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In 2017, the world's population is more than 7.6 billion. That’s more than seven billion six hundred million individuals who, while busy consuming resources, are also producing vast quantities of waste, and our numbers continue to grow. The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.2 billion by 2050. According to Professor Stephen Dovers, the director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, the two major effects of population growth on the environment are increased consumption of resources and waste products as a result of consumption.
Our period is currently known throughout the scientific world as the Anthropocene epoch. Unlike previous geological epochs, where various geological and climate processes defined the time periods, the proposed Anthropocene period is named for the dominant influence humans and their activities are having on the environment.
One reason our period is primarily defined by this human activity is because of the vast number of us. We’re consuming resources at faster rates than they can reproduce, testing the limits of essential global resources such as “potable water, fertile land, forests and fisheries.” The extraction of these resources has affected biodiversity negatively in many areas by disrupting habitats and ecosystems. However, the environmental impact of all this consumption reaches far beyond the loss of plant and animal species. Our increased consumption has led to the mass production of goods, many of them unnecessary for a comfortable life. Mass production requires large amounts of energy, creates excess pollution, and generates huge amounts of waste. This affects the overall atmosphere that we all live in.
Increased consumption means increased waste production. Due to his destructive activities, man has dumped more and more waste in environment. As the man-made waste is not transformed, it causes degradation and the capacity of environment to absorb more waste is reduced. Further, waste leads to air and water pollution.
Overpopulation has proven to have devastating effects on the environment which will only worsen as our population continues to grow to its predicted 9.2 billion. The time for change is now, we need to slow down population growth or say goodbye to the relatively healthy environment we currently enjoy.
