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Literature Review

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HUMAN OVERPOPULATION AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE EARTH: A LITERATURE REVIEW Eugene Soule The University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract The purpose of writing this report is to inform readers how overpopulation is a leading cause in the rapid depletion of the earth’s resources. It describes which resources are most used and why. Throughout the report, various facts are stated concerning resource depletion and why our resources are being exhausted so quickly. The four research questions that are answered provide more information for further research and also inform those who are not as well informed on the current problem. This report will bring to light the very real problem of resource depletion and what would happen to the earth if all our resources were used up. The visual offers statistics about which countries are using what resources and how much they use. This gives readers a look into what resources their country should cut back on to further provide for future generations. This report delivers facts and opinions on the rapid resource depletion problem and how overpopulation is causing most of it.

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Human Overpopulation and its Effects on the Earth: a Literature Review The earth’s natural resources are rapidly depleting due to increased human usage for electricity, transportation, industrial growth, and every day use such as taking a bath or brushing our teeth. Blame for resource depletion is often cast upon already developed countries but they are not necessarily at fault. Rather, developing countries have an extremely large and growing ecological footprint. There are still a number of currently developing countries causing the earth to lose natural resources even faster than developed countries. Many assume that because developed countries desire many luxuries and amenities, they are causing resource depletion and increasing the size of the already huge ecological footprint it hosts. However, developing countries need many more resources because they are still growing and they need them to become developed. To determine the effects of overpopulation is resource usage, these questions will be answered. 1) If a resource is used completely can it be replaced or can its usage be altered to lengthen its life? 2) How has the rapid growth in population over the past few centuries caused resources to diminish and demand to increase? 3) What influences the increased usage of resources? 4) What are the most used and scarcest resources and how has population per capita affected it? These questions will look into the effects of overpopulation in developing countries. They will also attempt to solve any problems concerning the revival of certain depleted resources and their usages. If a resource is used completely can it be replaced or can its usage be altered to lengthen its life?

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Researchers have been struggling to find ways to either regain depleted natural resources or alter human usage of them to increase their usage capabilities without exhausting them. According to Ellis (2013): “But with current industrial technologies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated that the more than 9 billion

people expected by 2050 as the population nears its peak could be supported as

long as necessary investments in infrastructure and conducive trade, anti-poverty, and food security policies are in place.” The only feasible solution that has been found is to place greater effort in the maintenance of the world’s buildings, equipment, and other basic necessities. Maintaining our most basic necessities will decrease our resource usage and leave more for future generations. If we consistently maintain our basic foundations then we wouldn’t have to put so much time, effort, and resources into fixing or replacing them when they break. This would save a lot of resources and we would be able to use them for years longer than if we had used them all up fixing minor malfunctions that could have been prevented. However, this is just a possible solution and has not been proven or tested at this time. The problem remains at the top of researcher’s priorities to solve hopefully within the next decade. How has the rapid growth in population over the past few centuries caused resources to diminish and demand to increase? Over the last few centuries, world population has increased at an alarming rate. Many have attributed the world’s loss of resources to this great development of population.

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Simonetta (2009) states, “As birth rates climb, natural resources get used up faster than they can be replaced, creating enormous economic pressures at home while the standard

of living plummets throughout the rest of the world.”

To make room for growing communities we continuously tear down numerous forests, taking away many resources in the process. The loss of our forests creates a lack of oxygen and paper. The population is growing so fast that we cannot replace the resources we strip from the land in the process of making room for more houses and buildings. We are taking away resources without the intention of replacing them as we have in previous years. Now the focus is on providing for ourselves and we often forget that we have future generations to provide for as well. Resources that we are not replacing today can greatly affect the way of life in the future. “As the result of having so many people who do not understand our reality and its behavioral demands, we have created an interrelated web of global environmental problems” (Simonetta 2009). The majority of the population is oblivious to the effects it has on our resource use. We keep using up resources at our leisure without thinking about replacing them. Only once resources are on the brink of being used completely is when the population worries about saving them. A consistently growing population means a growing usage of resources because as humans we will always want more than we need. However, a majority of the reason that larger populations use the most resources is because the availability of the resource in that country is extremely easy. Certain countries produce resources that others do not therefore creating a greater usage of that particular resource in that country. Other countries have to rely on bigger countries for resources and cannot get or use as much as the provider country.

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What influences the increased usage of resources? The usage of resources has been steadily increasing over the last few decades due to a variety of reasons. “The way we chose to house, clothe, shelter, and meet the needs for vital resources such as food, energy, and water, not only affect the long-term availability of those resources but well-functioning Earth systems such as climate systems” (Powers, 2015). Every daily aspect of our lives increases the amount of resources we use. Every day necessities like brushing teeth or showering affects resource usage. It is because they are daily uses that causes the long-term availability of these resources to dwindle. “The way we’re living, we are already using 2 to 3 times more of the Earth’s natural resources than what is sustainable. If we do not act now, we will see the consequences of depletion of natural resources” (“Consequences”, 2015). If we continuously use resources, the planet will become dry and barren, ultimately inhabitable. What are the most used and scarcest resources and how has population per capita affected it? The six most used and scarcest resources humans use are water, oil, natural gas, phosphorus, coal, and rare earth elements such as minerals like Scandium and Terbium (“The Six Natural”, 2015). Much of our freshwater is stored as ice in glaciers and ice caps allowing humans a mere 2.5% to use, consequently resulting in a demand that cannot be supplied. There are over “7 billion people living on the planet but the earth only has enough resources to sustain 2 billion” (“Consequences”, 2015). The rate at which population is increasing not only as a whole but per capita plays a significant factor in the diminishing of the planet’s resources. The larger a population is per capita, the more resources they will end up using; it’s undeniable that greater masses of people require more than smaller masses. Larger populations have more people to provide for, thus creating an overwhelming demand for resources that cannot be supplied. This

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visual shows different countries and their consumption of various resources. The United States, China, Russia, and India are the top four countries that use the most resources. The United States leads in the usage of electricity, corn, natural gas, and oil. The countries that are shown to use the smallest amount of commonly used resources are Germany, Turkey, Vietnam, Russia, and Indonesia. The main resources that are used are cotton, coal, electricity, and rice while the least consumed are wheat and natural gases. However, a majority of the reason that larger populations use the most resources is because the availability of the resource in that country is extremely easy. Certain countries produce resources that others do not therefore creating a greater usage of that particular resource in that country. Other countries have to rely on bigger countries for resources and cannot get or use as much as the provider country. For my survey research, I asked the question “Do you believe that overpopulation has caused resource depletion?” Sixty percent of the people I asked agreed that overpopulation is linked to resource depletion whereas forty percent disagreed. Michael Carnera, nineteen years old, stated “No I do not believe that overpopulation has caused resource depletion. I believe it is the way that we use our resources that is causing them to decrease.” However, the majority agreed that resource loss is linked to overpopulation and population growth over the past decades. Lisa Soule and Niko Hinojos both can say that they believe overpopulation and the planet’s massive population has definitely caused or is related to resource depletion. “Yes of course

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overpopulation leads to resource loss. There is no way that population would use massive amounts of resources without having a major jump in population”, stated Niko. Lisa Soule agreed and said, “There has been an increase in resource loss since the recent increase in population and I do believe they are linked.” Many people realize that our resources are being extinguished at an alarming rate yet not many know how to slow it down or stop it altogether. With this research, I have shown how population greatly affects resource usage and what resources are being used up the fastest and the most. This information will be helpful to anyone that wants to save our resources or learn more about the topic.

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References Crooks, R. (2009). Mint Map: Resource Consumption by Country. Retrieved from https://www.mint.com/blog/trends/mint-map-resource-consumption-by-country/ Ellis, E. (2013). Overpopulation is Not the Problem. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/14/opinion/overpopulation-is-not-the-problem.html Hogan, M. (2012). Habitat destruction. Retrieved from: http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153224/ Powers, M. (2015). Human Impact on the Environment and Environmental Impact on Humans. Retrieved from http://www.fewresources.org/ecological-footprints--humanimpact-

factors.html

The Guardian. (2015). The Six Natural Resources Most Drained by our 7 billion people. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2011/oct/31/sixnatural-

resources-population

Simonetta, J. (2009). Human Overpopulation Causes, Effects and Solutions. Retrieved from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Human-Overpopulation-Causes,-Effects-andSolutions&id=1985200 The World Counts. (2015). Consequences of Depletion of Natural Resources. Retrieved from http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/consequences_of_depletion_of_natural_resource

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The Times Editorial Board. (2015, January 25). Why we need to address population growth's effects on global warming. Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la20150125-story.html

ed-population-and-climate-change-

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Reflection When writing this review the part I struggled with the most was thinking of the most appropriate way to show readers that overpopulation is causing our resources to be depleted. I wanted to make sure that the causes were clearly defined along with possible solutions. I learned a variety of things while writing this paper. Areas around the world more densely populated are the main regions that are using up our resources and if we don’t do something about it soon, our valuable resources will be all used up and future generations will suffer. As for myself as a writer, I learned the importance of writing about topics like these. These topics need to be emphasized more because they can make an impact on people and cause them to decide to make a change in the world.