Human Population and the Environment

Humans have long endeavoured to understand the relationship between environment and the population dynamics but Thomas Malthus Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798 is credited with establishing population and resource studies as a scientific field of study. Malthus’ renowned concept was that population expands exponentially while food production develops linearly, never quite keeping up with population and resulting in natural “checks” on further growth (such as famine). Despite sporadic revivals of interest in the following decades, such as George Perkins Marsh’s classic Man and Nature (1864) and concerns about human-induced soil depletion in colonial Africa, considerable scholarly interest did not resurface until the 1960s. The Increase of World Population,  published by the National Academy of Sciences in 1963, expressed scholarly worry about the repercussions of global population growth, which was at its peak yearly rate of 2% at the time. Paul Ehrlich released The Population Bomb in 1968, which brought food production, population growth, and the environment to the public’s attention. The Club of Rome issued its World Model in 1972, which was the first computer-based population-environment modelling study, anticipating a “global carrying capacity overrun” within 100 years.

Importance of Population to the Environment

Population refers to the total number of people living in a given place at a given moment. It is the total number of living creatures in a given area that belong to the same group or species. It encompasses demographic and social factors such as reproduction, sex, caste, and so on.

The population size is always changing due to fertility, mortality, and migration. The real population size can be explained in terms of a certain location and historical period. The population is one of the most significant variables in maintaining environmental balance; it should be in balance with the means and resources available. If the population is balanced then all the needs and demands of the people can be easily fulfilled, which in turn will help to preserve the environment of the country.

The Main Cause Of Environmental Issue

Our ecosystem is beset by issues, many of which appear to be growing over time, bringing us closer to a true environmental disaster. As a result, improving public knowledge of these issues, as well as what can be done to alleviate their negative consequences, is becoming increasingly important. The accumulation of an effectively large and rising human population per capita fortune or constantly expanding monetary development, and the application of asset exhausting and polluting technology all contribute to ecological effect or degradation. Below discussed are some of the most important issues:

Pollution

Any form of pollution, be it in the form of water, air, land, or noise, is harmful to the environment. Air pollution pollutes the air we breathe, resulting in health issues.  Water contamination impairs the quality of the water we consume. Various human activity has led to land contamination that further led the earth’s surface to deteriorate. When our ears are subjected to constant loud sounds like honking cars on a busy road or machinery making a lot of noise in a factory or a mill, it can cause irreversible damage.

Land Disturbance

Land deterioration represents a fundamental cause of environmental degradation. Garlic and mustard, for example, are both exotic and conspicuous weedy plant species. A disruption in the ecosystem will allow them to start developing and spreading. As a result, a region with a single dominating plant provides insufficient food resources for all environmental life. Based on this the invasive species possess the potential to ruin the entire environment.

Landfills

Landfills harm the environment and degrade the city’s aesthetic appeal. Due to the high amount of trash generated by families, industry, factories, and hospitals, landfills are located within the city. Landfills are hazardous to both the environment and the people living nearby. When landfills are burned, they emit a horrible odour and inflict significant environmental damage. 

Overpopulation

Rapid population increases huge demand on various natural resources and thereby leading to environmental degradation. Because of different improved medical facilities, the mortality rate has decreased, leading to a longer lifespan. Higher people equals more need for food, clothing, and housing. More land is required to cultivate food and house millions of people. Deforestation takes place as a result of contributing to environmental degradation. Food, water, and fuel are all in low supply to support the growing global population, particularly in emerging countries. Chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and insecticides used in intensive agriculture to mitigate the problem actually cause more damage.

The Relationship Between Humans and Environment

The interaction between man and the environment has existed from the very beginning of time. Humans live in nature’s domain and are constantly in contact with it. The impact of nature on the environment, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the environment in which we live in the flow of information and energy. Any alteration in the environment can have an impact. Not only have disastrous consequences, but also constitute a threat to the environment and the human race. 

Every year on June 5th, World Environment Day is celebrated worldwide to underline the importance of a green environment in our lives and to raise environmental consciousness globally. People from all areas of life come together on World Environment Day to secure a cleaner, greener, and brighter future for themselves and future generations. Everyone has a role to play in this initiative, and World Environment Day is counting on you to make it a success. World Environment Day provides us with an opportunity to participate in fulfilling our obligation to protect our world.

Our relationship with the environment changed as a result of industrialisation, which began in the 18th century in the United Kingdom, moved quickly throughout Europe and North America, and then swept the globe. Prior to industrialisation, human activities had little impact on the environment since the technology available could not alter the environment on a broad scale. People back then lived in agricultural communities with low environmental impact, using hand tools and rudimentary technologies. Industrialisation has enabled greater resource utilisation. For example, we now utilise industrially generated chemical fertilisers and insecticides to cut down trees and strong chainsaws to take down trees. The human impact on the environment has expanded dramatically as a result of these developments.

Conclusion

High population growth rates result in an increase in the number of people living in poverty, increased population density, and pressure on natural resources. According to the study, the country’s population expansion and poverty are putting an increasing strain on the country’s finite and rapidly deteriorating natural resource base. Even though the majority of people live on subsistence, natural resources are becoming increasingly depleted. Even at current levels of consumption, meeting the fundamental necessities of a growing population will become increasingly challenging, and the situation will worsen as per capita resource consumption rises.

Population pressure on arable land contributes to land degradation, which has an impact on the economy’s productive resource base. India’s rapidly growing population and prosperity have already resulted in significant increases in energy production and consumption, and this trend is only projected to continue in the future. Because of rising consumption levels, environmental repercussions such as air pollution and global warming are becoming increasingly concerning. Environmental pollution, on the other hand, not only worsens environmental circumstances, but also has negative consequences for people’s long-term growth and health.