IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH ON

ENVIRONMENT

POPULATION GROWTH :
It is the increase in the number of individuals in a population. The
population growth around the globe growing 83million annually or
1.1% per year. According to the current status the population had grown
from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.616 billion in 2018 and still keep on
increasing. The increase in the rate of population is calculated as an
expression of fraction of the initial population. Iindia’s 2018 population
is estimated at 1.35 billion based on the most recent UN data.The impact
of population growth on economic development is a complex issue. As
might be imagined population growth has positive and negative effects
on development.

Sustainability
A social and economic system is considered “sustainable” if the needs
and demands of the present generation can be met without diminishing
the possibility of fulfilling, minimally, a comparable set of needs and
demands for all future generations.

When considering the effect of population growth on sustainability

Impact of population growth on

• ​Resource Scarcity

1. Food
2. Energy (coal, oil, uranium)
 3. Raw materials (iron, copper, wood, water)

• Environmental Impacts

1. Pollution
2. Soil degradation
3. Deforestation
4. Global Warming
Population growth would not be sustainable if it has important negative
impacts that will cause the ability of future generations to meet their
needs.

The evidence about resource scarcity and environmental change, and

what is the role of population growth in these changes.

● Food Scarcity
Food has become less scarce because of:

1. Increased production (green revolution of 60s, 70s)

2. Additional farmland
3. Increased nutritional food produced
So far as food is concerned, there is no clear sign of limits.

9 to 10 billion people by 2050 — World Bank predicts no food shortage.

Persistent malnutrition is due to poverty more than shortage of carrying
capacity.

• Energy Scarcity
• Prices
In a competitive (free) market, prices an indicator of scarcity — the
more scarce the higher the price.
Fluctuations in price reflect perceptions of scarcity. Oil is not a good
example because its supply largely controlled by a cartel (and is not a
free market)

Price affects consumption: quantity demanded declines as price

increases Expect to see prices increase as resources become
depleted.And as prices increase, quantity supplied will increase. In terms
of oil and other non–renewable energy sources this means that as the
price of oil increases so too does the incentive for exploration and
innovation, including creation of new, more efficient technologies or
alternative energy sources eg: solar energy

Environmental degradation is the next problem affected by over

population.

Local effects include:

• Pollution (air, water, soil)

• losses (forest, soil, fish)

Global effects include:

• Atmosphere (ozone layer, global warming)

• Biodiversity (number of species of plants and animals)

In brief, the direct evidence of the effect of population growth on the

environment is clearer for forest loss and soil degradation than for
pollution.
 Conclusion
Population growth has had a negative impact on the quality of the
environment . As the population increases the pollution etc will increase.

The increased use of fossil fuels has a negative impact on health of the
environment in terms of air, water etc.