Population Growth and the Environment

Population growth has an effect on the environment, and vice versa. Such effects can be viewed in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, increase in population means increase in the number of stewards looking after the environment. Again, this is more of an ideal situation rather than real.

The real picture is more inclined to the negative side. Population growth is viewed as one of the factors that cause environmental degradation. The demands of the growing population could lead to mismanagement of natural resources. More people demand more resources, and apparently, generate more waste. Accordingly, when natural resources are strained, the integrity of the environment is likewise affected. In such situations, environmental problems, such as pollution, may crop up, resulting into other interrelated problems such as those relating to health and sanitation, which eventually hinder development. As in the case of natural resources, the decline in the environment would have bearing on the quantity and quality of the population.