Scientists have identified several points that will be fatal for humanity in the future. Among them, the problem of the growth of the population of the Earth has become widely known. It is believed that the resources of the planet are not endless: one day they will run out and humanity will be doomed to extinction if nothing else suitable for life is found.
How the population of the planet has changed over the past centuries
Most of human history has not been marked by a massive population explosion. Only during the 19th century did the birth rate begin to gain momentum and, as a result, an increase in the population of the Earth followed. And already in the 20th century, a real demographic take-off began, due to an increase in the quality of life in most civilized countries of the world.
There has been a sharp jump in the population of countries and the entire planet, associated with an increase in birth rates and a decrease inmortality. Global growth is still ongoing, and, according to scientists, will continue for a long time by the standards of human life.
What is the current population
UN data show that developing countries account for most of the world's population growth, and also reflect information about how many people live on planet Earth.
Every day about 256 thousand people are born in the world, which is comparable in value to a small city in our country. It is this indicator that exacerbates the problem of an imminent shortage of goods, because the share of residents of rapidly developing countries in the total population of the planet is more than three-quarters, while spending the global amount of production in the amount of one-third.
The gap between the required indicator per capita and reality is growing every day. This state of affairs leads to the aggravation of various problems in the economy and ecology of different countries, the growth of unemployment and crime.
Population density
This is another problem for mankind. If several thousand people live in some regions of the planet, then in especially large trade and industrial centers and in some countries there can be up to several tens of millions at the same time. In this regard, in some areas, resources are not in demand, and in places with a large concentration of people, they have already been practically exhausted. Despite this, no large-scale program for the development and improvement of places not involved in production has been carried out.
The lack of jobs and well-thought-out employment programs for those in need are already existing problems associated with the increase in the density of the world's population in some regions. Unemployment, lack of full-fledged medical care and education, a big competition for places with decent pay - all this is really happening now. Nevertheless, the population explosion continues. According to scientists, only 1.5 billion people can comfortably exist on the planet, which is already 3 times less than the existing number.
However, food resources will not run out from such overpopulation, they are enough to feed 15 billion people. But regional famine exists and will continue to exist for a long time, at least in Africa.
Why is this happening
The main reasons for the growth can be attributed to only one - a decrease in mortality. Indeed, in the Middle Ages, the peasants had 7-8 children, but there was no population explosion. With the development of medicine, the introduction of widespread observance of hygiene and sanitary standards, mortality from diseases has decreased many times over. The cultural development of most countries now does not allow children and adults to die of hunger. Much has changed in the last 250 years. The introduction of free education and medical care has also done its job. The reasons for the growth of the Earth's population are due to many factors, the combination of which has increased survival, but has not yet provided comfort to absolutely everyone.
Scientists' predictions
Specialists have revealed that growth will continue until about the middleXXI century, and only then will come, if not sharp, but still a decline in the number of people. It is believed that the population will not cross the threshold of 13 billion. In addition, such a multiple excess can lead to global environmental disasters, for example, large-scale epidemics or a war for resources. The forecast of changes in the population of the Earth shows that very soon, by the standards of the planet, the number of people will stabilize and come to the optimal value.
Consequences of growth
Now consider what this situation can lead to. Among the negative consequences of the growth of the world's population are:
- Exacerbation of environmental problems. Environmental pollution.
- Rising unemployment.
- Increase in crime in some regions of the planet.
- The emergence of global economic problems.
- Lack of resources in some regions of the world and, as a result, exacerbation of regional hunger.
All these problems can and should be solved in order to avoid global overpopulation. Educational activities are already underway in areas that are far behind the global level of development, for example, in some African countries.
China has already introduced a tax on the second child and a quota on the number of meters occupied per person. Comprehensive measures are being taken, because no one wants to be on a dying planet with regularly occurring cataclysms. In order to avoid environmental disasters, processing factories are being built, newwaste recycling technologies.
