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Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems, says researcher

by Jenny Stewart, The Conversation

Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems

There is a growing consensus that environmental problems, particularly the effects of climate change, pose a grave challenge to humanity. Pollution, habitat destruction, intractable waste issues and, for many, deteriorating quality of life should be added to the list.

Economic growth is the chief culprit. We forget, though, that environmental impacts are a consequence of per capita consumption multiplied by the number of people doing the consuming. Our own numbers matter.

Population growth threatens environments at global, national and regional scales. Yet the policy agenda either ignores human population, or fosters alarm when perfectly natural trends such as declining fertility and longer lifespans cause growth rates to fall and populations to age.

That there are still too many of us is a problem few want to talk about. Fifty years ago, population was considered to be an issue , not only for the developing world , but for the planet as a whole. Since then, the so-called green revolution in agriculture made it possible to feed many more people. But the costs of these practices, which relied heavily on pesticide and fertilizer use and relatively few crops, are only now beginning to be understood.

The next 30 years will be critical. The most recent United Nations projections point to a global population of 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. There are 8 billion of us now. Another 2 billion will bring already stressed ecosystems to the point of collapse.

It's the whole world's problem

Many would agree overpopulation is a problem in many developing countries, where large families keep people poor. But there are too many of us in the developed world, too. Per person, people in high-income countries consume 60% more resources than in upper-middle-income countries and more than 13 times as much as people in low-income countries.

From 1995 to 2020, the UK population, for example, grew by 9.1 million. A crowded little island, particularly around London and the south-east, became more crowded still.

Similarly, the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries , had just under 10 million inhabitants in 1950 and 17.6 million in 2020. In the 1950s, the government encouraged emigration to reduce population densities . By the 21st century, another 5 million people in a tiny country certainly caused opposition to immigration, but concern was wrongly focused on the ethnic composition of the increase. The principal problem of overpopulation received little attention.

Australia is celebrated as "a land of boundless plains to share". In reality it's a small country that consists of big distances.

As former NSW Premier Bob Carr predicted some years ago, as Australia's population swelled, the extra numbers would be housed in spreading suburbs that would gobble up farmland nearest our cities and threaten coastal and near-coastal habitats. How right he was. The outskirts of Sydney and Melbourne are carpeted in big, ugly houses whose inhabitants will be forever car-dependent.

Doing nothing has a high cost

The longer we do nothing about population growth, the worse it gets. More people now inevitably mean more in the future than there would otherwise have been.

Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems

We live very long lives, on average, so once we're born, we tend to stick around. It takes a while for falling birthrates to have any impact.

And when they do, the population boosters respond with cries of alarm. The norm is seen as a young or youngish population, while the elderly are presented as a parasitical drag upon the young.

Falling reproduction rates should not be regarded as a disaster but as a natural occurrence to which we can adapt.

Recently, we have been told Australia must have high population growth, because of workforce shortages. It is rarely stated exactly what these shortages are, and why we cannot train enough people to fill them.

Population and development are connected in subtle ways, at global, national and regional scales. At each level, stabilizing the population holds the key to a more environmentally secure and equitable future.

For those of us who value the natural world for its own sake, the matter is clear—we should make room for other species. For those who do not care about other species, the reality is that without a more thoughtful approach to our own numbers, planetary systems will continue to break down.

Let women choose to have fewer children

So, what to do? If we assume the Earth's population is going to exceed 10 billion, the type of thinking behind this assumption means we are sleepwalking our way into a nightmarish future when a better one is within our grasp.

A radical rethink of the global economy is needed to address climate change. In relation to population growth , if we can move beyond unhelpful ideologies, the solution is already available.

People are not stupid. In particular, women are not stupid. Where women are given the choice, they restrict the number of children they have. This freedom is as basic a human right as you can get.

A much-needed demographic transition could be under way right now, if only the population boosters would let it happen.

Those who urge greater rates of reproduction, whether they realize it or not, are serving only the short-term interests of developers and some religious authorities, for whom big societies mean more power for themselves. It is a masculinist fantasy for which most women, and many men, have long been paying a huge price.

Women will show the way, if only we would let them.

Provided by The Conversation

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Overpopulation: Impacts and 6 Solutions for 2024 (Guide)

Liza Shuttleworth

Liza pivoted from environmental consulting and doing impact assessments to writing about her two most counter-intuitive but passionate interests: sustainability and the importance of living an eco-conscious life; and marketing, martech, and AI. When she’s not writing, you can find her living a zero-waste-adjacent life in South Africa, falling down research rabbit holes on the internet, or out hiking with her dogs.

Introduction

Liza Shuttleworth pivoted from a career in environmental impact assessment and consulting to becoming a full-time writer, focusing on her most passionate (and diverse) interests: ecological conservation, sustainability, waste management and marketing, mar-tech, and AI.

Her professional portfolio reflects a diverse array of writing and consultancy roles spanning environmental science, marketing, and technology.

She has written for prestigious online and print publications on topics that include sustainability, climate change advocacy, waste management, and marine conservation, as well as marketing strategy, mar-tech, and the proliferation of AI tools for marketing.

Liza has an extensive professional background, having held management and consultancy positions within the environmental science, waste management, technology, and marketing sectors.

Her writing and editorial positions for both print and online publications have shaped content in ways that educate and inspire readers about sustainable living, climate change, and the power of innovative technology to overcome challenges in any setting.

Liza's academic background is rooted in a Bachelor of Social Science, focusing on Media and English. Beyond this, she has pursued tertiary qualifications in geography, psychology, and marketing, further enriching her knowledge base and contributing to her multi-faceted approach to writing and advocacy.

Overpopulation solutions have become a focal point at the intersection of a wide range of interest groups, from human rights to environmental impacts and climate change.

As human population numbers continue to boom globally, concerns are over the impacts of overpopulation on the natural environment, finite and renewable resources, and environmental degradation have escalated to unsustainable levels.

In this article, we briefly discuss overpopulation, the numbers, and observable trends, the impacts of overpopulation on the natural environment, and some of the solutions to overpopulation that can mitigate these negative impacts.

Keep reading to discover solutions to overpopulation and find out how you can start making a difference today!

Table of Contents

What is Overpopulation?

Overpopulation occurs when there are more people than the planet can sustain and our needs outstrip the carrying capacity of the earth.

In ecology, carrying capacity refers to the number of individuals in a specific region or habitat that can be sustained in that area, without the loss of lives due to insufficient resources like food, water and shelter, and without irreversible degradation of natural resources.

In simple terms, overpopulation leads to a situation where resources are depleted quicker than they can renew themselves naturally, which leads to fewer resources and in turn a limitation on the number of lives that can be sustained.

This can also result from overconsumption , which often goes hand in hand with overpopulation. Overconsumption refers to the use and depletion of resources at a rate that outpaces the ability to replenish those resources. Even smaller populations can consume too much, too quickly, if how they’re using resources is unsustainable.

EcoSwap Banner

Overpopulation: The Numbers

In 2023 there are over 8 billion people alive on earth. Experts expect that if something doesn’t change, we could see 9.7 billion people by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100.

It took over 2 million years for the global population to reach 1 billion in the year 1800. That number doubled in 130 years to 2 billion in 1930. It took just 44 years for that number to double again, to 4 billion in 1974.  As of 2020, the number has almost doubled again to 7.8 billion in just 46 years!

Have a look at the video below, by Data is Beautiful on YouTube, for a nice visual representation of how the numbers change over time:

What Causes Overpopulation?

Overpopulation is the result of too many births and too few deaths, low emigration and high immigration in a specific area. Globally, overpopulation is caused by rapid population growth due to advances in medicine and technology leading to fewer mortalities and longer lifespan, poverty, lack of education, and restricted access to birth control and family planning.

However, how this came about is more complex:

There are many, interrelated, factors that lead to overpopulation but there are two major factors that play a crucial role in the scale and rapid rate of our population growth:

Advances in medicine have led to fewer deaths from diseases, especially diseases that once took large numbers of lives in short periods, like smallpox and polio.

The result is fewer people dying but also longer life expectancy, which means that as new generations are born, preceding generations are still present and the overall population size increases faster.

Advances in technology , especially in agriculture, have led to our ability to feed population numbers that were thought to be impossible as recently as the 1960s. In 1968, American biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote ‘The Population Bomb’, in which he stated that “in the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death…”.

His theory was that population growth would outstrip our ability to feed the population and everyone would starve to death.

However, in the late 1960s the ‘Green Revolution’ took food production to levels never seen before and the global population continued to grow.

The video below, by BBC Earth Lab on YouTube, gives a brief overview of the population boom and how we got where we are today:

Better natal practices have served to mitigate one of the biggest, and saddest reasons why population growth rates were lower in the past, namely that child and infant mortality rates were much higher. 

Even though birth rates were higher between the 17 th and 21 st centuries, averaging around 6 children per woman, the struggle for survival meant that many children did not grow old enough to have children themselves.

Within the last century, global child mortality rates have decreased from around 25% to just 2.9%. The steepest decline has been within the last 50 years. 

Advances in natal healthcare and surgical safety mean that though people in developed countries are having fewer children, more of those children are growing up to live full lives and start families of their own.

Lack of education in developing countries has resulted in a poor understanding of family planning and the continuation of traditional beliefs like the perception that many offspring are a sign of wealth.

In many African countries, children are viewed as potential workers who can contribute to the family’s needs, incentivizing larger family units.

Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment

Overpopulation and overconsumption are closely linked to negative environmental outcomes.

There is now no part of the earth that is not affected in some negative way by human activities. This is magnified by the ever-growing demands our ever-growing population places on the planet.

Increased human population sizes and increased demand for natural resources have led to severe negative impacts.

The video below, by The Knowledge Exchange and Sir David Attenborough on YouTube, briefly covers the impacts of human activity on the natural environment, as amplified by overpopulation:

While over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, only around 1% of that is fresh and accessible. Increases in immigration to developed countries place massive pressure on freshwater supplies in countries like the USA, UK, and Australia. 

Increasing populations in developed countries increase the need for intensive farming practices , which damage ecosystems, and increase agricultural pollution.

Agricultural pollution has been responsible for some of the biggest environmental declines on the planet, resulting in the permanent loss of biodiversity. 

Increased demand for consumer goods and transportation results in heavier mining for fuel resources, and damaging practices like fracking which pollute groundwater, release greenhouse gases, and can cause earthquakes.

These changes have a ‘domino effect’ on ecosystems around the world and interrupt or destroy environmental cycles that are crucial for sustaining life on earth.

The 20 th century saw a marked increase in the effects of natural disasters stemming from events like El Nino. Fires, flooding, and erosion devastate ecosystems and necessitate higher immigration to safer areas.

Effects of overpopulation on the environment: 

  • Habitat loss and deforestation
  • Loss of biodiversity and mass species extinction
  • Land, water and air pollution
  • Soil degradation and desertification
  • Depletion of finite resources
  • Use of renewable resources at unsustainable rates
  • Climate change due to excessive greenhouse gas emissions
  • Oceanic acidification

6 Overpopulation Solutions for Individuals

Overpopulation has no simple (or at least simple and ethical) solution. There are differing theories about how to tackle the problem and different approaches or viewpoints.

Some see population as a problem that is gradually solving itself due to demographic transition , where populations tend to have fewer children as their economic and educational circumstances improve, and advances in education and female economic empowerment that allow women to choose if and when they will have children.

Others feel that the solution to overpopulation lies in more proactive measures like economic incentives to have fewer children or regulating the number of children allowed per family. These kinds of measures quickly lead to social and ethical considerations that are difficult to solve.

Mitigating the impacts of overpopulation is perhaps a simpler route to take for individuals who are not responsible for things like government policies.  On an individual level, there is much we can do to support a decrease in birth rates and a shift away from overconsumption.

These are 6 overpopulation solutions and things you can do, today, to support the earth as it tries to sustain our ever-growing numbers:

#1: Support Education for Women and Girls

Numerous studies (such as this one by Harvard Health Review ) have shown that there is a direct and significant link between improved education for women and girls and a lower reproduction rate.

The Harvard study cited above states that “case studies of improved secondary education for females offer hope for the future. A 1998 study of Niger discovered a 31% decrease in fertility rate among women who had completed secondary school. A comparable 1997 study in Yemen found a 33% decrease”.

Overpopulation - Girls Education - quote

These findings have been echoed over and over again .

Supporting the education of women to at least secondary school level is a definitive impact on reducing birth rates. It also improves the spacing between children and improves the health and quality of life for those children.

This has a knock-on effect, where the children of better-educated mothers are also more likely to be educated themselves.

#2: Support Initiatives that Provide Education and Access to Family Planning

Accurate, factual and unbiased education for children, adolescents and adults about reproduction, sexual health and consent are essential to reduce the number of unintentional births that occur each year.  Approximately 40% of pregnancies are unintended, which translates to around 85 million unintended pregnancies per year.

Overpopulation - Birth Control Options - Durex Advert

Easy, affordable, and reliable access to contraceptives and birth control is a major factor in preventing unplanned births and is one of the stronger overpopulation solutions.

Improved education improves the use and efficacy of these but they must be available and accessible.

In poorer countries, access is lacking and leads to millions of unplanned births every year.

The impact of planned families can also be reduced by using eco-friendly baby products, like biodegradable nappies and non-synthetic wet wipes . Small changes can have a big impact on your impact!

#3: Invest in and Support Responsible and Innovative Agriculture

Agriculture is responsible for 80% of global deforestation, biodiversity loss, habitat loss, soil and water pollution, and even desertification .

From poorly managed small farms, overgrazing and logging to huge commercial farms that exploit local water supplies and encroach on natural habitats, the environmental impact of agriculture are huge.

Responsible farming techniques, education and pressure from consumers can go a long way to improving this. However, if we want to keep producing enough food for a booming population, we need to start thinking differently about food production.

Check out this incredible video by Freethink on YouTube about how the Netherlands produce food:

Just as the advances in technology and food production got us to 7 billion without starvation, we need it to get us to 11 billion without causing ecological collapse.

Vertical farming, in urban areas, to feed local populations also uses controlled growing conditions, indoors, to grow food as efficiently and rapidly as possible.

Their reduced physical footprint means that more food can be produced using less land, which negates things like habitat loss and deforestation for agriculture.

#4: Consume Less, Consume Better and Choose Sustainable Sources

Overconsumption is a major driving force behind the depletion of natural resources at unsustainable rates. Wealthy countries like the US consume more per capita than underdeveloped countries that have higher population numbers. Overpopulation solutions must go hand-in-hand with overconsumption solutions to be effective at all.

This video, by DW Planet A on YouTube, shares an interesting perspective on consumption and overconsumption:

Choose to consume less. Responsible and thoughtful consumption can drastically improve the ecological footprint of every individual and every industry.

From energy, fuel and transportation choices to the kinds of food you buy , and the clothes you wear. Choosing zero-waste toiletries, like shampoo and conditioner bars ,   natural soaps , and zero-waste toothpaste , plastic-free deodorant and switching to more sustainable cleaning products, like eco-friendly laundry detergent and zero-waste dish soap , is also a good way to lower your environmental impact. There are always better options available.

Research your products and the companies that supply them and then support the ones that put the environment first. Look for companies that use renewable resources, that farm or manufacture sustainably and that use ethical labor practices .

#5: Choose Renewable Energy Resources

One of the biggest sources of environmental degradation and pollution is energy production from fossil fuels. Overpopulation solutions are lacking and incomplete if they do not include changes to energy production.

Coal and oil are finite resources and their overexploitation is not sustainable. In addition, the process of using them for power and fuel generates massive water pollution, land degradation and air pollution.

Overpopulation - Solar is good for the environment

Choosing to buy and support renewable energy resources like solar and wind power makes reduces the footprint of your energy consumption. It also supports the shift away from fossil fuels at a larger scale when governments and industries see the buy-in of consumers.

Supplement your power needs using solar or wind power. Choose to support the businesses that do the same. Support the renewable energy wherever you can – be it by voting on policies, investing in the industry, or simply choosing to use it when it becomes available in your area.

#6: Actively Participate in Reducing Waste and Pollution

Zero-waste is a trend that has proved it is here to stay. But you don’t have to go full zero to make an impact! Any measures you take to prevent waste from going to landfill or polluting natural environments makes a difference.

Overpopulation - Quote - Its just one straw said 8 billion people

Small changes that add up:

  • Choose biodegradable materials
  • Refuse plastics where you can
  • Choose refillable zero-waste products , like toothpaste tablets and mouthwash tablets.
  • Recycle the plastics you can’t refuse
  • Use products that do not come in plastic packaging, like zero-waste soaps and shampoo bars
  • Choose items made from recycled materials
  • Make compost at home
  • Choose eco-friendly alternatives, like bamboo toothbrushes and wooden soap holders, over plastic ones
  • Sell or swap things you don’t need
  • Choose brands that support sustainability

In conclusion, overpopulation and overconsumption are of great concern for the natural environment and human life.

They’re associated with biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, pollution, unsustainable rates of consumption for renewable resources and rapid depletion of finite resources.

They’re directly related to climate change and global warming.

Scientists have long been warning us of an impending ecological collapse that could end life as we know if for humans and the planet itself.

Overpopulation solutions are complex and multifaceted but there are solutions and at an individual level, there is a lot we can do to mitigate the environmental impact of our existence and continued population growth.

The choices we make day-to-day and the causes, initiatives, and industries that choose to support all make a difference in how we consume resources and how the consumption of those resources impacts the planet.

References and Further Reading

Active Sustainability: Causes and Consequences of Overpopulation

Euro Scientist: What Causes Population?

Everything Connects: Effects of Human Overpopulation

Slate: About That Overpopulation Problem

The Balance: The Environmental Impacts of Overpopulation

Vox: We’ve worried about overpopulation for centuries. And we’ve always been wrong.

Wikipedia: Human Overpopulation

World Bank Blogs: Female Education and Childbearing: A Closer Look at the Data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is overpopulation.

Overpopulation occurs when the number of people on earth surpass the earth's carrying capacity. Too many people, consuming too much in terms of natural resources. Read the full guide for more detail on what overpopulation is.

How many people are on earth now?

There are currently around 7.8 billion people on the earth. Read the full article to find out more about the past and future numbers of people on earth.

Does overpopulation cause climate change?

This is a complicated question to answer but human activity is a leading cause of climate change and the more humans there are on earth, the greater our impact on the earth. Read the full article to learn more about how population and climate change are connected.

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Why U.S. Population Growth Is Collapsing

A country grows or shrinks in three ways.

Five long rows of figures representing people that gradually fade from right to left.

Sign up for Derek’s newsletter here .

The U.S. population grew at the slowest pace in history in 2021, according to census data released last week. That news sounds extreme, but it’s on trend. First came 2020, which saw one of the lowest U.S. population-growth rates ever . And now we have 2021 officially setting the all-time record.

U.S. growth didn’t slowly fade away: It slipped, and slipped, and then fell off a cliff. The 2010s were already demographically stagnant; every year from 2011 to 2017, the U.S. grew by only 2 million people. In 2020, the U.S. grew by just 1.1 million. Last year, we added only 393,000 people.

What’s going on?

A country grows or shrinks in three ways: immigration, deaths, and births. America’s declining fertility rate often gets the headline treatment. Journalists are obsessed with the question of why Americans aren’t having more babies. And because I’m a journalist, be assured that we’ll do the baby thing in a moment. But it’s the other two factors—death and immigration—that are overwhelmingly responsible for the collapse in U.S. population growth.

First, we have to talk about COVID. The pandemic has killed nearly 1 million Americans in the past two years, according to the CDC. Tragically and remarkably, a majority of those deaths happened after we announced the authorization of COVID vaccines, which means that they were particularly concentrated in 2021. Last year, deaths exceeded births in a record-high number of U.S. counties . Never before in American history have so many different parts of the country shrunk because of “natural decrease,” which is the difference between deaths and births.

Excess deaths accounted for 50 percent of the difference in population growth from 2019 to 2021. That’s a clear sign of the devastating effect of the pandemic. But this statistic also tells us that even if we could have brought excess COVID deaths down to zero, U.S. population growth would still have crashed to something near an all-time low. To understand why, we have to talk about the second variable in the population equation: immigration.

As recently as 2016, net immigration to the United States exceeded 1 million people. But immigration has since collapsed by about 75 percent, falling below 250,000 last year. Immigration fell by more than half in almost all of the hot spots for foreign-born migrants, including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Derek Thompson: A simple plan to solve all of America’s problems

Some of this reduction is a result of economic factors; immigration from Latin America has slowed as those economies have grown. Some of it is epidemiological; immigration declined around the world because of COVID lockdowns. But much of this is an American policy choice. The Trump administration worked to constrain not only illegal immigration but also legal immigration. And the Biden administration has not prioritized the revitalization of pro-immigration policy , perhaps because of fears of a xenophobic backlash from the center and right.

America’s bias against immigration is self-defeating in almost every dimension. “Immigration is a geopolitical cheat code for the U.S.,” says Caleb Watney, a co-founder of the Institute for Progress, a new think tank in Washington, D.C. “Want to supercharge science? Immigrants bring breakthroughs, patents, and Nobel Prizes in droves. Want to stay ahead of China? Immigrants drive progress in semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing. Want to make America more dynamic? Immigrants launch nearly 50 percent of U.S. billion-dollar start-ups. The rest of the world is begging international talent to come to their shores while we are slamming the door in their face.”

Finally, yes, Americans are having fewer babies—like basically every other rich country in the world. Since 2011, annual births have declined by 400,000. Two years ago, I wrote that “ the future of the city is childless ,” and the pandemic seems to have accelerated that future. Just look at Los Angeles: L.A. County recorded 153,000 live births in 2001 but fewer than 100,000 in 2021. At this rate, sometime around 2030, L.A. births will have declined by 50 percent in the 21st century.

Declining births get a lot of media coverage, with mandatory references to Children of Men , followed by mandatory references to Matrix- style birthing pods, followed by inevitable fights over whether it’s creepy for dudes like me to talk academically about raising a nation’s collective fertility. My personal opinion is that wanting and having children is a personal matter for families, even as the spillover effects of declining fertility make it a very public issue for the overall economy.

The fact that declining fertility is a global trend suggests that it’s not something we can easily reverse by mimicking another country’s politics or culture. Around the world, rising women’s education and employment seem to correlate with swiftly declining birth rates. In just about every possible way you could imagine, this is a good thing: It strongly suggests that economic and social progress give women more power over their bodies and their lives.

But I should stress that declining fertility isn’t always a sign of female empowerment, as indicated by the large and growing gap between the number of children Americans say they want and the number of children they have. There are many potential explanations for this gap, but one is that the U.S. has made caring for multiple children too expensive and cumbersome for even wealthy parents, due to a shortage of housing , the rising cost of child care , and the paucity of long-term federal support for children .

The implications of permanently slumped population growth are wide-ranging. Shrinking populations produce stagnant economies. Stagnant economies create wonky cultural knock-on effects, like a zero-sum mentality that ironically makes it harder to pursue pro-growth policies. (For example, people in slow-growth regions might be fearful of immigrants because they seem to represent a threat to scarce business opportunities, even though immigration represents these places’ best chance to grow their population and economy.) The sector-by-sector implications of declining population would also get very wonky very fast. Higher education is already fighting for its life in the age of remote school and rising tuition costs. Imagine what happens if, following the historically large Millennial cohort, every subsequent U.S. generation gets smaller and smaller until the end of time, slowly starving many colleges of the revenue they’ve come to expect.

Even if you’re of the dubious opinion that the U.S. would be better off with a smaller population, American demographic policy is bad for Americans who are alive right now. We are a nation where families have fewer kids than they want; where Americans die of violence, drugs, accidents, and illness at higher rates than similarly rich countries ; and where geniuses who want to found new job-creating companies are forced to do so in other countries, which get all the benefits of higher productivity, higher tax revenue, and better jobs.

Simply put, the U.S. has too few births, too many deaths, and not enough immigrants. Whether by accident, design, or a total misunderstanding of basic economics, America has steered itself into the demographic danger zone.

A view of a heavily populated part of earth from above

Population can’t be ignored. It has to be part of the policy solution to our world’s problems

population growth problems solutions

Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney

Disclosure statement

Jenny Stewart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

UNSW Sydney provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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There is a growing consensus that environmental problems, particularly the effects of climate change, pose a grave challenge to humanity. Pollution, habitat destruction, intractable waste issues and, for many, deteriorating quality of life should be added to the list.

Economic growth is the chief culprit. We forget, though, that environmental impacts are a consequence of per capita consumption multiplied by the number of people doing the consuming. Our own numbers matter.

Population growth threatens environments at global, national and regional scales. Yet the policy agenda either ignores human population, or fosters alarm when perfectly natural trends such as declining fertility and longer lifespans cause growth rates to fall and populations to age.

That there are still too many of us is a problem few want to talk about. Fifty years ago, population was considered to be an issue , not only for the developing world, but for the planet as a whole. Since then, the so-called green revolution in agriculture made it possible to feed many more people. But the costs of these practices, which relied heavily on pesticide and fertiliser use and relatively few crops, are only now beginning to be understood.

The next 30 years will be critical. The most recent United Nations projections point to a global population of 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. There are 8 billion of us now. Another 2 billion will bring already stressed ecosystems to the point of collapse.

A line graph showing global population growth since 1950 and projection to 2100.

It’s the whole world’s problem

Many would agree overpopulation is a problem in many developing countries, where large families keep people poor. But there are too many of us in the developed world, too. Per person, people in high-income countries consume 60% more resources than in upper-middle-income countries and more than 13 times as much as people in low-income countries.

From 1995 to 2020, the UK population, for example, grew by 9.1 million. A crowded little island, particularly around London and the south-east, became more crowded still.

Similarly, the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries , had just under 10 million inhabitants in 1950 and 17.6 million in 2020. In the 1950s, the government encouraged emigration to reduce population densities. By the 21st century, another 5 million people in a tiny country certainly caused opposition to immigration, but concern was wrongly focused on the ethnic composition of the increase. The principal problem of overpopulation received little attention.

Australia is celebrated as “a land of boundless plains to share”. In reality it’s a small country that consists of big distances.

As former NSW Premier Bob Carr predicted some years ago, as Australia’s population swelled, the extra numbers would be housed in spreading suburbs that would gobble up farmland nearest our cities and threaten coastal and near-coastal habitats. How right he was. The outskirts of Sydney and Melbourne are carpeted in big, ugly houses whose inhabitants will be forever car-dependent.

An aerial view of city suburbs stretching out to the horizon

Doing nothing has a high cost

The longer we do nothing about population growth, the worse it gets. More people now inevitably mean more in the future than there would otherwise have been.

We live very long lives, on average, so once we’re born, we tend to stick around. It takes a while for falling birthrates to have any impact.

And when they do, the population boosters respond with cries of alarm. The norm is seen as a young or youngish population, while the elderly are presented as a parasitical drag upon the young.

Falling reproduction rates should not be regarded as a disaster but as a natural occurrence to which we can adapt.

Recently, we have been told Australia must have high population growth, because of workforce shortages. It is rarely stated exactly what these shortages are, and why we cannot train enough people to fill them.

Population and development are connected in subtle ways, at global, national and regional scales. At each level, stabilising the population holds the key to a more environmentally secure and equitable future.

For those of us who value the natural world for its own sake, the matter is clear – we should make room for other species. For those who do not care about other species, the reality is that without a more thoughtful approach to our own numbers, planetary systems will continue to break down.

Line graph showing the probabilities of global population projections and the impacts of having 0.5 more or less children per woman

Let women choose to have fewer children

So, what to do? If we assume the Earth’s population is going to exceed 10 billion, the type of thinking behind this assumption means we are sleepwalking our way into a nightmarish future when a better one is within our grasp.

A radical rethink of the global economy is needed to address climate change. In relation to population growth, if we can move beyond unhelpful ideologies, the solution is already available.

People are not stupid. In particular, women are not stupid. Where women are given the choice, they restrict the number of children they have. This freedom is as basic a human right as you can get.

A much-needed demographic transition could be under way right now, if only the population boosters would let it happen.

Those who urge greater rates of reproduction, whether they realise it or not, are serving only the short-term interests of developers and some religious authorities, for whom big societies mean more power for themselves. It is a masculinist fantasy for which most women, and many men, have long been paying a huge price.

Women will show the way, if only we would let them.

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How serious is our declining population growth problem?

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America’s population growth has been on a steady decline. Data from the 2020 census shows the last decade experienced the second-slowest rate of expansion since the government started the decennial census in 1790.

Longer-term trends like an aging population and declining birthrates mean this isn’t a temporary blip, which has serious implications for economic growth down the road, according to Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell.

“You can have fewer people buying homes, cars, computers and other goods and services,” Farrell said in an interview with “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio. “And there’ll be fewer workers, David, to support growing numbers of older Americans.”

But there are other factors that could offset the potential negative economic effects of declining population growth. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation, in which they discuss how boosting women’s workforce participation and tapping into technological innovations made during the pandemic might help.

David Brancaccio : I know some worry that this math of slower population growth equals slow economic growth.

Chris Farrell : Well, it’s understandable because you can have fewer people buying homes, cars, computers, and other goods and services. And there’ll be fewer workers, David, to support growing numbers of older Americans. I mean, that’s the haunting fear. And that also will undermine the economy’s underlining dynamism. And we will end up with economic stagnation. In other words, demographics is economic destiny.

Brancaccio : But I mean, to what extent is this a law of physics, these demographic trends?

Chris Farrell : Well, it is not a law of physics and there’s some really good reasons for skepticism. I mean, first of all, look, the U.S. still has a long way to go to boost the l abor force participation rate of women , right? That’s been stagnating for more than a decade and this is behind the current push to provide affordable childcare and eldercare. The second, with an aging population, it’s sort of the same story. You know, much can be done to increase the labor force participation rate of the 55 plus population, everything we see, more [people] want to be working. And they’re held back by age discrimination,

Brancaccio : So if you can address some of that through policy, more people might be able to pour in and there will be a new pool of workers?

Farrell : That’s right. And you know, they’re going to spend money, they’re going to pay taxes, that will increase your revenue, and it will increase the vibrancy, the dynamism of this economy.

Brancaccio : Still, back to the basic trend here, I mean, people not having as many children as they had before, some of them worried about the future, worried about climate change, some of them worried about the healthcare they might need to raise a family.

Farrell : Well, this gets us to the third reason. This is the most important; labor productivity. Output per worker trumps demographics, every time. Just to give you one example, about half a century ago, there were some five workers for every retiree. That figure has shrunk to less than three to one , yet over that same time period, David, American living standards, I mean, they have risen. And it’s largely thanks to productivity growth.

Brancaccio : Except, you know, the voice keeps coming on the radio, usually me, saying that that productivity growth – how much work we get done per hour – has been stagnant forever.

Farrell : That’s right. And there’s been this huge disappointment about technological innovations don’t have the “economic oomph” – that’s a technical term, David, by the way, “economic oomph” – that they used to have. But if you think about the pandemic and what’s happened during the pandemic, it’s a basic shift in the way we live and work. And the consulting firm McKinsey notes that, look, many companies, they are bold, they’re innovative in response to the pandemic, they shifted to online channels, they automated production, they increased operational efficiency, they invested in high tech, software and hardware and telework, and we have telemedicine, so something has really shifted and the digital economy seems to be a high productivity economy.

Brancaccio : If that’s really happened, maybe it’s a new way of thinking about the threat of automation, artificial intelligence and robots might increasingly take away human jobs. I mean, if this population growth is going to be anemic into perpetuity, maybe we need the robots to do some of this work.

Farrell : We absolutely do. Don’t think of them as a substitute but as a complement. They’ll take over certain tasks, but that will free up people to do other things. Put it another way; never underestimate the ability of the American entrepreneur to come up with ways for you to spend your money.

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A Brief on Overpopulation – Why it Matters and What You Can Do About It

Erin Brown | April 4, 2023 | Leave a Comment

population growth problems solutions

Photo by Candace McDaniel on StockSnap

As humanity has surpassed the 8 billion people milestone, it is more important now than ever to talk about population. What will we do if we continue to grow at exponential rates? What are ethical, viable strategies to decrease population?

“First off, let me get this straight, discussing addressing overpopulation does not mean discussing killing people. The goal is actually to prevent it.” – Dr. Jane O’Sullivan

Current world population in January 2023: 8 billion

The current rate of population growth is around 80 million people per year. There are over 8 billion people on the planet, the last billion added in less than the last 12 years. 

The Earth’s first billion people milestone took from the beginning of human history until the 1800s to be achieved. Then, due to the industrial revolution, humanity reached the second billion mark by 1930 (taking only 130 years), reached the third billion in 1960 (only took 30 years), then reached the fourth billion by 1974 (only took 14 years), and the fifth billion by 1987 (only took 13 years). We hit 6 billion in 1999 (which took 12 years) and hit 7 billion in 2011 (which took about 12 years). At the current growth rate, the world population will reach 9 billion by 2037 and 10 billion by 2057.

The growth rate is declining, but not at a fast enough rate to combat the exponential compound growth. The growth rate was 2% in the 1970s. Now it is 1.05%. Any growth rate above 1% means we are still adding more people to the planet every year. 

What is overpopulation? 

Overpopulation is a human population in numbers high enough to cause environmental deterioration, impaired quality of life, or population crash. 

Why is overpopulation an issue? 

Overrun natural resources can only lead to death by starvation, conflict, and disease, and the only viable alternative is voluntary restraint on human births.

What is carrying capacity?

Carrying capacity is defined as the maximum population of a species that an area will support without undergoing deterioration. 

Paul R. Ehrlich and other scientists estimate the world’s optimum population for carrying capacity (at a comfortable standard of living – editor’s note) to be less than two billion people – 6 billion fewer than on the planet today. “But the longer humanity pursues business as usual, the smaller the sustainable society is likely to prove to be. We’re continuously harvesting the low-hanging fruit, for example by driving fisheries stocks to extinction” – Paul Ehrlich says.

How do we revert population overshoot to a sustainable population level? 

Geologist Art Berman explains population overshoot this way: “Overshoot means that humans are using natural resources and polluting at rates beyond the planet’s capacity to recover. The main cause of overshoot is the extraordinary growth of the human population made possible by fossil energy. Concerns about overshoot and population raised more than 40 years ago were dismissed. Climate change has captured public awareness more recently although many doubt that it is an emergency. Overshoot is more difficult to dispute; it destroys rainforests, leads to the extinction of other species, the pollution of land, rivers, and seas, the acidification of the oceans, and the loss of fisheries and coral reefs. People understandably want to know the solutions. Overshoot is the problem we must address. Any plan that includes continued growth is doomed to fail.”

What can we do?  Jane O’Sullivan outlines the two options for addressing population overshoot – i ncrease the Earth’s carrying capacity or decrease population.

Increasing Earth’s carrying capacity

We are already doing this by (a) using fewer natural resources per person, or (b) increasing productivity by finding more ways to use resources. This only defers the problem and creates collateral damage. 

Decreasing population numbers

If we talk about this now, the hope is to increase our options for solutions. One of the biggest challenges to facing overpopulation head-on and discussing a decreasing population are the stigmas and myths associated with reducing human population numbers. An elaborate set of myths has emerged in opposition to reducing population levels. These myths may prevent even environmentalists from viewing overpopulation as an issue.  Jane O’Sullivan elucidates on the following six myths that make inaction a virtue.

Myth 1 – The human population is stabilizing, and birth rates are decreasing

Truth – Birth rates started declining in the 1970s-90s due to family planning, but not low enough. The number of mothers is still increasing faster than family planning is decreasing the birth rate .  We are still having more births per year than ever before. The total fertility rate has decreased, but as fertility decline has slowed to a trickle, the number of total births has continued to increase. 

Myth 2  – China is the only one with the problem and they used cruel methods (one-child policy)

Truth – Family planning programs have helped many countries successfully reduce births through voluntary means, including China, before the one-child policy.

Myth 3 – Poverty causes population growth, therefore development is the best contraceptive

I.e., family planning is unnecessary and inefficient as long as there is development.

Truth – If this was true, we would see the population decline as development increases. However, it is the decrease in fertility rates that drove economic development, not the other way around. This myth is therefore “correlation implying causation” in the wrong direction. The poorest countries could lower their population by family planning just as quickly as rich countries if they choose to prioritize it.

Countries of families with four or more children, on average, have the lowest level of development; in families with 3 children or fewer the level goes up by some degree, and with two or fewer children development soars. The current focus should be on expanding provisions for teachers, doctors, equality, etc. instead of just giving people what they need. 

Myth 4 – Educating girls is the key to ending population growth

Truth – Another indirect approach that excludes a discussion on the benefit of small families and ending population growth. Educating girls helps but not much unless it is also flanked by family planning efforts. Family planning has a stronger effect on women regulating their fertility, decreasing the fertility gap between the educated and uneducated, and with family planning, girls are more likely to stay in school.

Myth 5 – Population growth is good for the economy

Truth – This makes people poorer as shown under Myth #3. 

Myth 6 – Population growth in poor nations does not matter because of their “tiny carbon footprint”

Truth –  Population growth is a greater threat than climate change. The best way for anyone to decrease their carbon footprint is to have one less kid.

Therefore, family planning is the most economical way to a sustainable future.

What action can each of us take?

1. Discuss smaller family sizes with your partner, family, and friends – how do we aim for birth rates lower than two children per couple?

2. Share information about the environmental impacts of population growth with friends and family. Advocate for action to reduce and reverse population growth.

3. Reassess concerns about aging   – how can we shift away from worshipping eternal youth, to accepting and valuing the entire life cycle? 

4. Celebrate population decline – what are possible depopulation dividends? 

5. Support organizations and efforts that support family planning and women’s education.

Damien Carrington, an environmental editor at The Guardian, interviewed Prof. Paul Ehrlich about the solutions:

“The solutions are tough,” Ehrlich says. “To start, make modern contraception and backup abortion available to all and give women full equal rights, pay, and opportunities with men. Focus on overconsumption and equity issues. Specifically women’s rights and the explicit countering of racism.”

Ehrlich also says that an unprecedented redistribution of wealth is needed to end the over-consumption of resources, but “the rich who now run the global system – that hold the annual ‘world destroyer’ meetings in Davos – are unlikely to let it happen…Too many rich people in the world is a major threat to the human future, and cultural and genetic diversity are great human resources… It is a near certainty in the next few decades, and the risk is increasing continually as long as the perpetual growth of the human enterprise remains the goal of economic and political systems. As I’ve said many times, ‘perpetual growth is the creed of the cancer cell’.”

If cultural and genetic diversity are great human resources, how can the rich and the poor come together across the world to solve this issue?

Anne and Paul Ehrlich expand on their “vision for a cure” :

“Rich white people love to hold meetings to discuss the ‘population problem’ which always ends up focusing on the very real demographic difficulties of those with darker skin tones, especially people who live in Africa and Latin America. But isn’t it really time for the poor people of the world, especially those not in need of tanning beds, to extend a helping hand to the major villains of the destruction of humanity’s life-support systems? Could they not hold an educational conference in Washington, D.C. to explain why civilization is going down the drain, to the per-capita most environmentally destructive giant nation on the planet? Leaders from the “South” could both organize the event and supply experts to educate the wealthy and middle class on their ethical responsibilities and ways to meet them. We envision learning sessions on topics such as:

  • Avoiding the second child.
  • The population problem beyond numbers: inequality and waste of talent. 
  • Are borders ethical?
  • Population shrinkage for politicians.
  • GDP shrinkage for economists.
  • Do Trump and his colleagues prove that the lighter your skin, the lighter your brain?
  • Citizens United: It’s time for euthanasia for corporations.
  • Redistribution and survival.
  • Disbanding “Murder Incorporated”: gun manufacturers and big pharma.
  • How to end plastic production.
  • The historical contributions of the global South to the food enjoyed by the North.
  • How biodiversity loss is accompanied by the loss of human cultural diversity.
  • We know our populations are growing too fast; how to help us help ourselves?
  • Why anti-abortion laws kill poor women.

You can doubtless think of others. The possibilities are endless”.

References: 

Berman, Art. The Climate-Change Trip to Abilene. July 13, 2022.  https://mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/the-climate-change-trip-to-abilene/

Carrington, Damien. Interview with Paul Ehrlich: Collapse of civilization is a near certainty within decades. July 9, 2020.  https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/22/collapse-civilisation-near-certain-decades-population-bomb-paul-ehrlich

Ehrlich, Anne H.; Ehrlich, Paul R. Overpopulation In America -And Its Cures. November 14, 2019.  https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/overpopulation-america-cures/

O’Sullivan, Jane. The tenth presentation at the Delivering the Human Future Conference. Titled: The Future of the Human Population. March 21, 2021.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shUNJPLpXpQ

Population Statistics.  https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

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The MAHB Blog is a venture of the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere. Questions should be directed to [email protected]

Populated City

Tackling Population Pressure

Every day we add 227,000 more people to the planet — and the UN predicts human population will surpass 11 billion by the end of the century. As the world's population grows, so do its demands for water, land, trees and fossil fuels — all of which come at a steep price for already endangered plants and animals.

Reproductive health, rights and justice are threatened by the same systems of oppression that overexploit the environment and drive the extinction crisis. But through solutions like gender equity and a just transition to sustainable consumption and production, we can promote human rights; decrease poverty and overcrowding; raise standards of living; and allow people and nature to thrive.

The Center has been working to address the connection between human population pressure and the extinction crisis since 2009. Our innovative campaigns focus on commonsense solutions such as gender empowerment, the education of all people, universal access to all forms of sexual and reproductive healthcare, sustainable and equitable lifestyle choices, an economy that doesn’t rely on endless growth, and a societal commitment to improve living conditions for all species.  

Endangered Species Condoms

Endangered Species Condoms offer a fun, unique way to break through the taboo and get people talking about the link between human population growth and the wildlife extinction crisis.

The Extinction Crisis

Most biologists agree we're in the midst of the Earth's sixth mass extinction event; species are disappearing at the greatest rate since dinosaurs roamed the planet. This time, though, it isn't because of geologic or cosmic forces — it's because of our unsustainable growth and consumption.

Human Population Growth and Urban Sprawl

As our human footprint reaches farther and farther into remote areas in search of room to build cities, housing developments, golf courses and new farms, we're squeezing wildlife into ever smaller habitat refuges, often leaving endangered species with nowhere to go.

Climate Change

A  2009 study  of the relationship between population growth and global warming determined that the “carbon legacy” of just one child in the United States can produce 20 times more greenhouse gas than a person is able to conserve by taking other energy-saving actions.

Bringing Population Back Into the Conversation

Human population growth and consumption are at the root of our most pressing environmental crises, but they’re often left out of the conversation. We can fight to curb climate change, stop habitat loss, and clean up pollution, but if we don't also fight for reproductive justice for those most severely harmed by these environmental crises — including young people, immigrants, Black, Indigenous and people of color, minoritized ethnic and religious groups, LGBTQIA+ communities and rural communities — it'll remain an uphill battle we can't win. The first step to solving a problem is getting people to talk about it.

The Center is working to put the spotlight back on human population growth and the need to fight for reproductive and environmental justice. We're using creative media like our award-winning  Endangered Species Condoms  to start conversations on a person-to-person basis nationwide; we’re circulating videos  to explain the connections between population growth and other environmental problems and highlight the importance of healthcare for all. We're also bringing the message to museums, science centers and classrooms through fun and interactive Pillow Talk events, via virtual and in-person film series, and through social media campaigns.

Supporting Reproductive Justice

Everyone plays a role in human population growth, but when it comes to reproductive decisions, women and gender-diverse people are disproportionately affected by a lack of empowerment and access to healthcare, which not only affects their reproductive futures but also income and wealth equity, education, and leadership opportunities. Many people worldwide and in the United States are unable to get the sexual and reproductive healthcare they want or need. Unfortunately U.S. lawmakers and courts are currently doing everything they can to restrict reproductive freedom, including bans on comprehensive sex education and abortion.

Reproductive justice is environmental justice. In order to make sure we leave room for wildlife, it's critical that every pregnancy is planned and that people have the ability to decide when — or if — they want their family to grow. When people have access to voluntary contraception and equal education, they tend to choose to delay childbearing and have smaller families, leading to lower fertility rates. The Center supports unfettered access to education, reproductive healthcare and gender equity for all. Every person should have the tools, information and autonomy to make the best reproductive choice for themselves and the planet.

Help support our cutting-edge work in the Population and Sustainability Program.

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overpopulation

How to stop overpopulation? 5 possible solutions to this growing issue

Author | Eduardo Bravo

There is one death every second and two births, according to commonly accepted calculations to estimate global population growth. This progression confirms the UN’s estimates, establishing that, by 2050, the world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons. The current world population of 7.7 billion will become 9.7 billion , a trend that is expected to continue in subsequent years, meaning the World’s population will reach around 11 billion by 2100.

What is overpopulation?

Although these figures are the undeniable result of the drop in infant mortality, increased life expectancy and advances in fertility treatments , the fact that this population growth is so rapid could lead to serious problems. For example, the sustainability of the biotope may be surpassed which, in ecology, is a territory or living space whose environmental conditions are adequate for a certain community of living beings to develop there.

Therefore, rapid population growth may lead to resources being insufficient to meet the requirements of the world’s inhabitants.

overpopulation-66

Can overpopulation be stopped?

In April 2019, the Commission on Population and Development held its session in New York, and one of the assignments was to analyze how the Program of Action agreed in the International Conference on Population and Development held in El Cairo in 1994, had been applied.

According to this commission, population growth could still be controlled and the situation could be reversed and a balance could be achieved between population and available resources. To do so, Member States would need to be involved in the Sustainable Development Goals and the development of specific actions.

5 solutions to overpopulation

Some measures that could be taken to control population growth according to the United Nations and other public and private entities are:

Empowering women

overpopulation-67

Gender equality should be a central theme of social, economic or environmental interventions carried out by governments, companies and civil society. This is the only way to allow women to manage their lives in an autonomous manner and to decide for themselves whether they want to continue studying, enter the labor market, form a family or have children.

Universal access to quality education

overpopulation-68

Although the topics may not appear to be related, controlling the population involves enjoying a good education. It is a fact that keeping girls in school makes them less likely to have children at a young age and, therefore, reduces the number of maternal deaths.

Family planning programs

Good sex education programs and the implementation of family planning programs that enable access to contraception, reduces the number of unwanted children and, therefore, improves the lives of members of the family unit, allowing them to optimize their resources and avoid situations of poverty, hunger or disease.

Implementing more efficient production methods

overpopulation-69

Investing in RD&I to develop production methods that improve the efficiency of human activities , will enable the number of natural resources required to meet the needs of the population to be reduced.

Controlling migration flows

overpopulation-70

Establishing programs that prevent indigenous peoples from having to leave their homes for work reasons or as a means of survival or due to armed conflicts, enables a more sustainable use of resources, prevents resource depletion and improves the lives of communities, from the moment it prevents families from being separated, alienation and depopulation.

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UN DESA Policy Brief No. 130: Why population growth matters for sustainable development

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Download the PDF

Introduction

We are living in an era of unprecedented population growth. Since the middle of the twentieth century, the world’s population has more than tripled in size, reaching almost 8 billion people in 2022 (figure 1). Projections by the United Nations suggest that the size of the global population could grow to almost 11 billion by around 2100. However, the pace of global growth has slowed considerably since around 1970, and the world’s population is expected to stabilize by the end of the century.

population growth problems solutions

The world’s poorest countries have some of the fastest growing populations: the population of low-income countries, located mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, is projected almost to double in size between 2020 and 2050, accounting for most of the global increase expected by the end of the century.

Population growth is both a cause and a symptom of slow progress in development

Sustained, rapid population growth adds to the challenge of achieving social and economic development and magnifies the scale of the investments and effort required to ensure that no one is left behind. Rapid population growth makes it more difficult for low-income and lower-middle-income countries to afford the increase in public expenditures on a per capita basis that is needed to eradicate poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, and ensure universal access to health care, education and other essential services.

Lack of autonomy and opportunity among women and girls can contribute to high fertility and rapid population growth. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially targets related to reproductive health, education and gender equality, requires empowering individuals to make informed choices.

population growth problems solutions

A sustained reduction in fertility opens a window of opportunity for economic growth

In addition to driving rapid population growth, continuing high levels of fertility in some regions have helped to maintain a relatively youthful global age distribution.

population growth problems solutions

A youthful population presents an opportunity for accelerated economic growth on a per capita basis, if countries where the population is growing rapidly achieve a substantial and sustained decline in the fertility level, leading to an increased concentration of the population in the working-age range. The increased share of population in the working ages can support an accelerated rise in income per capita, a phenomenon referred to as the “demographic dividend”.

population growth problems solutions

Changes in population trends alone will do little to resolve unsustainable patterns of resource use

Environmental damage often arises from economic processes that lead to higher standards of living for the population, especially when the full social and environmental costs, such as damage from pollution, are not factored into economic decisions about production and consumption.

population growth problems solutions

Moving the global economy towards greater sustainability will require a progressive decoupling of the growth in population and in economic activity from a further intensification of resource extraction, waste generation and environmental damage. Limiting climate change and global warming, for example, will require rapid progress in decoupling economic activity from the current overreliance on fossil fuels.

To end poverty and hunger, achieve the SDGs related to health, education and access to decent work, and build the capacity to address environmental challenges, the economies of low-income and lower-middle-income countries need to grow much more rapidly than their populations, requiring greatly expanded investments in infrastructure as well as increased access to affordable energy and modern technology in all sectors. Wealthy countries and the international community can help to ensure that these countries receive the necessary technical and financial assistance so that their economies can grow using technologies that will minimize future greenhouse gas emissions.

A path towards a more sustainable future requires demographic foresight, which involves anticipating the nature and consequences of major population shifts before and while they occur and adopting forward-looking and proactive planning guided by such analysis. In working to achieve sustainable patterns of consumption and production and to reduce the impacts of human activity on the environment, it is important to recognize that plausible future trajectories of world population lie within a relatively narrow range, especially in the short or medium term. Over the next 30 or 40 years, a slowdown in global population growth that is substantially faster than anticipated in the United Nations projections seems highly unlikely. Even though the pace of global population growth will continue to decline in the coming decades, world population is likely to be between 20 and 30 per cent larger in 2050 than in 2020.

Achieving sustainability, therefore, will depend critically on humanity’s capacity and willingness to increase resource efficiency in consumption and production and to decouple economic growth from damage to the environment, with high-income and upper-middle-income countries taking responsibility and leading by example.

Global Carbon Project (2021). Supplemental data of Global Carbon Budget 2021 (Version 1.0) Dataset. Available at https://icos-cp.eu/science-andimpact/global-carbon-budget/2021 .

Ritchie, Hannah, and others (2021). Our World in Data. CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions dataset. Available at https://github.com/owid/co2-data Accessed on 7 November 2021.

United Nations (2019). World Population Prospects 2019, Online Edition. Available at https://population.un.org/wpp/ . Accessed on 15 October 2020.

United Nations (2020). SDG Indicators Global Database. Available at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/indicators/database/ . Accessed on 15 June 2020.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (2020). Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 4. Available at http://data.uis.unesco.org/ . Accessed on 1 July 2020.

Authors: John Wilmoth, Clare Menozzi and Lina Bassarsky, Population Division, UN DESA.

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Arial of wooded area and a city scape meeting each other. The dramatic contrast of nature and urban area is shocking.

With a global community of 8 billion people , we need a more equitable, flourishing world for all people and all ecosystems. As we look to write the script for our future, we focus on solutions that touch us all. Our goal is to help create the conditions for population growth to stop naturally and of its own accord, as soon as possible, while simultaneously improving the health and wellbeing of people today.

Two Crises, One Solution

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8 Billion Opportunities

The world’s population reached 8 billion people in 2022. PMC used this opportunity to draw global attention to the social and environmental power of prioritizing health, education, and equity for all.

Population FAQs

Why work on population.

Population Media Center (PMC) understands that the population issue is nested within a much larger, much more profound problem: the overexploitation of the Earth by humanity, also known as ecological overshoot. We can see the symptoms of this overshoot everywhere we look, from climate change, to species extinctions, to ocean acidification, to any number of poorly performing environmental health indicators. It all relates back to collective overexploitation of Earth by humans.

The truth is that if humans were ethereal beings, who had no impact on the natural systems they are a part of, then there would be no problem with any number of people on the planet. Our concerns about population size and growth are rooted in our commitment to the long-term wellbeing of humanity, the health and integrity of Earth’s ecosystems, and the rights of other species to live freely and prosperously. We love people and planet and want the best possible life for everyone.

How We Work on Population

Using our theory-driven, progressively oriented entertainment programs, we focus our work to improve the rights and status of women and girls across several important human development domains. We specialize in improving reproductive health, reproductive autonomy, and women’s and girl’s social status and self-determination. This is the heart of our commitment to helping population growth stop. By realizing women’s and girl’s human rights.

Within that framework, we work to destigmatize voluntary family planning, correct misinformation about the safety and efficacy of modern contraception, dismantle patriarchal opposition to contraception, and educate parents about the many health and economic benefits of smaller families.

How many people are currently on the planet?

There are approximately 8 billion people on the planet. Globally, we add more than 66 million people every year. That is more than 183,000 people every day, more than 7,636 people per hour, and 127 people every minute. Each person needs — and deserves — sufficient land, water, shelter, food, and energy for a decent life.

What is the ideal world population?

At Population Media Center, we do not prescribe an ideal number for world population, but we do believe that it is a mathematical certainty that the planet and its resources cannot support continual population growth. As human populations grow, human demands for resources like water, land, trees, and energy also grow. Globally, over 183,000 people are added every day — each needs and deserves sufficient land, water, shelter, food, and energy for a decent life. We believe that if the full rights of women and girls are realized – population dynamics will change, thereby improving the health and prosperity of individuals, families, and the sustainability of the planet.

Does PMC align with the Sustainable Development Goals and other international development agreements?

Absolutely. The Sustainable Development Goals and other international development initiatives are critical to our thinking and our work. In particular, we advance:

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, specifically its call to meet the unmet needs in good quality family planning services and in contraception, and to increase knowledge and use of family planning and contraceptive methods — as well as increasing awareness among men of their responsibility in family planning and contraceptive methods and their use.
  • Family Planning 2030’s vision for change, including “Voluntary modern contraceptive use by everyone who wants it, achieved through individuals’ informed choice and agency.”
  • The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) motion titled “Importance for the conservation of nature of removing barriers to rights-based voluntary family planning.”

Working on Population ethically

Horrific human rights abuses have been done in the name of “population.” At Population Media Center, we do not try to “limit” or “control” population. We work against oppressive practices like gender inequity, low rates of girls’ education, gender-based violence, and child marriage. After all, any practices that rob women of social power and self-determination raise global fertility. We also destigmatize voluntary family planning, correcting misinformation about modern contraception, dismantling patriarchal dominance, and educating parents about the health and economic benefits of smaller families.

Download the Overpopulation: Cause and Effect Infographic

Every action counts.

To write the script for the future of Earth, we are addressing harmful social norms and empowering choices for women and girls, resulting in healthier populations. Our transformative storytelling approach gives women the ability to make their own choices, including deciding if and when to have children. Storylines written by local creative teams focus on destigmatizing family planning, correcting misconceptions about the safety and efficiency of modern contraception, and educating parents about the many health and economic benefits of smaller families.

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From the blog, overpopulation: cause and effect.

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population growth problems solutions

PMC President Published: GLOBAL POPULATION ABOUT TO HIT 8 BILLION

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Are we preparing for world population growth? The experts are divided

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Increasing populations could cause problems according to some researchers. Image:  Cory Schadt/Unsplash

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Listen to the article

  • Nearly 11 billion people will be on Earth by the end of the century, the United Nations says.
  • But a new study suggests that’s no longer the most likely scenario and forecasts a peak just after mid-century and then a decline.
  • The University of Washington says the world population will fall in the last third of this century to 8.8 billion in 2100.
  • Understanding how populations could evolve matters because it affects the strategies put in place by global governments and industries.

Overpopulation is a concept that’s hovered over the Earth’s future for some time.

It has inspired many works, including Stephen Emmott’s 10 Billion , which outlines a future of food shortages, energy wars and civil conflict.

But what if studies invoking concerns about a fast-rising world population were wrong? That could be the case, according to The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which challenges the assumptions behind predictions for continued growth and says a declining and ageing population will be key future challenges .

That sets it at odds with the United Nations which predicts that the global population will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace, and will reach 10.9 billion in 2100, up from around 7.7 billion people in 2019.

Have you read?

Bye, bye, baby birthrates are declining globally – here's why it matters, africa’s population will triple by the end of the century even as the rest of the world shrinks, this is how to sustainably feed 10 billion people by 2050, why do these predictions matter.

Understanding how populations could evolve matters because future population sizes underpin future strategies for governments and industries around the world; they need to plan for key investments in infrastructure or goals for international development and carbon emission reductions. A decline, instead of an increase, would have many implications.

“Our forecasts for a shrinking world population have positive implications for the environment, climate change, and food production,” the researchers, led by Professor Stein Emil Vollset, wrote. “But possible negative implications for labour forces, economic growth, and social support systems.”

How do the world population predictions vary?

Population boom and bust?

The world population may peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion and then decline to around 8.8 billion by 2100, the University of Washington researchers wrote in The Lancet.

Total world population from 2010 to 2020.

There is a global myth that productivity declines as workers age. In fact, including older workers is an untapped source for growth.

The world has entered a new phase of demographic development where people are living longer and healthier lives. As government pension schemes are generally ill-equipped to manage this change, insurers and other private-sector stakeholders have an opportunity to step in.

The World Economic Forum, along with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and AARP , have created a learning collaborative with over 50 global employers including AIG, Allianz, Aegon, Home Instead, Invesco and Mercer. These companies represent over two million employees and $1 trillion in annual revenue.

Learn more in our impact story .

The UN’s prediction of 10.9 billion by 2100 is based, at least in part, on “the unprecedented ageing of the world’s population”, as well as “rapid population growth driven by high fertility” in some countries and regions.

Whereas, the University of Washington’s researchers argue that a population decline will be linked to the attainment of developmental goals, for example the education of women and girls and their access to contraception.

“The different outcomes reflect the uncertainty in making projections over such a long time period,” says Leontine Alkema, a statistical modeller at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, discussing discrepancies in population data for a Nature article .

“It’s kind of an impossible exercise and so we do the best we can and it’s good that different groups use different approaches.”

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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Population Matters

Human population has grown beyond Earth’s sustainable means. We are consuming more resources than our planet can regenerate, with devastating consequences.

Why population matters

All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder — and ultimately impossible — to solve with ever more people. Sir David Attenborough, Population Matters patron

It took humanity 200,000 years to reach one billion and only 200 years to reach seven billion. We are still adding an extra 80 million each year and are headed towards 10 billion by mid-century. 

Enviromental-indicators-and-population-no-logo

We have to address overpopulation

More people inevitably put more demands on the planet. More people require more food, water, sanitation, homes, public services, and amenities – but our Earth is struggling to cope. Populations of wild species have plummeted, global temperatures are rising, our seas are full of plastic and forests are disappearing.

Humans are directly responsible for the sixth mass extinction and the  climate crisis , the most serious environmental threats our planet has ever faced. 

In the rich world, we consume at astronomical and unsustainable levels . That cannot continue, and we must change our behaviour. Today, a child born in the US will produce 24 times more consumption carbon emissions per year than one born in Nigeria.

Addressing how people consume is not enough, however. We are already using the resources of more than one-and-a-half planets. Everyone has the right to a good quality of life and with increasing global affluence, the collective impact of billions more of us will increase even further. This is why we cannot ignore population.

Together, we can do something about it

The UN’s projections show that very small changes in the size of families across the globe make an enormous difference – between a population of 7 billion and an unthinkable 16 billion by the end of the century.

We can achieve a sustainable global population when communities, governments and organisations take action to enable people to choose smaller families through women’s empowerment and easy access to high quality education and family planning. By doing so, we can ensure that, in the future, everyone can have a decent standard of living on a healthy planet.

Population Matters is putting population on the global agenda, bringing the issue to an international audience through our campaigning , education and research.

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population growth problems solutions

By the end of this century there could be billions more of us on our one planet. Find out about the numbers and what they mean for our future.

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Ending population growth can be achieved through positive, empowering, choice-based actions which improve people’s lives and bring multiple other benefits.

Mythbusting

population growth problems solutions

There are many misconceptions about population – what the numbers say, what the impact is, and what population campaigners want to do about it. We look at some of the common myths – and provide the answers.

Resource hub

population growth problems solutions

Population Matters has been conducting research and producing briefings and government submissions for more than 20 years. You can use this page to find resources on a wide variety of…

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Latest news You can also browse upcoming events.

population growth problems solutions

To achieve a sustainable global population, people need to be empowered, informed and persuaded. Our campaigns are intended to bring about vital changes that make a real difference. Find out more about what we’re doing, and how you can help.

Do you want to find out more about our important work? Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with all things population and consumption.

The Solution To Population Growth: 7 Mitigation Strategies

solution to population growth - biotrux

As Earth’s population continues to climb, it’s essential that we start to look for practical solutions to manage population growth. After all, our planet is a finite resource, and when it comes to human beings, the more of us there are, the greater the strain on our shared environment. 

But how can we begin to address this key issue? The answer lies in simple and effective strategies, which I will outline. 

From improving education to managing migration flows, this list provides a concise overview of practical solutions for managing population growth responsibly.

So let’s dive in and explore what mitigating population growth looks like – and how you can help make a difference.

1. Education and Empowerment

Education and empowerment represent a practical solution to the challenge of population growth. When people are educated and empowered, they understand their place in the world. They also make decisions to ensure it is safe and secure for future generations.

Additionally, giving early girl child education increases their ability to make decisions about their bodies and further empowers them in their daily lives. With increased knowledge comes increased responsibility. 

Hence, teaching men and women to take charge of their reproductive health is key to impacting population growth. It also helps to create economic opportunities, reducing poverty and inequality – two major drivers of population growth. 

We cannot ignore education and empowerment’s vital role in tackling this real problem. Our collective efforts can slow population growth and ensure all citizens can access equitable education, economic stability, and civil rights.

2. Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services

Family planning and reproductive health systems - biotrux

The world’s population is growing at an alarming pace. Left unchecked, it will become increasingly difficult for humanity to sustain itself in the future. The only way to prevent this is to start now – and that’s where family planning and reproductive health services come in. 

With these services, individuals can make informed decisions about when and if to have children, leading to healthier families and communities.

Family planning and reproductive health services also provide education on safe sexual practices, access to contraceptive use, and other topics related to sexual health. These topics are often overlooked in traditional health settings.

This knowledge empowers couples to decide when and if they want to have children and gives them choices regarding their health and fertility. Population growth is an issue that affects us all, and family planning and reproductive Health Services are sensible and practical solutions. 

3. Control of Migration Flows

We must take action to control population growth by controlling the influx of people into our country – for the sake of our planet. This is not about denying anyone their right to a decent life but protecting our future. 

We must choose solutions that will benefit the world in the long run – not just now but for future generations. This means enforcing strict rules on who can enter the country and when they can stay and increasing efforts to support and integrate those already here. 

Migration flows can be regulated through sensible legislation and measures such as quotas, visas, and border walls. In doing so, we can ensure that society has room to grow while protecting the environment from overpopulation. 

We must act now to balance humans and our shared Earth safely. It is our responsibility to put this into action – for our good and the good of future generations.

4. Urban Planning and Infrastructure

The cities of tomorrow are exciting, but they’re made possible only by smart urban planning and infrastructure decisions. As the global population grows, cities must use the available resources.

This means efficient public transportation systems, sustainable energy production, and equitable resource distribution for thriving communities. By investing in these areas, urban centers can ensure a safe, prosperous future for all who inhabit them.

In a world where populations are quickly reaching their peak, we must be wise with our resources and thoughtful in our plans. Urban planning is the key to creating cities that last. 

With the right blueprint, combined with the passion and dedication of its citizens, our cities will become the lifeblood of society. This will provide stability and prosperity in an ever-increasingly competitive world.

5. Implementation of Renewable and Efficient Production Methods

As the world’s population grows, so will its appetite for energy, food, and other resources. To sustainably meet these needs, it is essential to expand current production methods in an efficient and renewable manner. 

Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, can provide electricity for all and reduce our reliance on non-renewable sources, such as coal and oil. 

Efficient production techniques, such as using fewer resources or recycled materials, can similarly help promote sustainability while still meeting growing population demands. 

Implementing such measures now can lay the groundwork for a more sustainable future. This will ensure that future generations can enjoy access to resources without compromising the planet.

6. Encouraging the Sustainable Living

Population growth is a pressing global concern, but it is a problem that can be solved with smart, sustainable solutions. Encouraging individuals and communities to adopt sustainable living practices is one of the most effective ways to address population growth. 

This includes reducing energy consumption, conserving water, preventing pollution and waste, engaging in regenerative agriculture, and promoting efficient transportation systems. We can reduce our ecological footprint by encouraging these practices and providing education on their importance. 

We can also create more sustainable lifestyles for the environment and future generations. Sustainable living has immediate benefits in reducing population growth and helps ensure that our vital resources will remain available long into the future.

7. Government Policies and Incentives

As the global population continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, governments worldwide are looking for ways to manage this growth sustainably. One potential solution is implementing policies and incentives to encourage people to consider future generations. 

For example, governments can incentivize family planning by providing education and access to contraceptives and offering financial benefits to those who choose fewer children. In addition, educational initiatives can be implemented to improve awareness of the effects of overpopulation. 

At the same time, economic policies such as job subsidies and tax breaks can be used to reduce fertility rates. By adopting such measures, governments can ensure that population growth is managed sustainably and with consideration for the long-term needs of future generations.

Why are education and women’s empowerment important in addressing population growth?

Education and women’s empowerment are correlated with lower birth rates. Educated women are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, have smaller families, and have greater control over their reproductive health. 

What is population growth a serious concern?

Population growth refers to an increase in individuals living in a particular area. It is a concern because it strains resources, such as food, water, and energy, and can lead to environmental degradation, economic instability, and social unrest.

Is immigration a viable solution to population growth?

Immigration can be the answer (in some cases) to population growth to combat declining birth rates and an aging population. But let us remember that it must be managed properly and carefully.

Immigration policies must ensure such benefits are not just taken from one place and moving it elsewhere but benefit all nations and regions democratically.

Final Thoughts

It is absolutely clear that population growth needs to be addressed and well-managed if we are going to have any hope for a sustainable future. Thankfully, the strategies listed here provide much-needed solutions that will help us meet this challenge head-on. 

Today, we can take the necessary steps to ensure our planet’s future remains secure and prosperous. Above all, we must never forget that we are responsible for what we do or do not do to ensure that population growth does not exceed a catastrophic level. 

A sustainable future is within our grasp: let’s grab it now and take positive action. Want to get started? Here’s how to begin advocating for the environment . 

Thanks for reading.

You may also like:

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  • Is Urbanization Bad For The Environment: Mitigation Strategies, Positive and Negative Impacts
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We’ve worried about overpopulation for centuries. And we’ve always been wrong.

Earth’s population trends, explained.

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population growth problems solutions

For nearly all of human history, there haven’t been that many of us. Around the year zero, Earth’s population is estimated to have been 190 million . A thousand years later, it was probably around 250 million.

Then the Industrial Revolution happened, and human population went into overdrive. It took hundreds of thousands of years for humans to hit the 1 billion mark, in 1800. We added the next billion by 1928. In 1960, we hit 3 billion. In 1975, 4 billion.

That sounds like the route to an overpopulation apocalypse, right? To many midcentury demographers, futurists, and science fiction writers, it certainly predicted one . Extending the timeline, they saw a nightmarish future ahead for humanity: human civilizations constantly on the brink of starvation, desperately crowded under horrendous conditions, draconian population control laws imposed worldwide.

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Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich wrote in his best-selling 1968 book The Population Bomb , “In the 1970’s, hundreds of millions of people will starve to death” because of overpopulation. (Later editions modified the sentence to read “In the 1980’s.”)

None of that ever came to pass.

The world we live in now, despite approaching a population of nearly 8 billion, looks almost nothing like the one doomsayers were anticipating. Starting in the 19th century in Britain and reaching most of the world by the end of the 20th century, birthrates plummeted — mostly because of women’s education and access to contraception, not draconian population laws.

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population growth problems solutions

In wealthy societies where women have opportunities outside the home, the average family size is small; in fact, it’s below replacement level (that is, on average, each set of two parents has fewer than two children, so the population shrinks over time). Called the demographic transition, it is one of the most important phenomena for understanding trends in global development.

There’s still significant debate among population researchers about the extent of the sea change in population trends. Researchers disagree on whether global populations are currently on track to start declining by midcentury. There’s also disagreement on what the ideal global population figure would be, or whether it’s morally acceptable to aim for such a figure.

While academic research seeks to nail down these questions, it’s important to be clear what is consensus among researchers. All around the world, birthrates are declining rapidly. Global population growth has been slowing since the 1960s, and global population will almost certainly start to decline. The world is absolutely not, as is sometimes claimed , on track to have 14 billion people by 2100.

Our projections around population are used to make global health and development policy. They’re critical for planning, especially about climate change. Fears of overpopulation sometimes turn into hostility to immigrants, those who choose to have large families, and countries in an earlier stage of their population transition. Having an informed conversation about population is crucial if we are to get humanity’s future right.

How we figure out population trends

There are about 7.7 billion people alive today. But that number’s not as certain as you might think.

To understand why, you just have to think about the US census. The federal government is mandated by the Constitution to conduct a count of its population every 10 years. It is a big, industrialized country with modern technology and lots of resources. In 2010, it is estimated that our count of our nation of 300 million - plus was off by only about 36,000 people — or only 0.01 percent . That’s pretty good (if researchers’ estimate of the errors is reliable)! But that decent overall count masks some bigger errors: The same analysis estimates the black population was undercounted by 2 percent .

population growth problems solutions

In many parts of the world, population data is much less reliable. Countries can have incentives both to overcount (in regions vying to demonstrate increased need for aid, say) and undercount their populations (perhaps to disfavor a disliked minority group). Even without any efforts to manipulate the numbers, it’s expensive and challenging to accurately estimate populations.

If estimating populations is hard, estimating population trends is much harder. The demographers who estimated a ruinous, extremely fast growth trajectory were wrong, but how could they have known that the trend they were observing was about to reverse?

Today, it’s still challenging to confidently estimate population sizes. But some organizations and institutions have done surprisingly well.

The United Nations publishes an estimate annually of the most likely population trend and then “high” and “low” fertility scenarios. These reports have turned out to be surprisingly accurate.

Since the UN has been making population projections since 1950, and since it publishes revisions and corrections to those projections over time, we can compare its initial estimates to the revisions and corrections. Researcher Nico Keilman did that, and found that the UN has an impressively accurate track record at population predictions. Their estimates of world population by 1990, published in 1950, were off by about 12 percent.

They quickly got better: By 1960, those estimates were off by only about 2 percent. Since then, the UN has pegged global population growth rates pretty precisely. Here’s a graph of real population growth over time, compared to population growth as the UN projected it:

A chart showing projections of world population have stayed within a narrow band.

So up to the present day, the UN has been highly reliable in predicting global population trends. Its prediction now is that the world population will continue to increase until 2100, when it will peak at 11.2 billion and then start declining.

Some experts don’t buy the UN’s estimates

Nonetheless, they have their critics. Other analysts have argued that fertility will in fact fall more dramatically than the UN estimates even in its “low-fertility scenarios.” One such critic is Norwegian academic Jorgan Randers , who studies climate strategy. “The world population will never reach nine billion people,” he has claimed . “It will peak at 8 billion in 2040, and then decline.”

Demographers at Vienna’s International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis agree: They’ve estimated the population will stabilize by midcentury and then decline . These models expect fertility in low-income countries to fall faster than the UN projects it will.

Some of the differences are simply methodological. How the fastest-growing countries in the world are modeled has a huge impact on how global population models come out overall, so small differences in expectations in those countries can significantly shift overall results.

But much of the difference in projections may be rooted in disagreement over another question: how many people the world can handle. Adherents to lower-population models often call the UN projections “ apocalyptic ” — fearing that they’d make climate change impossible to manage. Demographer Wolfram Lutz has characterized the UN’s model as the “population explosion” model (even though it projects a leveling off and declining population). Many of them have turned away from what they perceive as excessively “pessimistic” models toward ones that project a much faster-declining human population.

The challenges the pessimists anticipate aren’t imaginary. With our current technology, of course, we don’t know how to provide 11 billion people a good standard of living sustainably. But technology — including green and sustainable technology — has been rapidly improving for a long time. The year 2100 is more than 80 years from now, and almost all the technology that we have today to make civilization sustainable sounded like wild science fiction 80 years ago.

A global population peaking at 11 billion need not be an apocalypse or cause for pessimism, but it does pose challenges that we’ll need to rise to.

While the UN deserves a lot of credit for how accurate they’ve been so far, past performance is obviously no guarantee of future accuracy. There’s room for their estimates to be importantly wrong in the future — in either direction.

It’s fairly straightforward to accurately predict the population in 20 years just by assuming that existing trends will continue. It’s much harder to predict sea changes in habits around the world. If, for example, climate change drives currently developed countries back into poverty and drives their birthrates back up, the estimates are poorly equipped to account for that. On the other hand, if more reliable contraceptives are developed and virtually end unintended pregnancies the world over, birthrates could fall much faster than predicted.

Nonetheless, this disagreement obscures a lot of agreement. Randers might call the UN estimates “apocalyptic,” but they’re incredibly optimistic compared to estimates at midcentury. Everyone now agrees that without any totalitarian or coercive measures, populations will start declining; the big disagreement is simply when.

It was not at all obvious that the world would turn out this way, and it’s tremendously significant that it has. It implies both good things — that coercive population controls will never be necessary — and concerning ones, like that societies will age and have a shrinking workforce. But on the whole, we are much better positioned for sustainable growth than it looked in 1950, and the fall in rich-country birthrates is why.

Demographic transition, explained

The big thing we know now about population that was unclear in the mid-20th century is something called the “demographic transition.” In its simplest form, it’s the principle that when societies get wealthy and child mortality falls, people tend to start having less children.

The connection between societies growing wealthier and people desiring smaller families is pretty straightforward. In richer societies, people do not need their kids to do labor and support the family, and they typically invest money and other resources in their kids, to give them the best shot possible at a decent life.

The connection between drops in child mortality and smaller desired family sizes is less obvious. Indeed, at first, when child mortality falls, the population shoots up, as people are still having lots of kids, but more of them survive to adulthood.

That produces a rapid increase in population. That was the state of the world in the 1960s, and some parts of the world are still in that state now. But then, overall growth rates started to fall.

Let’s pull back here and get into the weeds a bit. Demographers think of this process as occurring in five stages. First, birthrates are high but so are death rates, and the population is low but stable (when child mortality is high, people have lots of children to reduce uncertainty). Then, in the second stage, technology helps more kids survive to adulthood. Birthrates remain high, and the population grows rapidly: for one or two generations.

In the third stage, birthrates start to decline, driven by increased certainty about children’s survival, women’s rights, the dynamics of rich economies (where children are no longer an economic asset), and other factors. In the fourth stage, birthrates fall and the population stabilizes. It’s a little unclear where we’ll go from there (in the fifth stage): Populations might shrink due to below-replacement reproduction, or stabilize, or slowly grow.

population growth problems solutions

What does this demographic transition look like in action? In the US in 1900, the average woman had 3.85 children , and 0.89 children died before age 5 (the child mortality rate was 20 percent), leaving three surviving children on average. Today, the average woman has 1.9 children , with an 0.7 percent child mortality rate.

People used to think that ending child mortality would lead to a dramatic swell in global populations, and it does, in Stage 2 of the above chart, where death rates fall and birthrates remain high. But then in every country yet studied, birthrates eventually end up falling too.

Some of the best research into the demographic transition was published in 1989 by British researchers Anthony Wrigley and Roger Schofield. As the first country to have the Industrial Revolution, Britain was the first to have the demographic transition. Thanks to the state church, Britain also had unusually good birth and death records.

Here’s how the demographic transition looked in Britain:

population growth problems solutions

Today, most developed countries have joined Britain on the right end of that graph, with low birthrates and low death rates. Other countries, like Niger and Mali, are still in the middle stage, where death rates are falling but birthrates haven’t yet followed suit.

That adds up to an overall global trend of a population that is still increasing, but it is increasing more slowly than ever.

It’s a reality that hasn’t quite penetrated public consciousness yet. Public conversations are often still consumed by fear that the population is spiraling beyond what the world can support.

The popular 2013 environmentalist book Ten Billion reports still-growing population numbers without discussing the underlying trends towards leveling off and then falling, and concludes, “Every which way you look at it, a planet of 10 billion looks like a nightmare.” Widely published excerpts don’t mention that the population is expected to start falling again either before or shortly after that “nightmare” milestone is reached.

Articles about population growth sometimes mention when we’re expected to hit 9 billion or 10 billion, and then ask, “So is it time for all countries to turn to drastic population control in order to sustain life on Earth, or is it a violation of human rights, no matter what?” without mentioning that populations are expected to decline on their own, no coercion required.

It’s a fear that sometimes has racial and xenophobic components: European white nationalists spread panic over declining white birthrates, while others express fears that poor populations, still growing, will crowd out rich ones. But birthrates are declining in poor countries, too, and look likely to continue to do so as they rapidly get richer. The trend that reached Europe first has since swept the rest of the world and shows no signs of stopping.

Calls to have few or no children to fight climate change are common , with prominent figures such as Miley Cyrus and Prince Harry endorsing them. The underlying assumption is often that we’re on a runaway path to an exploding population. This misses a couple of key facts about population trends: First, the population will decline even if everyone who wants children has them.

Second, opposing children is not a good way to fight climate change. As Lyman Stone wrote for Vox, big changes in how the developed world produces power are what’s needed, and they matter dramatically more than population does. “Lowering US carbon intensity by about a third, to around the level of manufacturing-superpower Germany today, has a bigger effect than preventing 100 million Americans from existing,” Stone argued .

In other words, if we don’t transition to better energy sources, we’re doomed no matter how much we shrink our numbers, and if we do, we could actually sustain a significantly increased population.

What we think we know about population growth in the upcoming century

There’s a lot of agreement between the UN and its critics when it comes to population forecasts. Both sides agree that fertility rates fall as countries get richer, and that even the poorest countries in the world are rapidly getting richer. Both agree that population will peak, and then start to decline.

Both agree that we’re not yet at the peak, but that the Earth’s population will never again double, barring some dramatic technological or cultural shift that fundamentally changes how humans live. Under a wide range of estimates, birthrates will remain below replacement in rich countries, and poor countries will continue to get wealthier and to have fertility patterns that are more similar to those in wealthy countries.

As for their disagreements, they’ll be resolved by the real-world data soon enough. For the UN’s mainline estimate of how these trends will continue into the future, it assumes that these trends will continue at approximately the pace they’ve kept through the past several decades.

Here is the 2019 UN population forecast:

population growth problems solutions

The red lines reflect the UN’s predicted trajectories; the UN is 95 percent confident that population will fall between the two dotted red lines. The lower side of 95 percent confidence interval has global population peaking in 2070 and falling slowly from there; the upper side has population approaching 13 billion and still increasing in 2100.

The blue lines reflect the UN’s projection of how population numbers would shake out if birthrates were 0.5 children higher or lower. The total global birthrate is 2.4 births per woman today. The lower blue line is closest to the trajectory argued for by the European researchers who consider the UN pessimistic; it shows population peaking around 2050 and falling from there.

Under the mainline UN estimates, global population will grow for the rest of this century, but slowly, and this will be the last century with a growing population. The UN has an impressive track record in this area, but some European analysis groups think that the UN is estimating fertility that’s higher than realistic, and that population numbers will fall much sooner. It should be clear by 2030 who is correct.

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Understanding Global Change

Discover why the climate and environment changes, your place in the Earth system, and paths to a resilient future.

Population growth

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Population growth is the increase in the number of humans on Earth. For most of human history our population size was relatively stable. But with innovation and industrialization, energy, food , water , and medical care became more available and reliable. Consequently, global human population rapidly increased, and continues to do so, with dramatic impacts on global climate and ecosystems. We will need technological and social innovation to help us support the world’s population as we adapt to and mitigate climate and environmental changes.

population growth problems solutions

World human population growth from 10,000 BC to 2019 AD. Data from: The United Nations

Human population growth impacts the Earth system in a variety of ways, including:

  • Increasing the extraction of resources from the environment. These resources include fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), minerals, trees , water , and wildlife , especially in the oceans. The process of removing resources, in turn, often releases pollutants and waste that reduce air and water quality , and harm the health of humans and other species.
  • Increasing the burning of fossil fuels for energy to generate electricity, and to power transportation (for example, cars and planes) and industrial processes.
  • Increase in freshwater use for drinking, agriculture , recreation, and industrial processes. Freshwater is extracted from lakes, rivers, the ground, and man-made reservoirs.
  • Increasing ecological impacts on environments. Forests and other habitats are disturbed or destroyed to construct urban areas including the construction of homes, businesses, and roads to accommodate growing populations. Additionally, as populations increase, more land is used for agricultural activities to grow crops and support livestock. This, in turn, can decrease species populations , geographic ranges , biodiversity , and alter interactions among organisms.
  • Increasing fishing and hunting , which reduces species populations of the exploited species. Fishing and hunting can also indirectly increase numbers of species that are not fished or hunted if more resources become available for the species that remain in the ecosystem.
  • Increasing the transport of invasive species , either intentionally or by accident, as people travel and import and export supplies. Urbanization also creates disturbed environments where invasive species often thrive and outcompete native species. For example, many invasive plant species thrive along strips of land next to roads and highways.
  • The transmission of diseases . Humans living in densely populated areas can rapidly spread diseases within and among populations. Additionally, because transportation has become easier and more frequent, diseases can spread quickly to new regions.

Can you think of additional cause and effect relationships between human population growth and other parts of the Earth system?

Visit the burning of fossil fuels , agricultural activities , and urbanization pages to learn more about how processes and phenomena related to the size and distribution of human populations affect global climate and ecosystems.

Investigate

Learn more in these real-world examples, and challenge yourself to  construct a model  that explains the Earth system relationships.

  • The Ecology of Human Populations: Thomas Malthus
  • A Pleistocene Puzzle: Extinction in South America

Links to Learn More

  • United Nations World Population Maps
  • Scientific American: Does Population Growth Impact Climate Change?

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7.6: Population Growth and the Logistic Equation

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  • Matthew Boelkins, David Austin & Steven Schlicker
  • Grand Valley State University via ScholarWorks @Grand Valley State University

Learning Objectives

In this section, we strive to understand the ideas generated by the following important questions:

  • How can we use differential equations to realistically model the growth of a population?
  • How can we assess the accuracy of our models?

The growth of the earth’s population is one of the pressing issues of our time. Will the population continue to grow? Or will it perhaps level off at some point, and if so, when? In this section, we will look at two ways in which we may use differential equations to help us address questions such as these. Before we begin, let’s consider again two important differential equations that we have seen in earlier work this chapter.

Preview Activity \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Recall that one model for population growth states that a population grows at a rate proportional to its size.

  • We begin with the differential equation \[\dfrac{dP}{dt} = \dfrac{1}{2} P. \label{1}\] Sketch a slope field below as well as a few typical solutions on the axes provided.
  • Find all equilibrium solutions of Equation \( \ref{1}\) and classify them as stable or unstable.
  • If \(P(0)\) is positive, describe the long-term behavior of the solution to Equation \( \ref{1}\).
  • Let’s now consider a modified differential equation given by \[\dfrac{dP}{dt} = \dfrac{1}{2} P(3 − P). \nonumber\] As before, sketch a slope field as well as a few typical solutions on the following axes provided.
  • Find any equilibrium solutions and classify them as stable or unstable.
  • If \(P(0)\) is positive, describe the long-term behavior of the solution.

alt

The Earth’s Population

We will now begin studying the earth’s population. To get started, here are some data for the earth’s population in recent years that we will use in our investigations.

Activity \(\PageIndex{1}\): Growth Dynamics

Our first model will be based on the following assumption:

The rate of change of the population is proportional to the population.

On the face of it, this seems pretty reasonable. When there is a relatively small number of people, there will be fewer births and deaths so the rate of change will be small. When there is a larger number of people, there will be more births and deaths so we expect a larger rate of change. If \(P(t)\) is the population \(t\) years after the year 2000, we may express this assumption as \[\dfrac{dP}{ dt} = kP \label{eq2}\]

where \(k\) is a constant of proportionality.

  • Use the data in the table to estimate the derivative \(P'(0)\) using a central difference. Assume that \(t = 0\) corresponds to the year 2000.
  • What is the population \(P(0)\)?
  • Use these two facts to estimate the constant of proportionality \(k \)in the differential equation.
  • Now that we know the value of \(k\), we have the initial value problem of Equation \( \ref{eq2}\) with \(P(0) = 6.084\). Find the solution to this initial value problem.
  • What does your solution predict for the population in the year 2010? Is this close to the actual population given in the table?
  • When does your solution predict that the population will reach 12 billion?
  • What does your solution predict for the population in the year 2500?
  • Do you think this is a reasonable model for the earth’s population? Why or why not? Explain your thinking using a couple of complete sentences.

Our work in Activity \(\PageIndex{1}\) shows that that the exponential model is fairly accurate for years relatively close to 2000. However, if we go too far into the future, the model predicts increasingly large rates of change, which causes the population to grow arbitrarily large. This does not make much sense since it is unrealistic to expect that the earth would be able to support such a large population.

The constant \(k\) in the differential equation has an important interpretation. Let’s rewrite the differential equation

\(\dfrac{dP}{dt} = kP\)

by solving for \(k\), so that we have

\(k = \dfrac{\dfrac{dP}{dt}}{ P}.\)

Viewed in this light, \(k\) is the ratio of the rate of change to the population; in other words, it is the contribution to the rate of change from a single person. We call this the per capita growth rate .

In the exponential model we introduced in Activity \(\PageIndex{1}\), the per capita growth rate is constant. In particular, we are assuming that when the population is large, the per capita growth rate is the same as when the population is small. It is natural to think that the per capita growth rate should decrease when the population becomes large, since there will not be enough resources to support so many people. In other words, we expect that a more realistic model would hold if we assume that the per capita growth rate depends on the population P. In the previous activity, we computed the per capita growth rate in a single year by computing \(k\), the quotient of \(\frac{dP}{dt}\) and \(P\) (which we did for \(t = 0\)). If we return data and compute the per capita growth rate over a range of years, we generate the data shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\), which shows how the per capita growth rate is a function of the population, \(P\).

alt

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A plot of per capita growth rate vs. population P.

From the data, we see that the per capita growth rate appears to decrease as the population increases. In fact, the points seem to lie very close to a line, which is shown at two different scales in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\).

alt

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): The line that approximates per capita growth as a function of population, P.

Looking at this line carefully, we can find its equation to be

\(\dfrac{\dfrac{dP}{dt}}{ P} = 0.025 − 0.002P.\)

If we multiply both sides by \(P\), we arrive at the differential equation

\[\dfrac{dP}{ dt} = P(0.025 − 0.002P). \label{log}\]

Graphing the dependence of \(\frac{dP}{dt}\) on the population \(P\), we see that this differential equation demonstrates a quadratic relationship between \(\frac{dP}{dt}\) and \(P\), as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\).

alt

Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): A plot of \(\frac{dP}{dt}\) vs. \(P\) for Equation \(\ref{log}\).

Equation \( \ref{log}\) is an example of the logistic equation , and is the second model for population growth that we will consider. We have reason to believe that it will be more realistic since the per capita growth rate is a decreasing function of the population.

Indeed, the graph in Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\) shows that there are two equilibrium solutions, \(P = 0\), which is unstable, and \(P = 12.5\), which is a stable equilibrium. The graph shows that any solution with \(P(0) > 0\) will eventually stabilize around 12.5. In other words, our model predicts the world’s population will eventually stabilize around 12.5 billion.

A prediction for the long-term behavior of the population is a valuable conclusion to draw from our differential equation. We would, however, like to answer some quantitative questions. For instance, how long will it take to reach a population of 10 billion? To determine this, we need to find an explicit solution of the equation. Solving the logistic differential equation Since we would like to apply the logistic model in more general situations, we state the logistic equation in its more general form,

\[\dfrac{dP}{ dt} = kP(N − P). \label{7.2} \]

The equilibrium solutions here are when \(P = 0\) and \(1 − \frac{P}{N} = 0\), which shows that \(P = N\). The equilibrium at \(P = N\) is called the carrying capacity of the population for it represents the stable population that can be sustained by the environment.

We now solve the logistic Equation \( \ref{7.2}\), which is separable, so we separate the variables

\(\dfrac{1}{P(N − P)} \dfrac{ dP}{ dt} = k, \)

and integrate to find that

\( \int \dfrac{1}{P(N − P)} dP = \int k dt, \)

To find the antiderivative on the left, we use the partial fraction decomposition

\(\dfrac{1}{P(N − P)} = \dfrac{1}{ N} \left[ \dfrac{ 1}{ P} + \dfrac{1}{ N − P} \right] .\)

Now we are ready to integrate, with

\( \int \dfrac{1}{ N} \left[ \dfrac{1}{ P} + \dfrac{1}{ N − P} \right] dP = \int k dt.\)

On the left, observe that \(N\) is constant, so we can remove the factor of \(\frac{1}{N}\) and antidifferentiate to find that

\(\dfrac{1}{ N} (\ln |P| − \ln |N − P|) = kt + C. \)

Multiplying both sides of this last equation by \(N\) and using an important rule of logarithms, we next find that

\( \ln \left| \dfrac{P}{ N − P} \right | = kNt + C. \)

From the definition of the logarithm, replacing \(e^C\) with \(C\), and letting \(C\) absorb the absolute value signs, we now know that

\( \dfrac{P}{N − P} = Ce^{k N t}.\)

At this point, all that remains is to determine \(C\) and solve algebraically for \(P\).

If the initial population is \(P(0) = P_0\), then it follows that

\(C = \dfrac{P_0}{ N−P_0}\)

\(\dfrac{P}{N − P} = \dfrac{P_0}{ N − P_0} e^{ k N t} .\)

We will solve this most recent equation for \(P\) by multiplying both sides by \((N − P)(N − P_0)\) to obtain

\( \begin{align} P(N − P_0) & = P_0(N − P)e^{k N t} \\ & = P_0Ne^{k N t} − P_0Pe^{k N t}. \end{align}\)

Swapping the left and right sides, expanding, and factoring, it follows that

\(\begin{align} P_0Ne^{k N t} & = P(N − P_0) + P_0Pe^{k N t} \\ & = P(N − P_0 + P_0e^{ k N t}). \end{align}\)

Dividing to solve for \(P\), we see that

\(P = \dfrac{P_0Ne^{k N t}}{ N − P_0 + P_0e^{k N t}}.\)

Finally, we choose to multiply the numerator and denominator by \(\frac{1}{P_0} e^{−k N t}\) to obtain

\[P(t) = \dfrac{N}{ \left( \dfrac{N−P_0}{P_0} \right) e^{−k N t} + 1} . \label{7.3}\]

While that was a lot of algebra, notice the result: we have found an explicit solution to the initial value problem

\(\dfrac{dP}{dt} = kP(N − P),\ P(0)=P_{0},\)

with \(P(0) = P_0\) and that solution is Equation \( \ref{7.3}\).

For the logistic equation describing the earth’s population that we worked with earlier in this section, we have

\(k = 0.002\), \(N = 12.5\), and \(P_0 = 6.084\).

This gives the solution

\[P(t) = \dfrac{12.5}{ 1.0546e^{−0.025t} + 1}, \label{earth}\]

whose graph is shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\) Notice that the graph shows the population leveling off at 12.5 billion, as we expected, and that the population will be around 10 billion in the year 2050. These results, which we have found using a relatively simple mathematical model, agree fairly well with predictions made using a much more sophisticated model developed by the United Nations.

alt

Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): The solution to the logistic equation modeling the earth’s population (Equation \ref{earth}).

The logistic equation is useful in other situations, too, as it is good for modeling any situation in which limited growth is possible. For instance, it could model the spread of a flu virus through a population contained on a cruise ship, the rate at which a rumor spreads within a small town, or the behavior of an animal population on an island. Again, it is important to realize that through our work in this section, we have completely solved the logistic equation, regardless of the values of the constants \(N\), \(k\), and \(P_0\).

Anytime we encounter a logistic equation, we can apply the formula we found in Equation \ref{7.3}.

Activity \(\PageIndex{2}\): Predicting Earth's Population

Consider the logistic equation

\(\dfrac{dP}{dt} = kP(N − P) \nonumber\)

with the graph of \(\frac{dP}{dt}\) vs. \(P\) shown below.

alt

  • At what value of \(P\) is the rate of change greatest?
  • Consider the model for the earth’s population that we created. At what value of \(P\) is the rate of change greatest? How does that compare to the population in recent years?
  • According to the model we developed, what will the population be in the year 2100?
  • According to the model we developed, when will the population reach 9 billion?
  • Now consider the general solution to the general logistic initial value problem that we found, given by Equation \( \ref{7.3}\). Verify algebraically that \(P(0) = P_0\) and that \(\lim_{t→\infty} P(t) = N.\)

In this section, we encountered the following important ideas:

  • If we assume that the rate of growth of a population is proportional to the population, we are led to a model in which the population grows without bound and at a rate that grows without bound.
  • By assuming that the per capita growth rate decreases as the population grows, we are led to the logistic model of population growth, which predicts that the population will eventually stabilize at the carrying capacity.

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Population can’t be ignored. It has to be part of the policy solution to our world’s problems

2024-02-09T11:17:00+11:00

Aerial View of Chicago

Photo: Getty Images

Jenny Stewart

Most of the problems confronting the world come down to population growth. But where women are given the choice, they limit the number of children they have.

Population can’t be ignored. It has to be part of the policy solution to our world’s problems

There is a growing consensus that environmental problems, particularly the effects of climate change, pose a grave challenge to humanity. Pollution, habitat destruction, intractable waste issues and, for many, deteriorating quality of life should be added to the list.

Economic growth is the chief culprit. We forget, though, that environmental impacts are a consequence of per capita consumption multiplied by the number of people doing the consuming. Our own numbers matter.

Population growth threatens environments at global, national and regional scales. Yet the policy agenda either ignores human population, or fosters alarm when perfectly natural trends such as declining fertility and longer lifespans cause growth rates to fall and populations to age.

That there are still too many of us is a problem few want to talk about. Fifty years ago, population was considered to be an issue , not only for the developing world, but for the planet as a whole. Since then, the so-called green revolution in agriculture made it possible to feed many more people. But the costs of these practices, which relied heavily on pesticide and fertiliser use and relatively few crops, are only now beginning to be understood.

The next 30 years will be critical. The most recent United Nations projections point to a global population of 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. There are 8 billion of us now. Another 2 billion will bring already stressed ecosystems to the point of collapse.

A line graph showing global population growth since 1950 and projection to 2100.

It’s the whole world’s problem

Many would agree overpopulation is a problem in many developing countries, where large families keep people poor. But there are too many of us in the developed world, too. Per person, people in high-income countries consume 60% more resources than in upper-middle-income countries and more than 13 times as much as people in low-income countries.

From 1995 to 2020, the UK population, for example, grew by 9.1 million. A crowded little island, particularly around London and the south-east, became more crowded still.

Similarly, the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries , had just under 10 million inhabitants in 1950 and 17.6 million in 2020. In the 1950s, the government encouraged emigration to reduce population densities. By the 21st century, another 5 million people in a tiny country certainly caused opposition to immigration, but concern was wrongly focused on the ethnic composition of the increase. The principal problem of overpopulation received little attention.

Australia is celebrated as “a land of boundless plains to share”. In reality it’s a small country that consists of big distances.

As former NSW Premier Bob Carr predicted some years ago, as Australia’s population swelled, the extra numbers would be housed in spreading suburbs that would gobble up farmland nearest our cities and threaten coastal and near-coastal habitats. How right he was. The outskirts of Sydney and Melbourne are carpeted in big, ugly houses whose inhabitants will be forever car-dependent.

Doing nothing has a high cost

The longer we do nothing about population growth, the worse it gets. More people now inevitably mean more in the future than there would otherwise have been.

We live very long lives, on average, so once we’re born, we tend to stick around. It takes a while for falling birthrates to have any impact.

And when they do, the population boosters respond with cries of alarm. The norm is seen as a young or youngish population, while the elderly are presented as a parasitical drag upon the young.

Falling reproduction rates should not be regarded as a disaster but as a natural occurrence to which we can adapt.

Recently, we have been told Australia must have high population growth, because of workforce shortages. It is rarely stated exactly what these shortages are, and why we cannot train enough people to fill them.

Population and development are connected in subtle ways, at global, national and regional scales. At each level, stabilising the population holds the key to a more environmentally secure and equitable future.

For those of us who value the natural world for its own sake, the matter is clear – we should make room for other species. For those who do not care about other species, the reality is that without a more thoughtful approach to our own numbers, planetary systems will continue to break down.

Line graph showing the probabilities of global population projections and the impacts of having 0.5 more or less children per woman

Let women choose to have fewer children

So, what to do? If we assume the Earth’s population is going to exceed 10 billion, the type of thinking behind this assumption means we are sleepwalking our way into a nightmarish future when a better one is within our grasp.

A radical rethink of the global economy is needed to address climate change. In relation to population growth, if we can move beyond unhelpful ideologies, the solution is already available.

People are not stupid. In particular, women are not stupid. Where women are given the choice, they restrict the number of children they have. This freedom is as basic a human right as you can get.

A much-needed demographic transition could be under way right now, if only the population boosters would let it happen.

Those who urge greater rates of reproduction, whether they realise it or not, are serving only the short-term interests of developers and some religious authorities, for whom big societies mean more power for themselves. It is a masculinist fantasy for which most women, and many men, have long been paying a huge price.

Jenny Stewart , Honorary Professor of Public Policy, UNSW Canberra

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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4 ways to meet the challenges of population growth in Edmonton

Mawji centre for new venture and student entrepreneurship matches big thinking to big problem.

Over the next half-century, the population of Edmonton will likely double – to two million people – without increasing its current footprint. This is not a bad thing: a denser city can lead to a leaner, more efficient one. It can also boost vibrancy. “Dense concentrations of people are one of the necessary conditions for flourishing city diversity,” wrote urban theorist Jane Jacobs.

But the influx will also mean a greater strain on the environment – the focus of the 2024 Innovation Challenge .

Each year since 2017, the Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship has invited student groups to come up with creative solutions for problems presented by community partners. Groups comprise students from across the polytechnic’s schools or, more recently, high school students.

This year’s partners included the City of Edmonton, the solutions-generating Capital City Pilots project, and Karhiio Ward Councillor Keren Tang . The challenge: head off the ecological impact of accommodating two million people – and, for good measure, add an entrepreneurial aspect to the solution.

The event, which involves presenting an idea by way of a short video in just a few days, drew its largest number of entries yet, says Mawji Centre manager John Sutherland.

nait innovation challenge 2024

“Overall, we're trying to help students think about the world a little differently and [supplement] their current skill sets with some business acumen – and with some excitement about how they might be able to bring about positive change,” he says.

By the end of the 2024 event, at Main Campus on Feb. 7, three groups of NAIT students shared $3,000 in prizes (covered by sponsor Raptor Mining; the members of the high school team each earned a $250 Visa gift card). More importantly, however, event partners came away with solutions to address pressing issues such as power generation and water and waste management.

"I was quite impressed by the range of creative ideas that the students presented, from behavioral change to environmental regulation to repurposing resources to better support environmental sustainability,” says Tang.

“Challenges like this are so beneficial because they're an opportunity for community leaders and thinkers – with different backgrounds, perspectives, and ways of approaching a question – to gather, connect and together find new ways to solve a problem.

“This is how innovation happens and thrives.”

Here’s a look at how Edmonton, one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, might address the boom to come.

Learn more about how the Mawji Centre helps NAIT students pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions

1st place: Vortex Dynamics

Hunter Dufault,  Electrical Engineering Technology John Nasitem,  Computer Engineering Technology

“How do we power a growing city while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels?” ask Nasitem and Dufault. Their answer is hydrokinetic turbines powered by stormwater and runoff.

“We realized there was a lack of utilization of our current storm sewer system other than for its main purpose,” says Nasitem. “This is something that we could expand upon and make better.”

Even if running at just 50% efficiency, a system of turbines could generate 150,000 kWh/year, the team estimates, or enough electricity for about 20 typical Alberta homes.

2nd place: Bio Driveway

Neza Benedicto, Bachelor of Technology Marie Grabowski ( Medical Laboratory Technology ’10, Radio and Television – Radio ’06, Bachelor of Technology Carri St. Pierre, Bachelor of Technology

More people in the city will mean more pavement – keeping precipitation from getting into the ground where it belongs. Some 6,000 acres of green space are expected to be lost, says the team, leading to pollutants being washed into ecosystems and the potential for flooding.

The permeable Bio Driveway is their solution. Composed of gravel layered with an activated charcoal mat topped with structured peat moss and a grass-clover blend, the eco-friendly pad would filter out contaminants as water passes through. The city would need to amend current regulations to permit the Bio Driveway, says the team.

Until then, “this competition was a great experience for us to learn about more ways to be environmentally influential,” the members write.

3rd place: CompoCity

Karlene Guy, Bachelor of Technology Angela Ryl, Bachelor of Business Administration

The increase in high-density housing in response to population growth will complicate efforts to compost organic waste. As they decay in a landfill, organics produce methane, a greenhouse gas more than 28 times as potent as CO2. “When you separate those food scraps they can be turned into valuable compost or energy – a win-win for reducing emissions,” says Guy.

Their solution, CompoCity, a company that provides reusable bags for organic waste that would be exchanged weekly by staff for clean, empty bags. The concept would reduce waste destined for the landfill, create jobs and generate income. The team estimates that high-quality CompoCity compost could sell for up to $4,000 per tonne.

Yearly revenue could reach $5.5 million per year as Edmonton grows.

High school winner: Thrive Edmonton

Argyll Centre school

Traditional sprawling suburbs won’t be a sustainable solution for accommodating Edmonton’s growing population. Instead, students at Argyll Centre school propose Thrive – affordable, factory-built, net-zero homes small enough to be inserted into everything from vacant lots to strip mall conversions.

What comes next?

winner of the 2024 nait innovation challenge poses for photo

Will storm drain turbines, permeable driveways, compost services and factory-built infill define Edmonton’s higher-density future? Perhaps not as shown, if at all. But that isn’t exactly the point of the Innovation Challenge, says Sutherland. Instead, it’s to foster an environment that will lead to even more ideas in the future.

“[The event] helps us create a vibrant community so that different types of students get to meet and understand a little bit about what each other does and skill sets that they bring to the table,” says Sutherland.

It’s meant to bring together business, technology and trades, he adds, in a way that students will encounter in their careers. And, if those students don’t go on to become entrepreneurs, it prepares them to put imaginative problem-solving to work for companies that hire them.

In the meantime, though, the Innovation Challenge remains a source of fresh thinking for its community partners – and maybe of hope when issues to be addressed can be measured in millions.

“It's invaluable to have students engaged in finding new ways to tackle this big challenge and share innovative solutions that can improve how we continue to grow as a city,” says Tang.

“Seeing the talent we have here in Edmonton that will help to shape our future is inspiring.”

Meet the judges

judges of the 2024 nait innovation challenge

Judges for the 2024 Innovation Challenge include influential members of the community and local entrepreneurs.

“If any of these [ideas] were something that could come to market, these are some of the people who could … make it happen,” says John Sutherland, manager of the Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship.

  • Ali Carson, Economic Development Specialist, City of Edmonton
  • Abbie Stein-MacLean, Head, Capital City Pilots
  • Keren Tang, Councillor, City of Edmonton
  • Paul Weber, President, Raptor Mining (which sponsors the Innovation Challenge)
  • Lyle Best, Chairman, Quickcard Group of Companies
  • Craig Harder, Founder and CEO, Raptor Mining
  • Chris Izquierdo, CEO, Sparrow Connected
  • Sam Jenkins, Managing Partner, Punchcard Systems; CEO and Co-founder, Standard Field Systems
  • Blaine LaBonte, President, DJI Capital
  • Hubert Lau (Honorary Degree '23, Computer Systems Technology ’91), President and CEO, TrustBIX; JR Shaw School of Business Entrepreneur in Residence
  • Ashif Mawji (Computer Science Technology ’92), serial entrepreneur; founder of the Mawji Centre
  • Mike Schoenberger (Telecommunication Engineering Technology '90), CEO, Sunco Communication and Installation

Banner image by benedek/istockphoto.com

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POPULATION GROWTH AND DECAY WORD PROBLEMS

Exponential Word Problems: Growth & Decay

Growth Formula: y = a (1 + r) t

Decay Formula: y = a (1 – r) t

where a = original number

r = rate (% in decimal form)

t = time periods

Write an exponential function to model each situation. Find each amount at the end of the specified time. Round your answers to the nearest whole number.

Problem 1 :

A town with a population of 5,000 grows 3% per year. Find the population at the end of 10 years.

y = a(1 + r) t

Here a = initial population, r = increasing rate and t = number of years

Initial population = 5000

Increasing rate = 3% and

number of years = 10

y = 5000(1 + 3%) 10

y = 5000(1 + 0.03) 10

y = 5000(1.03) 10

y = 5000(1.344)

Problem 2 :

The population of Boomtown is 475,000 and is increasing at a rate of 3.75% each year. When will the population exceed 1 million people (to the nearest year)?

Initial population = 475,000

Increasing rate = 3.75%

475000(1 + 3.75%) t   > 1000000

475000(1 + 0.0375) t   > 1000000

Dividing by 475000 on both sides.

(1 + 0.0375) t   > 2.105

(1.0375) t   > 2.105

To solve use equal sign, we get

t log(1.0375) = log(2.105)

t(0.015) = 0.323

t = 0.323/0.015

So, it will take 21 years tp reach the population of 1 million.

Problem 3 :

The population of Leave town is 123,000 and is decreasing at a rate of 2.375% each year.

• When will the population of Leave town drop below 50,000 (to the nearest year)?

• What will the population of Leave town be 100 years from now?

(i)  y = a(1 - r) t

Initial population = 123000

When will the population become below 50000.

123000(1 - 2.375%) t < 50000

Divide by 123000 on both sides.

(1 - 0.02375) t  < 0.4065

(0.97625) t  < 0.4065

Take log on both sides, we get

t log (0.97625) < log (0.4065)

t(-0.0104) < -0.3909

t < 0.3909/0.0104

t < 37.58

So, it will take 38 years.

(ii)  y = a(1 - r) t

After 100 years the population will be.

y = 123000(1 - 2.375%) 100  

y = 123000 (0.97625) 100  

y = 123000(0.09038)

Problem 4 :

Problem The 1989 population of Mexico was estimated at 87,000,000. The annual growth rate is 2.4%. When will the population reach 100,000,000 (to the nearest year)?

Population is increasing, so we will use the formula

Initial population = 87000000

Growth rate = 2.4%

After how many year the population will become  100,000,000.

87000000(1 + 2.4%) t =  100,000,000.

(1 + 0.024) t = 100,000,000/ 87000000

(1 + 0.024) t  = 100,000,000/ 87000000

(1.024) t = 1.149

Taking log on both sides, we get

log (1.024) t  = log (1.149)

t log(1.024) = log(1.149)

t = log(1.149)/log(1.024)

t = 0.0603/0.0102

So, the population will become  100,000,000 after 6 years.

Problem 5 :

The population of Small town in the year 1890 was 6,250. Since then, it has increased at a rate of 3.75% each year.

a) What was the population of Small town in the year 1915?

a) In 1940?

c) What will the population of Small town be in the year 2003?

d) When will the population reach 1,000,000 (to the nearest year)?

Population is increasing :

(a) Initial population a = 6250, increasing rate = 3.75%

Population will be at 1915 :

Difference in years = 1915 - 1890 ==> 25 years

y = 6250(1 + 3.75%) 25

y = 6250(1 + 0.0375) 25

y = 6250(1.0375) 25

y = 6250(2.510)

(b) In 1940 :

Difference between 1940 and 1890

= 1940-1890

y = 6250(1 + 3.75%) 50

y = 6250( 1.0375) 50

y = 6250(6.3)

So, at 1914 the population will be 39380.

c) Population at 2003 :

= 2003 - 1890

y = 6250( 1.0375) 113

y = 6250(64.07)

y = 400438.

(d) After how many the population will be become  1,000,000

1,000,000  = 6250(1 + 3.75%) t

Dividing by 6250 on both sides.

160 =  ( 1.0375 ) t

log 160 = t log  ( 1.0375 )

2.204 = t(0.015)

t = 2.204/0.015

t = 147 

After 147 years, the population will be  1,000,000.

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The Daily Digest

The Daily Digest

Could a major decline in world population make our problems worse?

Posted: January 10, 2024 | Last updated: January 10, 2024

<p>New research in 2023 revealed that the world's population might not stay as high as it has been and that it will soon drop dramatically. But would a major decline in the global population be a good thing?</p>

Fewer people could lead total disaster or a better future

New research in 2023 revealed that the world's population might not stay as high as it has been and that it will soon drop dramatically. But would a major decline in the global population be a good thing?

<p><span>The world population is set to reach a global high of 8.8 billion by mid-century based on current trends and will decline to 7.3 billion by 2100 according to a new Earth4All study. </span></p>

Peaking at 8.8 billion

The world population is set to reach a global high of 8.8 billion by mid-century based on current trends and will decline to 7.3 billion by 2100 according to a new Earth4All study. 

<p><span>The study was commissioned by the Club of Rome as a follow-up to its groundbreaking 1972 Limits to Growth report, which used computer modeling to estimate Earth’s population and resources limits. </span></p>

The Club of Rome

The study was commissioned by the Club of Rome as a follow-up to its groundbreaking 1972 Limits to Growth report, which used computer modeling to estimate Earth’s population and resources limits. 

<p><span>The 1972 study predicted the world would reach its growth limit within a hundred years if trends remained unchanged and then rapidly decline in population and industrial capacity. </span></p>

The Limits to Growth study

The 1972 study predicted the world would reach its growth limit within a hundred years if trends remained unchanged and then rapidly decline in population and industrial capacity. 

<p><span>Luckily, the disastrous predictions of the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth study never came to fruition, but the institution’s new findings could pose problems just as serious.</span></p>

Predictions that never materialized

Luckily, the disastrous predictions of the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth study never came to fruition, but the institution’s 2023 findings may pose problems that are just as serious.

<p><span>“The most important fuel of economic growth in the past several centuries has been people. And with fewer people, less work can get done,” wrote Sebastian Dettmers. </span></p>

People are our most important economic asset

“The most important fuel of economic growth in the past several centuries has been people. And with fewer people, less work can get done,” wrote  Sebastian Dettmers, an expert on the issue, in a 2022 Business Insider opinion piece on the chaos global population decline could cause.

<p><span>Dettmers is the CEO of StepStone and the author of a recent book on what the world will look like with a smaller population. His assessment is that things will get very rough. </span></p>

Things could get very bad

Dettmers is the CEO of StepStone and the author of a book on what the world would look like with a smaller population. His assessment was that things would get very rough for humanity.

<p><span>In an opinion piece for Business Insider, Dettmers argued that every sector of the world economy will be impacted as global human capital dries up and key jobs go unstaffed. </span></p>

Every sector would be affected

In his opinion piece for Business Insider, Dettmers argued that every sector of the world economy will be impacted by population decline as global human capital dried up and key jobs went unstaffed. 

<p><span>Production and performance will suffer in a low population environment and that will lead to lower sales and faltering profits, which in turn will lead to less economic growth. </span></p>

Faltering profits and slow economic growth

Production and performance would suffer in a low population environment and that would ultimately lead to lower sales and faltering profits, which in turn would drive less economic growth. 

<p><span>“The combination of a declining labor force and stagnating productivity is toxic,” wrote Dettmers, adding that such a scenario could lead to stagnation and “an era of stasis.”</span></p>

The combination of factors could be toxic

“The combination of a declining labor force and stagnating productivity is toxic,” wrote Dettmers, adding that such a scenario could lead to stagnation and “an era of stasis.”

<p><span>However, not everyone views the world’s probable population decline in such dire light, some see changing global demographics as a chance to reshape our economic models for the better. </span></p>

Some people see a brighter future

However, not everyone views the world’s probable population decline in such dire light, some see changing global demographics as a chance to reshape our economic models for the better. 

<p><span>Stephanie Feldstein is the Center for Biological Diversity’s Population and Sustainability Director and wrote in a recent Scientific American article that a future where there are fewer people could increase opportunities and create a healthier global environment. </span></p>

Increased opportunity and a healthier environment

Stephanie Feldstein is the Center for Biological Diversity’s Population and Sustainability Director and wrote in a recent Scientific American article that a future where there are fewer people could increase opportunities and create a healthier global environment. 

<p><span>“Where our current model of endless growth and short-term profits sacrifices vulnerable people and the planet’s future, population decline could help create a future with more opportunity and a healthy, biologically rich world,” Feldstein wrote, and she’s not wrong. </span></p>

Population decline could create a better future

“Where our current model of endless growth and short-term profits sacrifices vulnerable people and the planet’s future, population decline could help create a future with more opportunity and a healthy, biologically rich world,” Feldstein wrote, and she’s not wrong. 

<p><span>According to the study from Earth4All, there is a second scenario of global population decline they termed the Great Leap, and it would see the world reach 8.5 billion by 2040 and 6 billion by 2100, a reduction that could fundamentally change the Earth’s environment. </span></p>

Earth4All's second scenario

According to the study from Earth4All, there is a second scenario of global population decline they termed the Great Leap, and it would see the world reach 8.5 billion by 2040 and 6 billion by 2100, a reduction that could fundamentally change the Earth’s environment. 

<p><span>“By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions are about 90% lower than they were in 2020 and are still falling,” the Earth4All study noted before explaining additional steps that could be taken to bring the global temperature to just above pre-industrial levels. </span></p>

The Great Leap

“By 2050, greenhouse gas emissions are about 90% lower than they were in 2020 and are still falling,” the Earth4All study noted before explaining additional steps that could be taken to bring the global temperature to just above pre-industrial levels. 

<p><span>"The commander… must first determine that London and the British government have been destroyed and that neither the prime minister nor designated successors are still alive—and that Her Majesty’s Government is likely destroyed as well,” Politico wrote. </span></p>

Drawbacks to the Great Leap

Admittedly, the Great Leap is a bit fantastical and presupposes world governments would be willing to address global economic inequality and adopt policies like wealth taxes and universal basic income to address any runaway wealth inequality. 

<p><span>While it is impossible to know just how a world with fewer people will fare in the future, it's reassuring that great minds on both sides of the debate are looking for solutions to the potential problems we face before humanity needs an answer to those issues—and maybe that's enough to create a better world.</span></p>

Finding solutions to our problems

While it is impossible to know just how a world with fewer people will fare in the future, it's reassuring that great minds on both sides of the debate are looking for solutions to the potential problems we face before humanity needs an answer to those issues—and maybe that's enough to create a better world.

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India's moment has arrived — but many hurdles remain

  • India's economy is expected to expand by 6.5% this year, according to IMF forecasts. 
  • The world's most populous nation was keen to talk up its prospects at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
  • Whether India's potential is as great as its ambitions remains to be seen.

Insider Today

"India has seized the moment," proclaimed housing minister Hardeep Singh Puri with confidence during a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month.

That was the message being spread to the business leaders and investors by the Indian cabinet ministers who attended the Davos event.

"There isn't a segment of economic and social engagement that India has not delivered with," Smriti Irani, the minister for minority affairs and women, told Business Insider.

Many need little convincing. There has been increasing buzz about India as its economic growth converges with political stability, digital transformation, and the potential of a vast youth population.

Its economy is set to post growth of 6.3% this financial year, per the IMF, and rise to 6.5% in 2024 and 2025. That's more than double the global average and comfortably ahead of China too.

The finance ministry says India aims to become a $7 trillion economy by 2030 — although that's still only a quarter of the US economy's value today.

Prime minister Narendra Modi's program of public investment is helping, with spending up from 3.5% of GDP in 2019 to nearly 4.5% last year, The Economist reported.

Cash is being poured into connectivity upgrades, transport infrastructure, digitizing the economy, and better welfare packages that the government says have brought the country from "fragility to stability and strength."

Reforms to the financial sector, such as putting the tax system online to reduce evasion, and relaxing some commerce regulations , have also helped win foreign investment.

As the world's third-largest energy consumer, the green transition has been seen as a major investment opportunity — potentially creating tens of millions of jobs, per a 2021 report from the World Economic Forum.

The high probability of Modi's party winning the forthcoming national elections adds an attractive assurance of stability, compared to the destabilizing political polarization of some Western markets.

"I've not met a business leader either in India or investing into India who thinks that's bad," Andy Baldwin of EY told Business Insider.

A huge, young population

The other key marker of India's potential is its population of about 1.44 billion.

The country not only has the world's largest population but it also skews young, unlike the aging populations of Asia's leading economies such as Japan and China. About two thirds of Indians are under 35, a factor that drives up consumer spending potential and provides a vast workforce.

Rather than meeting the needs of an aging population, the government can spend on innovation and further boost its long-term economic prospects.

Last year India became the first South Asian nation to host the G20 summit, a platform that Modi used to announce India as " the voice of the Global South. "

It came just months after he backed the expansion of the "BRICS." The 10-strong group of emerging market nations now accounts for 45% of the world's population and 28% of global GDP.

An alternative to China

India is also trying to benefit from the tensions between the US and China by maintaining a neutral position and offering an alternative for companies looking to diversify manufacturing away from China. Apple, for example, now makes some products in India, but the vast majority of iPhones still come from China .

There was also a potent symbol of progress last August when India became only the fourth nation to land on the moon .

Goldman Sachs analysts have predicted India will become the world's second-largest economy by 2075, up from fifth place. But for all this optimism, India's "moment" is far from assured.

Some economists have criticized the government's narrative as a "false growth story, " highlighting discrepancies in the data and criticizing the methods used to calculate economic growth.

Ashoka Mody, a visiting professor of international economic policy at Princeton University and a former World Bank economist, argues that India's GDP growth would be 4.5% if calculated according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis methods.

Double-digit unemployment

Though the forecasts are strong, India needs to create more jobs, particularly in manufacturing, improve education and tackle structural issues.

Just one in three women work and about half the workforce are in agricultural work — a lower-value sector of the economy that is increasingly at risk from extreme weather.

The unemployment rate peaked at 10% last year, higher than during the pandemic.

While startups, IT, and fintech attract buzz, they only employ the well-qualified. And under Modi, manufacturing has fallen from 18% of the economy to 16%, per The Economist .

Rising inequality, along steep regional and urban-rural divides, also highlights how the benefits of economic growth may not be as widespread as the government claims.

The top 10% of Indians now hold 77% of national wealth, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, secretary of the department for the promotion of industry and internal trade in the Commerce and Industry ministry, says internal migration is solving regional inequality.

"You have people going for jobs in faster-growing regions of the country," he told Business Insider at Davos, adding that financial support is being sent to the "more backward areas" where incomes are lower.

Russian oil and weapons

However, in India's huge cities, fewer than half of workers have full-time jobs, while the government's prioritization of welfare payments over job creation has been criticized as an unsustainable solution for wider employment issues.

Lastly, the future of India's favorable international standing can't be assured to last.

(Defying Western sanctions, the country has amped up purchases of Russian oil since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine almost two years ago, and is now its second-largest customer after China.)

It's unclear whether India would prioritize Western investors over such a key provider of oil and arms if it had to stop playing both sides.

And while social problems are overlooked by many business leaders, the BJP's divisive Hindu nationalist policies and persecution of Muslims threaten to destabilize progress and detract from job creation.

If Modi's erosion of the judiciary and clampdowns on free speech escalate in a third term, India's title of the world's largest democracy could be under threat.

Nevertheless, Singh is optimistic about India's prospects: "We look at ourselves and we feel that we are in a good spot right now, vis a vis other countries. We have to seize our opportunity."

Correction: February 7, 2024 — This story has been updated to correctly reflect Rajesh Kumar Singh's title. He is secretary of the department for the promotion of industry and internal trade in India's Commerce and Industry ministry.

population growth problems solutions

Watch: IAN BREMMER: 'The biggest opportunity out there right now has got to be India'

population growth problems solutions

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IMAGES

  1. How to Solve Population Growth First Order Differential Equation

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  5. 04 Solution Population Growth Rate Application of Exponential

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  6. Solutions TO Human Population Growth

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  1. Population

  2. Most Populated Cities 1950

  3. POPULATION GROWTH || FINDING THE VALUE OF t

  4. POPULATION GROWTH AND ITS RELATED TERMS

  5. Analyse the impact of population growth on education

  6. क्या होगा अगर जनसंख्या तेजी से बढ़ जाये तो ? What If The World's Population Increases In 10 Times?

COMMENTS

  1. Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to

    Population growth threatens environments at global, national and regional scales. ... Citation: Population can't be ignored—it has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems, says ...

  2. Overpopulation: The Danger and 6 Solutions for 2024 [Updated]

    Experts expect that if something doesn't change, we could see 9.7 billion people by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100. It took over 2 million years for the global population to reach 1 billion in the year 1800.

  3. Solutions to overpopulation and what you can do

    Reduce your personal consumption: go vegan, limit flying, share your household with others, and more Educate your teenage child (ren) about sex and contraception early, without taboos Spread your knowledge and concern among your friends and family, raise awareness about overpopulation on social media - read more here

  4. What is Overpopulation? Causes, Effects, and Solutions

    The Causes of Overpopulation Today the Earth is home to more than 7.8 billion people. By 2100 the population is on track to hit 10.8 billion, according to the United Nations — and that's assuming steady fertility declines in many countries.

  5. Why U.S. Population Growth Is in the Danger Zone

    The U.S. population grew at the slowest pace in history in 2021, according to census data released last week. That news sounds extreme, but it's on trend. First came 2020, which saw one of the ...

  6. Solutions

    Although population growth in the 20th and 21st centuries has skyrocketed, it can be slowed, stopped and reversed through actions which enhance global justice and improve people's lives. Under the United Nations' most optimistic scenario, a sustainable reduction in global population could happen within decades.

  7. Population can't be ignored. It has to be part of the policy solution

    The most recent United Nations projections point to a global population of 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. There are 8 billion of us now. Another 2 billion will bring already ...

  8. How serious is our declining population growth problem?

    America's population growth has been on a steady decline. Data from the 2020 census shows the last decade experienced the second-slowest rate of expansion since the government started the ...

  9. Why it Matters and What You Can Do About It

    Geologist Art Berman explains population overshoot this way: "Overshoot means that humans are using natural resources and polluting at rates beyond the planet's capacity to recover. The main cause of overshoot is the extraordinary growth of the human population made possible by fossil energy.

  10. Tackling Population Pressure

    Global population growth and the destructive consumption habits of high-wealth countries put pressure on biodiversity and human communities, exacerbating food and water shortages, reducing resilience in the face of climate change, and making it harder for vulnerable groups to rise out of intergenerational poverty.

  11. How to stop overpopulation? 5 possible solutions to this growing issue

    5 solutions to overpopulation Some measures that could be taken to control population growth according to the United Nations and other public and private entities are: Empowering women Gender equality should be a central theme of social, economic or environmental interventions carried out by governments, companies and civil society.

  12. UN DESA Policy Brief No. 130: Why population growth matters for

    Even though the pace of global population growth will continue to decline in the coming decades, world population is likely to be between 20 and 30 per cent larger in 2050 than in 2020.

  13. Population

    Two Crises, One Solution 183,000 more people every day 7,636 more people every hour 127 more people every minute 8 Billion Opportunities The world's population reached 8 billion people in 2022. PMC used this opportunity to draw global attention to the social and environmental power of prioritizing health, education, and equity for all. Get Involved

  14. Are we preparing for world population growth? The experts are divided

    The UN predicts a much larger boom in population than the University of Washington. Image: Statista. The world population may peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion and then decline to around 8.8 billion by 2100, the University of Washington researchers wrote in The Lancet. In 2020, the world's population was recorded at 7.75 billion and growing.

  15. The Issue

    The Issue Human population has grown beyond Earth's sustainable means. We are consuming more resources than our planet can regenerate, with devastating consequences. Why population matters All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder — and ultimately impossible — to solve with ever more people.

  16. The Solution To Population Growth: 7 Mitigation Strategies

    Population growth is a pressing global concern, but it is a problem that can be solved with smart, sustainable solutions. Encouraging individuals and communities to adopt sustainable living practices is one of the most effective ways to address population growth.

  17. We've worried about overpopulation for centuries. And we've ...

    Global population growth has been slowing since the 1960s, and global population will almost certainly start to decline. The world is absolutely not, as is sometimes claimed, on track to have 14 ...

  18. Population growth

    Investigate Learn more in these real-world examples, and challenge yourself to construct a model that explains the Earth system relationships. The Ecology of Human Populations: Thomas Malthus A Pleistocene Puzzle: Extinction in South America Links to Learn More United Nations World Population Maps

  19. Overpopulation: Causes, Effects and Solutions

    1. The Decline in the Death Rate At the root of overpopulation is the difference between the overall birth rate and death rate in populations. If the number of children born each year equals the number of adults that die, then the population will stabilize.

  20. Population growth (Chapter 9)

    The growth rate in less-developed countries also peaked during 1965-1970 at about 2.5 percent per year, while growth rates in least-developed countries peaked during 1990-1995 at 2.75 percent. By 2005-2010, the growth rates had declined to 1.33 percent and 2.21 percent, respectively. The majority of the world population is now estimated ...

  21. Population growth (practice)

    Science AP®︎/College Environmental science Population growth Google Classroom Scientists relate resource distribution with population growth and decline. Suppose a population of aquatic insects colonize a new pond. This population begins with few individuals and plentiful resources.

  22. 7.6: Population Growth and the Logistic Equation

    Sketch a slope field below as well as a few typical solutions on the axes provided. Find all equilibrium solutions of Equation 7.6.1 and classify them as stable or unstable. If P(0) is positive, describe the long-term behavior of the solution to Equation 7.6.1. Let's now consider a modified differential equation given by dP dt = 1 2P(3 − P).

  23. Population can't be ignored. It has to be part of the policy solution

    It has to be part of the policy solution to our world's problems. Twitter Facebook LinkedIn. 09 Feb 2024 . Jenny Stewart . Most of the problems confronting the world come down to population growth. But where women are given the choice, they limit the number of children they have. ... Population growth threatens environments at global ...

  24. 4 ways to meet the challenges of population growth in Edmonton

    nait innovation challenge sees students create solutions for edmonton population growth. ... 2017, the Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship has invited student groups to come up with creative solutions for problems presented by community partners. Groups comprise students from across the polytechnic's schools or, more ...

  25. Population Growth and Decay Word Problems

    Problem 4 : Problem The 1989 population of Mexico was estimated at 87,000,000. The annual growth rate is 2.4%. When will the population reach 100,000,000 (to the nearest year)? Solution : Population is increasing, so we will use the formula. y = a(1 + r) t. Initial population = 87000000. Growth rate = 2.4%. After how many year the population ...

  26. Could a major decline in world population make our problems worse?

    The 1972 study predicted the world would reach its growth limit within a hundred years if trends remained unchanged and then rapidly decline in population and industrial capacity. Provided by The ...

  27. India's Moment Has Arrived

    India has 1.4 billion people and Narendra Modi hopes it can become a $7 trillion economy by 2030, but it's got plenty of problems to solve first.