(Linh)
Lead-in:
Our world is constantly changing with the development of technology, health care and
other services to serve people's lives. This is a welcome development, but it also
indirectly causes unprecedented population growth also known as overpopulation ỏ
population explosion. So, what is overpopulation? What are the consequences and is
there a solution to deal with this problem? And today, our group consisting of 3 members
– Khanh Vi, Khanh Linh, Thuy Tien will provide you with knowledge about
overpopulation.
Our presentation will include 5 parts: Definition, Reality, Causes, Effects and Solutions
of overpopulation
1. What’s Overpopulation?
Overpopulation is defined as a condition of being populated with excessively large
numbers.
2. Reality:
In terms of reality, never before in history, have there been so many people on the earth
as right now. Our numbers are skyrocketed from 1 billion in 1800 to 2.3 billion in 1940,
3.7 billion in 1970, and 7.4 billion in 2016. And according to the 2019 World Scientists’
Warning of A Climate Emergency, signed by over 14,000 scientists from 156 countries,
the world population is increasing by 80 million people per year, equal to more than
200,000 people per day. These are huge numbers that show the very worrying
overpopulation occurring today. And, what are the main reasons for overpopulation?
( Khanh Vi)
3. Causes of the population explosion:
_Firstly, new inventions in medicine now enable us to cure most deadly diseases and
people seem to live longer.
_Secondly, people don't know how to control population, especially in the
countryside.And, They don't use any method of birth control and they don't know how to
use it.
_Thirdly, thanks to the development of science and the help of technology, the birth rate
is increasing
->This is certainly a reason to be proud and happy but it is also a cause of overpopulation.
- Last but not least, overpopulation is also associated with migration and immigration.
In fact, migration and immigration have no effect on the total global population, but
they can lead to localized overpopulation. Many people choose to relocate to
developed countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, or Australia, where the best
facilities and services are available in terms of education, medical, employment and
security. Besides, many people all over the world are forced to leave their homes or
their countries due to conflicts or famine. As a result, some cities or nations in the
world become overcrowded because of the large number of immigrants.
4. Effects
4.1 Water (Vi)
_Quality water is worsened due to human development in the environment
_Domestic and industrial waste water pollute the environment especially in cities and
towns.
_ Dumping of garbage and other waste, discharge of excreta materials into river make the
water polluted
_ Water is also polluted by excessive use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides
_All of Vietnam's rivers and lakes are contaminated at various levels as untreated waste is
discharged directly into the river.
4.2 Air ( Tien)
_We human have spread across every continent and created huge changes to landscapes,
ecosystems, atmosphere—everything
_The ozone layer plays an important part in protecting us from UV beams. But when the
population start to grow, we would start releasing toxic chemicals upto the atmosphere,
puncturing the ozone layer.
_ Oxygen content of the atmosphere decreases whereas contents of carbon dioxide and
other toxic gases increase rapidly
_ Polluted air can produce different kinds of diseases like skin diseases, eye irritation,
lung diseases, etc.
4.3. Deforestation:
Forests are an important natural resource of the whole planet. They play an
important role inenhancing the quality of environment by influencing the ecological
balance and life
support system :
- reduce soil erosion
- maintain soil fertility
- regulate water cycles
- balance carbon dioxide and oxygen content in atmosphere
Population growth is directly related to the increase in the demand for food. In order
to meet this demand, we have to produce more crop. To produce more crop, we require
more land; and to get more land for cultivation we have started encroaching upon the
forestland, cutting down trees and turning green forests into large fields. Even nowadays,
the age of metals, we are highly dependent on timber when it comes to construction; and
this timber comes from felling of trees in various parts of the world.
For example, since 1970, somewhere around 232,000 square miles of Amazon forest
has been cleared to make way for agriculture and for construction activity. Even today,
these forests are cleared at the rate of 1.5 acres per second; which in turn has left several
species in these forests endangered. This will result in loss of habitat for various species
and cause a severe ecological imbalance on the planet.
