Miranda - Overpopulation - Concept Map

Miranda - Overpopulation - Concept Map

1. Multiple Concerns

   • Environmental Degradation
     • Sustaining a population growing at an exponential rate requires forests to be cut down for agriculture, cleared for development, or harvested unsustainably for human consumption. In addition, a reliance on fossil fuels will add to the issue of climate change.
   • War
     • One of the leading concerns with regards to overpopulation is that in the future with an excess of people and limited resources, war and conflict could break out on a civil or worldwide scale.
   • Poverty and Famine
     • (RELATES TO: Historical Legacies/ Demographic Transition) Many of the countries that are currently overpopulated have little to no resources to support the growing need of the population.

2. Multiple Locations

   • government action
     • china (one child rule)
       • (RELATES TO: Changing Demographics) China is well known as being the most overpopulated country worldwide. In 1979, China's one-child policy was unveiled, which has led to a lingering gender imbalance, as the culture favours boy children, and a younger generation that is too small to support the many elderly that still remain.
     • India (sterilization camps)
       • (RELATES TO: Gender Inequality) Today, India is the second most populous nation in the world, following China. This mass growth has placed significant strain on the country, and in the 1970s a sterilization program began as a way to control population, ending in 2016 after many had died as a result of unsafe procedures.
     • uzbekistan (forced sterilizations)
       • (RELATES TO: Gender Inequality) In the last two decades, the government of Uzbekistan has participated in a secret campaign of forced sterilizations on thousands of women across the country, often without their knowledge or consent. an NGO operating in Uzbekistan concluded that as many as 70,000 women were sterilized in 2011 alone.

3. Environmental Implications

   • fossil fuels
     • (RELATES TO: War) Overpopulation makes humanity's dependence on fossil fuels even more unsustainable, with more and more people consuming and adding to the global problem of climate change. A decreasing availability of these fossil fuels could lead to conflict.
   • habitat destruction
     • Population growth leads to more agricultural expansion, logging, development, and other human activities that destroy wildlife. According to National Wildlife Federation, in a report titled Population and the Environment, “nearly 20 plant and animal species become extinct every hour”
   • agriculture (land and water resources)
     • To provide food for the exponential growth in population, agriculture is necessary at an even larger scale, leading to land conversion and habitat loss, wasteful water consumption and soil erosion/degradation.

4. Historical Legacies

   • Demographic Transition
     • Four stages of the demographic transition: Pre-Transition- many births and many deaths due to bad living conditions (low population growth ) Early-Transition - better living conditions leading to fewer deaths (population explosion) Late-Transition - as society develops fewer deaths lead to fewer births, (population growth decreases) Post-Transition- society of low birth and death rates, (population growth stabilizes)
     • Industrial Revolution
       • The industrial revolution meant better food supply, hygiene and medicine (fewer deaths) and thus the UK's population exploded during this time. Many developing countries are experiencing this rapid population growth now, while population growth in the UK has long since stabilized.

5. Political Implications

   • immigration
     • (RELATES TO: Economic Migrants) When developing countries which lack jobs and resources become overpopulated, many individuals choose to immigrate to more developed countries where there is more available in terms of healthcare, education, security and employment. This influx of immigrants is controversial , and is currently leading to political division within these countries.
   • Changing Demographics
     • (RELATES TO: Economic Factors/Unemployment Rates) Many challenges come about when a country has a disproportionately large number of young people. Countries experiencing population growth have to provide the jobs that these children will need when they become adults.  A "youth bulge" can lead to political conflict and unrest, as unemployed youth take to the streets. 
   • Conflict/Instability
     • Scarcity of resources within a country due to overpopulation can lead to conflict and political tension, and conflicting cultures resulting from immigration may lead to civil unrest.

6. Economic Factors

   • wealth distribution
     • (RELATES TO: Historical Legacies/Colonialism) Unequal distribution of wealth and resources has a huge impact on overpopulation. The United States is the world’s biggest consumer of natural resources, though its population makes up only 5 percent of the world’s population. On the other side, there are vast amounts of people in overpopulated countries living in severe poverty without access to food.
   • high unemployment rates
     • With a large influx of young people, developing countries are often faced with large unemployment figures due to the narrowness of the field of jobs and the size of the population.
   • economic migrants
     • (RELATES TO: Political Implications/Immigration) Forced out of countries overrun with people and with little economic opportunities, many people choose to immigrate to richer more developed countries, in search of jobs and stability. 

7. Social/Cultural Implications

   • gender inequality
     • In many developing countries, families with an excess of children and limited income tend to invest in education and opportunity for male children, as it is seen as a more fruitful investment. This further propagates a culture of inequality,
   • religion and contraception/abortion
     • In many cultures/religions, abortions and contraceptive measures are strictly forbidden, which can lead to high fertility rates and contribute to overpopulation, specifically in poorer countries. According to estimates from the Guttmacher Institute, a respected research group, approximately 215 million women want to avoid getting pregnant but have no access to contraception.
   • Education
     • A lack of education (including access to sex education) has been shown to lead to higher fertility rates, and young girls are often forced to start families rather than pursuing an education, propagating the cycle of poverty.

Imágenes y archivos del mapa

• The Science of Overpopulation (Enclavar)