StephaniePrzybyla

TrinaSotirakopulos
EnglishHonors1102
13December2015

MotherNature:SingleMotherof7Billion
InasurveyIconducted,Iaskedifparticipantsthoughtoverpopulationwasanissue,
76%outof109participantsstatedtheydothinktheworldasawholehasanoverpopulation
issue.Ifthemajorityofparticipantsstatedtheybelieveitisanissue,whyisntanyonedoing
muchaboutit?InaninterviewconductedwithEllieMcDonald,anEducationCoordinatorfrom
thewebsite,PopulationMatters,Iaskedthissamequestion.Herresponsewaspeopleoften
feelasthoughtheycannotdoanythingaboutamassiveissuelikethis(McDonald).When
peoplefeelasthoughthereisnothingthatcanbedone,thereisalackofdesiretoengage,
buttherearethingsonanindividuallevelpeoplecandotohelpmakeadifference(McDonald).
Also,ifpeoplebelievethereisanoverpopulationissue,whydosomefamiliescontinuetohave
largefamilysizes?Thiscaneasilybetracedtoeverywhereonelookstelevisionshows,movies,
advertisements,socialmedia,andevenotherfamilies.Weseeandcometobelievethattobea
happyfamilyitmustbeabighappyfamily.Thesesocietalattitudesmustbealtered
.
Inmy
paper,Iwillbringawarenessabouttheissuesassociatedwiththeworldspopulationof7billion
andsuggeststepstowardscontrollingourpopulation,versuspreventinganyfuturepopulation
growth.

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Twocenturiesago,ThomasMalthuslookedbackonpasterasandnoticedwhen
populationincreased,wars,disease,andpovertyalsoincreased.Malthusbelievedthiswasthe
causeoftoomanypeoplefightingfortoofewresources(Haugen16).Heproposedthatthe
impoverishedclassesofEnglandshouldhavefewerchildren,buthedidnotknowexactlyhow
toimposethistheoryotherthanpracticingsexualabstinence(Grant83).AsDavidHaugen,
authorofover100libraryresourcevolumesonseveralsubjectsincludingcontemporaryissues
andbiographyvolumes,states,thisissuehasbeentalkedaboutsincethelateeighteenth
centuryyetwearestillbattlingthischallengetoday(Haugen35).Today,therewillbeover
360,000birthsand154,000deaths,accordingtotheUSCensus(Haugen17).Atthispace,the
worldspopulationwillincreasefromsevenbilliontoninebillionby2050(PopulationMatters).
Onewayoverpopulationisdeterminedisbymeasuringtheoverpopulationindex,which
showstheextentacountrycansupportitselffromitsownresources(Overpopulation).
Overpopulationcanalsobemeasuredbyhowmuchacountryneedsaidandresourcesfrom
anothercountrythisisitsdependency.Thehigherthedependencypercentage,thegreaterthe
overpopulation.Asof2006,Singaporewasrankedthehighestindependencyof99.1%andthe
UnitedStateshadadependencyof50.9%(Overpopulation).Onemayask,whomeasures
overpopulation?Therearedifferentorganizationsthatmeasureoverpopulation.Forexample,
theWorldFootprintNetworkestimateshumansareusingresourcesataratethatitwouldtake
1.6planetstoprovide(McDonald).Byestablishingwhichcountriesaremostoverpopulated,
higherincomecountrieswilldevelopwaystohelpthosecountries.

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Manycauseshavecontributedtooverpopulation,includingplummetingmortalityrate,
bettermedicalfacilities,poverty,technicaladvancementinimmigrationanduncoordinated
familyplanning(Global24).Therehasindeedbeenreducedbirthratesbutonlyfromhigher
incomecountries.Higherincomecountriesshareoftheworldspopulationwas22%in1965,
whichwasreducedto16%in2005(Global24).Mostofthepopulationgrowthisfrom
developingcountries,whichisdemonstratedbythegraphbelow.Thereareafewdeveloping
countriesthathavealsodecreasedtheirfertilityratesdownto2.8birthsperwomanbutthisis
stillfarabovetheaveragerateinhighincomecountries(Global29).
Althoughitmayseemasthoughoverpopulation
maynotaffectU.S.citizens,thereareindeedmany
waysitdoes.Today,theUnitedStatesusesthe
mostfossilenergyoutofallcountries,whichhas
contributedtodepletingmorethan60%ofthe
worldssupplyofoil(Haugen70).Atthisrate,the
supplyofnaturalgasandcoalintheU.S.areonly
expectedtolastanotherfiftytoonehundredyears
(Haugen70).Whileoverpopulationisnotthesole
causeoftheseproblems,itisamainroot.Another
effectthatstemsfromoverpopulationis
deforestation,whichisthepermanentdestruction
offorestsinordertomakethelandavailablefor
otheruses(Bradford).Eachyear,theamountof
landthesizeofPanamaislostduetodeforestation

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(Bradford).Sinceforestshelpprotecthumansfromglobalwarmingandsuppressgreenhouse
gases,destroyingforestsleadstoglobalwarmingaswellasdestructionoftheozonelayer
(YorkandGrant).Beforebelievingweneedmoreshoppingmallsandfastfoodrestaurants,we
shouldstartconsideringallthenegativeeffectsthatcomewithit.
Onebillionpeople,whichisequivalenttooneoutofeveryeightpeople,gotobed
hungry.Everyday,25,000peopledieofmalnutritionandhungerrelateddiseases.Almost
18,000ofthemarechildrenunderfiveyearsold(York).
EllieErlewhoisanenvironmental
scientistattheUniversityofMarylandassertsthattechnologyisabletoovercomeany
anticipatedexceedanceofcarryingcapacity(Tal).IbelieveErleiswrongabouttechnology
beingabletofeedall7billionofus.IfErlewascorrect,therewouldbelessthan25,000people
whodonothaveenoughfoodtosurviveandwellbelow146millionchildrenunderweight
(Global23).Inaddition,IsmailSerageldin,theformerWorldBankvicepresidentforenvironment
andsocialsustainabilitysaid,therehasbeenathreefoldincreaseinpopulationbutasixfold
increaseinwaterconsumption(Haugen16).Thisleadsto20%ofdevelopingcountriesnot
havingaccesstoanimprovedwatersource(Global109).Thecountriesthatdonothave
enoughwaterareusuallymorelikelytohavefoodrelatedillnesses(Grant).AsEhrlichsaidfour
decadesago,weneedtoaskourselveswhatkindofcommunitieswewanttolivein,andthis
willleadustochange(Haugen17).Withmoreandmorepeoplelivingonthesameplanet,
thoseindevelopedcountriesmustfigureoutawaytosavewaterandhowtoefficientlysend
foodandwatertoundevelopedcountries.
Ifoverpopulationhasalloftheseeffectsandsomefamiliescontinuenottohaveenough
foodandwatertoeat,whydowomencontinuetohavealargerthanaveragefamilysizeifthey
cannotsupportthemall?Thereisstrongevidencethatstateswomenwhohavealower

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educationtendtohavemorechildren,havemorefinancialissues,andtendtomarryearlier
(Nine).

Wellforevery100men,only88womenareliterate(Global41).Wemayaskourselves,
howisthispossible?Well,thereare62milliongirlsofprimaryschoolagewhoarenotinschool
(Global41).Sincemostwomenindevelopingcountriesdonotreceiveahighereducation,its
notmuchofasurprisethattheyhavemorechildrenonaverage.Whyarentthesegirlsreceiving
ahighereducation?InmyinterviewwithEllieMcDonald,anEducationCoordinatorfrom
PopulationMatters,shewasabletoenlightenmeonwhythisisthecase.Shesaidthatmost
girlsinpatriarchalsocietiesareoftenexpectedtostayathomeanddodomesticworkaround
thehouse,soparentsdonotevenbotherspendingmoneyoneducatingthemsincetheyare
justgoingtogetmarriedandworkathomeanyway(McDonald).Otherpotentialreasonsforgirls
notattendingschoolistheirfamiliesmaynotbeabletoaffordalloftheirchildrenseducation
andthusfavortheirboystoattendschool.Sometimesgirlsdogettogotoschoolbutsincethey
havetokeepupwithdomesticwork,theyoftendonotattendenoughdaysortheirgradesare
notsufficientenough(McDonald).Againweask,howdoweincreasetheamountofgirls
attendingschool?Wehavetoeducatepeopleaboutgirlsrights,thedangersofhavingchildren
early...improvewomensstandinginsocietysoparentsaremorelikelytokeeptheirgirlsin
schoolratherthanjustdumpthemonahusbandassoonaspossible(McDonald).Itallstarts
witheducatingpeopleaboutwomensrightsandhowmuchpotentialwomenhaveiftheyare
giventhechance.Alloftheirlives,theirpartnerslivesandtheirchildren'sliveswouldimprove
drasticallyifwomenreceivedaneducationandwereempoweredmore.

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Nowthatweareone,astonishedbythisinformationandtwo,morefamiliarwiththis
growingissue,onemightask,whatcanbedonetohelpthisproblem?Therearemany
solutionstohelpdecreasetheamountofbirthseachyear,someeasiertoimplementthan
others.Somesolutionsincludeeducatingpeopleaboutthetheconsequencesof
overpopulation,makingeducationavailableforwomen,endingpoliciesthathelppeoplewith
largerfamilies,requiringschoolstoteachcomprehensiveprogramsandimposinglimitsonthe
numberofchildrencouplescanhave.Butoutofallthepossiblesolutions,accessto
contraceptionisoneoftheeasiesttoimplement,hasthemostdirecteffect,andhashad
measurablesuccess(Haugen24).Currently,twoineveryfivepregnanciesarereportedtobe
mistimedorunwanted(Nine).Whilewearequicktoblameandsaythesepregnancieswere
causedbyunprotectedsex,wecannotblamethemiftheydidnothaveaccesstocontraceptives
inthefirstplace.Thereareseveralwaysthatcanhelpsolvethisproblem.Ifdeveloping
countrieshadhelpfromfamilyplanningservices,itcouldpreventanadditional52million
unintendedpregnancies(Haugen116).TheUnitedStatesfundsafamilyplanningprogram
whichhelpsissuecontraceptivesallovertheworldandhasatremendousimpact(York).Ifmore
familyplanningprogramswerehelpingdistributecontraceptivestounderdevelopedcountries,
therecouldpotentiallybenomoreunwantedpregnanciesintheworld.Butwhataboutcountries
thatdohaveaccesstocontraceptivesandstillareencounteringunwantedpregnancies?People
needtoalsobeproperlyeducatedonhowtousethem,wheretoobtainthem,tonotforgetto
usethem,feelcomfortablepurchasingthem,aswellasfeelingcomfortableaskingtheirpartner

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tousethem(McDonald).Ifallofthesetechniquesareimplemented,theamountofunintended
birthswouldbereduced.
Onesolutionthathasbeendonebeforeistoimplementatwochildpolicylimit.Thisisa
lifechangingsolutionbutifitcomesdowntoit,countriesmayhavetoclaimdominationover
themostintimatepersonalbehaviorofitspeople,sovereigntyovertheproductionoflifeitself
(White1).Onemayask,howcanthispolicybeimposedifthemajorityofpeopleareagainstit?
Well,wecanlooktoChinaandanalyzehowtheydealtwiththeissue.WhatChinadidwas
maketheonechildpolicyintoamassivepropagandacampaign(White2).Thecampaign
focusedononeoverallgoal,tohaveeachcouplebeallowedonlyonechild,andtogetherasa
nation,theyworkedcollectivelytoachieveit(White2).Thiscreatedasenseofunityandmade
citizensfeelasiftheywereallononeteam,aimingforonegoal.ButChinaneededmuchmore
thanasenseofunitytogetthispolicytowork.Chinaalsohadchildplanningservices,activists
whoenforcedthepolicy,andspecialmedicalteamssenttoperformsterilizations,abortions,and
insertintrauterinedevices(White3).Newspaperswerefilledwithmodelstoriesofcoupleswho
obeyedthepolicyaswellasnegativemodels,allsothepubliccouldseewhatwasacceptable
andwhatwasnot(White3).Thosewhodidnotobeythepolicywerecalledstateenemiesand
hadtoattendstrugglesessionwheretheywerepubliclyhumiliated(White3).Now,ifthe
UnitedStatesneededtoimplementthissortofpolicy,Idonotbelieveittoberighttocallthose
whodidnotobeystateenemiesandhavethemattenda,whatsoundsterrifying,struggle
session.Whatcouldbedoneifpeoplewhoalreadyhavetwochildrenandafterthepolicyis

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imposed,authoritiesdiscoverfamilieswhoareexpectinganother?Ithinkauthoritiesshould
comeandmeetwiththefamilyandgivethemtheoptiontokeepthechildbutiftheydodecide
tokeepthechild,knowtherewillbefeesandpenaltiesfordisobeyingthepolicy.InChina,ifa
couplehadanunauthorizedchild,theycouldpotentiallylosetheirjob,apartment,foodnations
tickets,andurbanresidencypermits(White3).Althoughallofthismayseemextreme,itwas
theonlywaytohavethemajorityofpeopleobey.Ofcourse,therewerestillsomepeoplewho
didnotobey.Citizensinthecountrysiderefusedtoconformtothisnewnormbecausetheysaw
thepolicyasathreattotheireconomicwellbeingandtotheintegrityoffamilylife(White34).
Butinallpolicies,therewillalwaysbepeoplewhorebelagainstit.
InthesurveyIconducted,IaskedparticipantshowtheywouldfeeliftheUnitedStates
imposedatwochildpolicy,andunsurprisingly,thevastmajorityofparticipantsstrongly
disagreed.Participantsstatedthatitwastoocontrolling,especiallyfortheUnitedStates,thatit
goesagainstcitizensbasicrightsanditisunconstitutionalbecausefamiliesshouldhaveas
manykidsastheycansupport.Onepossiblesolutionistostartchangingsocietalattitudes
towardshavingsmallerfamilies(McDonald).Byeducatingpeopleaboutthefinancialcostsof
havingalargerfamily,theenvironmentalimpactithas,andimposingcampaignsdemonstrating
whyfamiliesdonotneedtobelargetohavefull,happylives,itwillpersuadepeopletowantto
havesmallerfamilies.Oneimportantreasonwhyfamiliesshouldconsiderhavingasmaller
familyisitwillimprovethequalityoflifefortheirfamilyaswellasotherfamilies.Parentsshould
knowthattheirchildrenwillhavebetterlivesiftheworldisnotasheavilypopulated

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(McDonald).Ifitcomesdowntoit,peoplemayonedayhavealimitontheamountofwaterthey
canuseaswellastheamountofdrivingtheycando(York).Thiswillnotonlyleadtoless
pollutionsincetherearelesscarsbeingdrivenbutpeoplewillhavetofindotherwaystogetto
andfromplaces.Someotheralternativesmaybepublictransportationorbikingtowhereone
needstogowhichwillleadtopeoplegettinghealthier.Butagain,placinglimitsonwaterusage,
drivingandthenumberofchildrenpeoplehavewillonlyoccurifthepopulationbecomes
significantlylarger,whentheplanetbarelyhasanyresourcesleft,orwhenfamilysizescontinue
tobelargeorincreaseinamount.Sofornow,shiftsmustbemadetomakesmallfamiliesthe
newnorm.
WhilepeopleintheUnitedStatesmaynotrealizewehaveapopulationissue,itis
becauseitisnotnearlyasbadasitisindevelopingcountries.Despitethis,itisstillaffecting
peopleintheUnitedStatesandallovertheworld.Nowthatyouarealittlemoreinformedabout
thisissue,youcansharethisinformationwithotherstheimportanceofempoweringwomen,
practicingsafesex,andbeingeducatedinproperuseofcontraceptives.Beforeyouhavea
child,thinkaboutalltheresponsibilitiesandfinancialattributesthatareincludedandwhatkind
ofworldtheywillbebroughtupin.Ifsomefamiliesreallywanttohavelargefamilies,they
shouldnotforgetthatadoptingisanoptionthathelpstremendously.Remember,whileeveryone
isdifferent,onethingeverysinglepersonhasincommon,istheplanetweliveonwhichwe
mustcarefor.

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Population
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NinePopulationStrategiestoStopShort
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OverpopulationIndex
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"PopulationMatters."
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Przybyla,Stephanie.Overpopulation?Survey.13November2015.
Tal,Alon."OverpopulationisStilltheProblem."
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Ithaca:CornellUP,2006.297.Print.
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InstituteforPopulationStudies,29Nov.2015.Web.4Nov.2015.