The population bomb

The Population Bomb The continuous increase of population in the world has become a major problem to planet earth. Oftentimes, it is referred to as the population bomb owing to the adverse impacts it creates on the world today. Such population explosion leads to social, economic and environmental problems. This prompted the enactment of global protocols, regional agreements and localized legislations which are all geared up towards resolving mounting social, economic and environmental problems. There are many countries and cites which contribute to this population explosion. China, the most populated country today, has a population of 1. 4 billion, which is about one-fifth of the world’s population. Mexico City has more people than any other city in the world but it is only one of the several cities where the population seems to be exploding. India is the second most overpopulated country after China and also the country with the highest population density. The increasing population is the major reason for the degradation of the quality of the environment. Because population is growing fast, there is substantial demand for resources as well. People tend to utilize resources uncontrollably which leads to environmental problems. With the advent of industrial revolution to support the economic gaps owing to population explosion, development policies were initially geared towards satisfying present generation economic demands. There was little regard for the needs of the future generation. People started destroying the earth by using so much resources without allowing these to regenerate. Also, less populated developed countries like USA and Australia use up a lot of the non-renewable energy resources like coal and oil, which causes global warming. Nowadays, laws are created to prevent overpopulation in many countries and in so doing, natural resources and the environment have been managed more conscientiously. In China, the one-child policy wherein a couple can only have a maximum of one child was created to control population growth. In developed countries, the population does not grow because of family planning. Apart from population control policies, sustainable development is promoted which ensures that current utilization of resources will not jeopardize future needs. This development policy promotes proper environmental management and considers the carrying capacity of the environment through waste minimization, resource recovery, resource conservation, etc. In conclusion, the best way forward is to balance economic growth and environmental protection putting regard to the needs of the future generation.