Population

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Population growth trends on the global scale have been closely studied with one underlying question in mind: Can we continue to sustain our global population given the current projections for the near and also distant future? There have been countless numbers of reports done projecting the population growth trends, with an extremely wide range of results.

It is generally accepted that an astonishing 95% of population increase in the future will come from currently developing nations. One of the key factors in determining the population levels in the future is the fertility rates of nations, which is very high in developing nations as opposed to developed nations which generally have lower fertility rates.

There is no question that world population is sharply increasing and this raises a variety of both economic and environmental obstacles: supplying enough food and fresh water for the global population, depletion of resources, there needs to be more urban, residential and industrial space for development and technological advancements. These obstacles are just a few of the many challenges that will accompany a growing population. It should be noted that, with regards to population growth, there are few people who fall under the category of “optimist”.

Optimist

With the vast and varying numbers of world population projections, environmental optimists tend to accept the lower end of these estimates. Those who do look at the lower end of these projections believe that many of the studies done grossly over-exaggerate the reality of the situation. Some even go as far as to say some of the data is inflated to increase the public’s awareness into overpopulation; making people believe that things at present are more problematic than they really are.

Another talking point is that of fertility rates and replacement rates. Population growth optimists point out that in many countries, the fertility rate is actually lower than the replacement rate. In the more developed nations, such as the United States and a large amount of European nations, their fertility rates are below, and in some cases, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. With developing nations having extremely high fertility rates, it could be fair to say that as they move toward the “developed” status, their fertility rates will potentially taper off. This argument is fueled by optimists’ faith in the advancement of technology for the well being and progression of society.

The CIA World Factbook reports the 2000 world fertility rate to be 2.80 and the 2007 world fertility rate to be 2.59.

Pessimist

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References

Optimist Pessimist Debate | Population | CO2 Emission | Fossil Fuel Reserves | Renewable Energy | Free Trade | Agriculture