The world is now in situation of overpopulation. Based on the census in 2010, world population is approaching seven billion. On late 31st October 2011, United Nation (UN) granted the babies who were born on as “THE SEVEN BILLIONTH PEOPLE”. A newly-born Pyotr Nikolev from Russia was one of the babies who received a certificate as recognition for being the seven billionth world citizen. The United Nation added that world population would exceed seven billion starting from the day. It is hardly wrong in fact the world is really overcrowded as we can see in many developing countries, and in big cities in developed countries, seas of people are seen everywhere.
In 1960 world population was only three billion and it had doubled forty years later in 2010 to nearly seven billion. Back then, one billion people lived in industrialized world, which was western countries, and they were living better life because they had small family. They even lived healthier and wealthier. In contrast, the other two billion people lived in developing word had to face hard life, struggling for food every day.
Then in 2010, when the population world became doubled, industrialized world had been much more developed. Whereas, two billion people of developing world remained the same. However, an emerging economic world appeared with more or less three billion people within. Those three billion people were quite well-educated and employed. This economy-driven world had been moving towards developed world with attempts to implement green technology and family planning to limit population. For instance, China which has implemented One Child Policy since forty years, given huge subsidy for education, and moved to industrialization, now becomes one of super power countries in the world. It seems population control is the answer for overpopulation crisis and other crisis related to it.
If population is not controlled by now, it is frightening when it comes to the year of 2050, population in developing world will reach four billion. It happens when the mindset of the people is still primitive, thinking to have as big family as possible. It is not impossible if the reality shows that majority of them do not have access to education and they only focus on dealing with hunger. If they can get access to well education so they know about green technology, family planning, and child survival, they will be living better life.
The child survival rate is actually the key of solution. With attempts to keep children alive well, it is not only to save the children but also the mothers which are women. Child survival is also related to infant mortality. Infant mortality can only be prevented by providing good nutritious food for women. Where the good food comes from? The best food comes only from nature. Frankly said, to keep humankind surviving, environment should be preserved sustainably. Therefore, humans have to start thinking to live sustainable life by minimizing family size and increasing child survival rate.
Back to 1960, only wealthier and healthier country which had 100% child survival rate. Poorer countries such as African countries have been facing very low rate of child survival. It is not surprising because those countries are living under poverty. The people are less educated, unemployed and even getting worse when they live in massive and unsustainable population. They are lack of knowledge of contraceptive. In fact they do not have access to contraceptive programs. Figure shows only one woman out of five that has access to contraception.
An international organization which promotes policies that improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world, called OECD or Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, has proposed a contraceptive program. The program is to give chances to every woman and man to get access to their contraceptive rights. It is significant for poor family to have a plan on how many children they want to have and how healthy the children are supposed to be. However, the program should be implemented equally by man and woman of the family. It has been an issue as well when many husbands refuse to do contraception and just let the program is done by the wives. It has impacts on gender and power relations between men and women. It is as if only women that are responsible to limit population while men are free to claim their sexual rights over the women.
World population, gender relation, and environment are definitely interconnected. If population keeps growing, nature has to be victimized to feed seven billion people. Humans change the landscape of earth and degrade biodiversity to build housing. Now, more than 30% of land is used for agriculture. Yet, starvation is still a major problem in poor countries. Twenty five thousand people die every day in 2003. Women and children are living under poverty, dealing with unpaid jobs every day, and having no time for their self-improvement.
Humans never realize that they are not very powerful creature. They need nature and education to build their technology for survival till present day. In past time, when food was provided by nature, humans started to build agriculture to produce more food. The agriculture then enables them to build towns and cities in order to give space to their descendants. From agriculture they move to industrialization to boost economy without their realizing that the industrialization is one of factors which booms population rapidly. It is so because industrialization causes urbanization when people of rural areas move to big cities to gamble their life for a plate of rice. When they are successful, they will produce children to keep their inheritance. Then their fellows back in villages will follow their step, moving to cities as well. That is the reason why big cities are becoming more and more overcrowded.
In time, overpopulation drives overconsumption then leads to climate change. Climate change occurs because people in the world have been too many and they are doing activities that harmful to environment. They produce fossil fuel to mobilize their daily transportation, especially in big cities, which emits tons of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that are enough to kill livelihood. They cut down trees and destroy animal habitats to build estates. Last but not least, overconsumption of natural resources is the critical factor that causes climate change too.
Religions have tried best to describe supernatural world, including the better way to live in huge population, which may be hard to digest with logic mind. Religions indeed encourage human to increase their number in order to have fruitful life. However, people themselves who cause all the problems related to overpopulation. They keep warming the earth. They abuse natural resources. Eventually they die due to natural disasters.
Overpopulation really is happening, yet no affirmative action has been taken. People are hiding behind denial. They deny that earth is sinking. They deny that world comes to the end. They deny their own truth of fear. They keep ignoring relevant issues about something bad has been happening on earth.
Overpopulation is a reality. It is a reality that drags people themselves to crisis of humankind. Solution and action have to be taken into account. People must have mindset of sustainable living. They have to stop population by now and focus more on women empowerment. Only through women empowerment, birth rate will be able to decrease and economic productivity can be achieved. Education should be determined as a public facility which poor people can get access to. Natural resources must be taken care well too. Environmental exploitation must be stopped. If there are demands of natural resources, green technology should be applied. All of these can be done if people unite together to take action.
*Pic from Google
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