IS OVERPOPULATION A PROBLEM OR NOT?

Before seeing how overpopulation started and how it will affect us, we need to discuss what is overpopulation. Wikipedia defines overpopulation as an abundance of a species that exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment. Overpopulation has been defined by most people as the end of the human species. Humans at one point will fight for resources, food, shelter, and medicine. This is quite scary if you think about it but it is not actually true. The truth lies behind what we do in our present to avoid that catastrophe. But first, let's look at how overpopulation started.

Industrial Revolution:

The industrial revolution started in 1750 but it picked pace during the 1800s. The advancement in different fields like science, transport, medicines, and the ease of communication led to the betterment of the economy. 

This betterment took place in London and this led to a population increase as child mortality rates decreased because of good medicines and the families worked and had a better life because peasants became workers and the middle class was introduced which did not live a luxurious life but would easily pay the expenses and live a normal and comfortable life as compared to before.

 Women were given a better status in the economy. They were given jobs and had the right to choose a profession and follow their passion. This increased educational services for both women and children. The increase in the number of contraceptives and healthcare services increased the population of Europe from just 7 million to 15 million from 1750 to 1850.

The Population Explosion:

The real population explosion occurred in 1970 during globalization. The population increased from 4 billion to 8 billion in just 50 years. This is because of the rapid advancements made in the technology and communication sector. Scientists estimate that the population will reach 11 billion by the end of 2100. 

Many countries recognized this problem early and have controlled it to a great extent. Take Bangladesh as an example. In 1960, the average Bangladeshi woman had 7 children and only 4 of them survived and only one of them was able to attain knowledge. In 2019, the average Bangladeshi woman had 2 children and all of them had an education and this change occurred only in half a century. It was not only Bangladesh that made progress but many other countries as well. This shows how this problem can be controlled. Bangladesh increased the number of schools and the use of contraceptives. Bangladesh started a family program in 1960 which comprised of three main things:

1. Education

2. Health Care

3. Contraception

This was a great success and this is how population growth and child mortality were reduced.

The African continent comprises 54 countries and most of them are poor because of the condition that the British left it with. The African continent is also really big and comprises 1.216 billion people according to the 2016 survey and scientists predict that it will reach 5 billion by the end of 2100. This will create a great challenge for Africa because of the living conditions. The African continent has been shown love and attention for the last couple of years and the living conditions have changed drastically.

Big organizations like UNICEF have made a lot of changes over the years and have helped a ton of people in Africa. You can too make a change by making some donations to them so you can be a part of the change. But let's not forget what we were talking about(Overpopulation).

Is Overpopulation a concern and if it is how can we solve it?:

    First of all, I am not an expert at this and all of what I've said are just thoughts and theories that many theorists have predicted. This is a complicated topic and cannot be explained properly in this small article.  But overall, overpopulation is a concern if it is not controlled but we've already controlled it to a great extent by educating people, decreasing child mortality, increasing the average lifespan of a person, and increasing the use of contraceptives. Theorists say that the 12th billionth person would never see the light as he will not be born. 

        On the other side, more people means more working hands and more people who can change the world by aspiring ideas and technology that can progress humans to a great extent. There have never been this many people on earth before and that makes it a new problem and makes it a very complicated problem. But it is not a world-ending threat and it will not harm anyone's life tremendously. The future is unknown and it is scary to think about it but it is also intriguing to guess about it by observing the present. We are developing at an amazing pace which draws an uncertain picture of the future.