress on the

some cases, even triple overthe next 40 years. Learnmore.

A child suffering extrememalnutrition in India, 1972.Credit: CDC Public HealthImage Library/ Don Eddins |Click for source

Increased Emergence ofNew Epidemics andPandemics

A WHO report shows thatenvironmental degradation,combined with the growthin world population, is amajor cause of the rapidincrease in human diseases,which contributes to themalnutrition of 3.7 billionpeople worldwide, makingthem more susceptible todisease. According to theWorld Health Organization,"Every three seconds ayoung child dies - in mostcases from an infectiousdisease. In some countries,one in five children diebefore their fifth birthday.Every day 3 000 people diefrom malaria - three out offour of them children. Everyyear 1.5 million people diefrom tuberculosis andanother eight million are

order to accommodate the growing populationsthat are encouraging such policies. Withoutthese policies, the global ecological crisis, andthe societal and economic issues that ensue,would be worse than they are today. Examplesof such restrictions would be putting limits onwater consumption, on driving and on whatpeople can do on their land. Some are goodideas while others may be too invasive, but allare exacerbated by overpopulation. Learn more.

Click to enlarge

Increased Global Warming and Climate Change

According to the Center for Biological Diversity,"The largest single threat to the ecology andbiodiversity of the planet in the decades tocome will be global climate disruption due tothe buildup of human-generated greenhousegases in the atmosphere. People around theworld are beginning to address the problem byreducing their carbon footprint through lessconsumption and better technology. Butunsustainable human population growth canoverwhelm those efforts, leading us to concludethat we not only need smaller footprints, butfewer feet." Every national academy of scienceof every major country in the world agrees.Every professional scientific society in every fieldrelated to the field of climate endorses it. 97-98percent of all scientists that are most active inpublishing in the field of climate science agreewith it. The consensus is unequivocal: humanactivities are causing climate change. The effectsof climate change are profound and far-reaching. Learning the hard way that we can'tseparate the economy from the ecologicalsystems that support it, climate change, perhapsthe greatest challenge and threat humanity has

basic life sustaining resourcesand leading to a diminishedquality of life. (see also) Astudy by the UNEP GlobalEnvironment Outlook, whichinvolves 1,400 scientists andfive years worth of work toprepare, found that "Humanconsumption had faroutstripped availableresources. Each person onEarth now requires a thirdmore land to supply his orher needs than the planetcan supply." Furthermore, theMillennium EcosystemAssessment, which is a four-year research effort by 1,360of the world's leadingscientists commissioned tomeasure the actual value ofnatural resources to humansand the world, concludedthat, "The structure of theworld's ecosystems changedmore rapidly in the secondhalf of the twentieth centurythan at any time in recordedhuman history, and virtuallyall of Earth's ecosystems havenow been significantlytransformed through humanactions." Explore 'Finite Earth'

Source: World populationfrom US Census Bureau,overlaid with fossil fuel use(red) by Vaclav Smil fromEnergy Transitions: History,Requirements, Prospects.Click to enlarge

More Intensive FarmingPractices

newly infected."Overpopulation exacerbatesmany social andenvironmental factors,including overcrowdedliving conditions, pollution,malnutrition andinadequate or non-existenthealth care, which wreakhavoc on the poor andincrease their likelihood ofbeing exposed to infectionsdiseases. Learn more.

Source: United NationsWorld Food Programme |Click to enlarge

Increased Habitat Loss

Human overpopulation is amajor driving force behindthe loss of ecosystems, suchas rainforests, coral reefs,wetlands and Arctic ice.Rainforests once covered14% of the Earth's landsurface, now they cover abare 6% and expertsestimate that the lastremaining rainforests couldbe consumed in less than40 years and certainly bythe end of the century atthe current rate ofdeforestation. Due mainlyto warming temperatures,acidifying oceans andpollution, close to 30% ofthe ocean’s reefs havealready vanished since1980, including half of thereefs in the Caribbean and90% of the Philippines’ coral

ever faced, has been left largely unchecked byworld leaders to continue unabated threateningthe basis of civilization itself. Learn More.

Chart: Center for Biological Diversity. DataSource: EIA | Click to enlarge

Intensive farming practicesproduce more and cheaperfood per acre and animal,which has helped feed abooming human populationand may prevent surroundingland from being convertedinto agricultural land, but hasgrown to become the biggestthreat to the globalenvironment through the lossof ecosystem services andglobal warming, has led tothe emergence of newparasites and re-emergenceof parasites previouslyconsidered to be 'undercontrol' by creating theconditions for parasitegrowth and is responsible for80% of tropical deforestation(see also). Furthermore,intensive farming killsbeneficial insects and plants,degrades and depletes thevery soil it depends on,creates polluted runoff andclogged water systems,increases susceptibility toflooding, causes the geneticerosion of crops andlivestock species around theworld, decreases biodiversity,and destroys natural habitats.Learn more.

Elevated Crime Rate

As human overpopulationdrives resources and basicnecessities, such as food andwater, to become scarcer,there will be increasedcompetitiveness for these

reefs,  and scientistsforecast that Australia’sGreat Barrier Reef may bedead by the year 2050 andall coral reefs could be goneby the end of the century.Furthermore, the area ofpermanent ice cover is nowdeclining at a rate of 11.5%per decade, relative to the1979 to 2000 average. If thistrend continues, summers inthe Arctic could becomeice-free in as few as 4 yearsor in the next 30 years.Wetlands are increasinglyunder threat in the UnitedStates, but also all over theworld. In the U.S., less thanhalf of original wetlandsremain with 53% being lost,which is about 104 millionacres. In Europe, between60% and 70% of wetlandshave been completelydestroyed. As humanpopulations continue togrow, so will our footprinton the interconnected,ecological infrastructures oflife. Learn more.

Scenarios for the reductionand fragmentation of GreatApe Habitat in CentralAfrica 2002-2032. Newton.Great Apes - the RoadAhead. 2002. UNEP.Cartography by HugoAhlenius, UNEP/GRID-

resources which leads toelevated crime rates due todrug cartels and theft bypeople in order to survive. AsAisha Tariq of the PakistanTimes states, "It has beenobserved that the countrieswhich have balancedpopulation, crime rate is verylow in such regions. Whenpeople are not provided withthe basic necessities, itelevates crime rate."

Arendal, graphic donated tothe public domain | Click forsource

IAP (Global Network ofScience Academies)Statement on Populationand Consumption

*Note: The effects listed on this page are just some of the main problems associated with orexacerbated by human overpopulation. A comprehensive list of the effects of human overpopulationare beyond compiling and perhaps, comprehension. They extend far and wide and across social,political, economic and environmental divides. Everything is affected.

"For several years population has been increasing faster than many vital non-renewable andrenewable resources. This means the amount of these resources per person is declining, in spite ofmodern technology. Other massive social and environmental problems ... political instability, loss offreedoms, vanishing species, rain forest destruction, desertification, garbage, urban sprawl, watershortages, traffic jams, toxic waste, oil spills, air and water pollution, increasing violence and crime ...continue to worsen as our numbers increase by more than 70 million more people every year.Solving these problems will be much less difficult when we stop increasing the number of peopleaffected by them. Two billion people live in poverty, more than the population of the entire planetless than 100 years ago. Today there are more people suffering in misery and starvation in the worldthan ever before in history." ~World Population Balance

Last Revised: 11/20/13 Commenting Rules

overpopulation solutions