Overpopulation opposes environmental health

N. Munal Meitei,
Environmentalist, email-nmunall@yahoo.in

July, 11 is celebrated as the World Population Day. If we do not take charge of our population size, then nature will do it for us. Economists think of the population as an asset, but from an environmental perspective, it’s a curse. This day reminds us about the impact of a growing population, family planning, reproductive health, maternal health, poverty, issues of gender equality and environmental issues.

The theme for 2024 is “Leave No One Behind, Count Everyone.” This theme draws attention to a crucial but sometimes neglected feature of population censuses: the inclusive and thorough data collection for human rights and reach to all. Policymakers should incorporate present and future population trends in all aspects of developmental planning, identifying areas and growing population to accelerate progress.

No simple relationship exists between population size and environmental challenges. However, overpopulation triggered climate change, pollution, water crisis, soil erosion, deforestation, loss of ecosystems and biodiversity, fossil fuels and the emergence of new diseases. We cannot have a sustainable planet without stabilizing population. It will lead to more starvation, hunger and unhygienic living conditions worldwide.

As human populations grow, the price of all this ‘growth’ is paid for by other endangered plants and animals and an increasingly dangerous climate crisis. Meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement, slower population growth could help to mitigate1.5°C of the pre-industrial state.

Each human being has a legitimate claim to a sufficient and fair amount of earth’s resources. But with a population exceeding 8.12 billion, even if everyone adopted a relatively low material standard of living, it would still push Earth to its ecological breaking point. Unfortunately, the average person on Earth consumes about 50% and in developed countries, it’s almost five times more than the sustainable yield of the planet. Thus, mankind will need two Earths by 2030. Overpopulation and over-consumption will affect everything from climate change to sociopolitical unrest.

Our planet can offer a quality of life for only 2 billion people and the total population that earth can support is less than 10 billion. As of July 10, 2024, world population is 8.12 billion and India’s population is 1.44 billion exceeding China. Thus, 1 in every 5 people on the earth is an Indian. The world’s population is expected to increase to 10.4 billion in 2080. That will really be a population bomb.

The dramatic population growth is driven by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age and accompanied by fertility rates and life expectancy, increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. We mined, farmed, built power plants and many development works to make us suitable, which in turn leads to population growth. Another reason for population growth is improvement in the health sector.

Meanwhile, the average global lifespan has risen, from 64.6 years in 1990s to 71.7 years in 2022 and is expected to rise to 77.3 by 2050. Our rich human tapestry is only as strong as its weakest thread.

India’s population is expected to keep growing for several decades. India was the first country to launch the national family planning program in 1952 with the objective of reducing the birth rate to stabilize the population with the needs of the national economy. This implies the right of citizens to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice.

Human and environmental health underpins in the millennium development goals which seek to eradicate poverty and hunger and ensure environmental sustainability. But to fulfill the requirements for 8.12 billion people on the mother earth is almost impossible. Thus, 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet and 900 million people faced severe food insecurity. And, 1 in 3 people do not have safe drinking water and 1 in 5 do not have adequate housing.

Currently, globally, 5 people are born and about 2 people die every second, resulting in an increase of around 9.46 crore i.e. 1.1% population per year. FAO estimates that a person requires about 1.57 kg of food per day. Hence, in order to feed these increased population, a huge tropical rain-forest to the size of 40 football grounds is cut per minute, amounts to 14 billion trees, which is almost the size of North-East India every year. But, a tree can sink about one ton of CO₂ and can also produce the oxygen requirement for 8-10 people annually.

Humans have a greedy tendency to want more and more in the name of development. Thus, there will come a time when population growth and welfare collide. At that time, floods of people will trek all over the world searching for more food and welfare, causing political conflicts and wars. The only solution is a population policy applied on a worldwide scale. The business world and religions are generally interested in population growth.

Therefore, until and unless we control the population explosion, we will not be able to save our environment and if we do not voluntarily accept this responsibility, then we will be in an environmental dilemma within a few years.