What is overpopulation? It is a condition. A habitat is considered overpopulated when an organism's number exceed the carrying capacity of the area. Often the term is used in reference to the human population and its environment- the Earth. But more than population density, overpopulation is directly related to the country's ability to feed its inhabitants as well as meet their other basic needs. The first picture below is a pie chart of the percantages of the Earth's surface covered by water, used for agriculture, under conservation, "intact", and used for human habitation. Note how little of Earth's land is dedicated to providing a place for humans to live. The map below that shows the population density of the Earth by country. Darker colors are areas with a higher density of people. Notice that three of the most heavily populated countries are China, India, and Japan.
In 1979 China's Communist Party implemented a "one-child policy" which is still in place today. It states that families in urban areas are allowed to have one child, while families in rural areas (which is about 80% of the population) are allowed to have two. Families that violate the rule could be forced to have an abortion as well as being financially penalized. On the other hand, families with only one child are given better child care and housing as well as cash bonuses. In the 1950's fertility rates averaged about five children per woman compared to the two children per woman today. Implications include favoritism of boys. This is a traditional preference, which under the "one-child policy" has led to the murder of many baby girls and a continuously growing gender imbalance in the country's continuously growing population.
India's family planning policy went into affect in the 1950's. India was the first country to create such a policy. Since then, the population of India has more than doubled, but the fertility rated has dropped by about 40%. This campaign is based on a change in attitude. It encourages the advancement of women economically, academically, and socially. The idea is that independent women are more likely to have smaller families. The nation tried to focus on sterilization, only to hinder woman's acceptance of family planning.
Japan's solution is unlike the two previous. Rather than the focus being on reducing its population, Japan has solved its problem through a high economic growth rate which they have sustained over the past several decades.
Lowering the population of a country is a difficult task. Obviously you can't become cannibalistic and start eating people. Also, you can't tell people that they can't have children simply because that is unfair and not right. So if I had to develop my own solution to overpopulation I would do so through education. The people need to understand the problem and they have to have a want to change it. Informing people about birth control as well as the benefits of smaller families coupled with individuals' motivation to do their part in helping their country is ultimately the best way to limit population growth. I would not impose a rule on the number of children a family can have. I feel that that would cause the people to be angry at their government when really the best thing to do is to give the population the right mindset. It's almost a matter of persuasion in that the task is convincing the people of your country that their efforts are in the best interest of themselves and their nation. Ultimately that's the most efficient way of handling overpopulation in my opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment