Is Population Growth A Threat Or Benefit To Global Sustainability?

Danger to Sustainability from Population Growth


In large part, the danger to sustainability comes from population growth. An rise in human population would place additional strain on the planet's resources, endangering the sustainability of the environment (Albrectsen, 2013).

Scarcity of Land and Water Resources


Land and water are scarce resources that get scarcer per person as the population grows. Currently, the world is losing the natural resource basis that makes a sustainably populated planet feasible due to the unrelenting population rise. For instance, due to population growth, the world loses a sizable percentage of its forests each year, which are essential habitats for both plants and animals (Connor, 2015). The trend would lead to the end of nature, which is the foundation of a sustainable world.

Increase in Consumption with Population Growth


In addition, population growth means an increase in consumption, which cannot be sustained because the earth's resources are finite. However, one could also argue that population growth is a benefit to the global sustainability, more so if the world's resources are used efficiently. For example, even though there has been an increase in global population for the last 150 years, production has also increased. Therefore, as much as a larger population increase consumption, they also stimulate the effective supply of resources that can sustain the globe (Dornfeld and Linke, 2012, p.605).


References


Albrectsen, A. (2013). Sustainable Development and Population Dynamics: Placing People at the Centre | UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund. [online] Unfpa.org. Available at: http://www.unfpa.org/press/sustainable-development-and-population-dynamics-placing-people-centre [Accessed 7 Sep. 2017].

Connor, S. (2015). Earth has ‘lost more than half its trees’ since humans first started cutting them down. Independent. [online] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/earth-has-lost-more-than-half-its-trees-since-humans-first-started-cutting-them-down-10483189.html [Accessed 7 Sep. 2017].

Dornfeld, D. and Linke, B. (2012). Leveraging Technology for a Sustainable World. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

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