POPULATION PROBLEM

Population is one of the most important aspects of humanity that influence the natural environment.
Even though human activities have exposed many part of the natural environment to considerably risks. Nigeria is one of the countries been faced with environmental problems.

Population by definition is the aggregate number of people found in a particular territory. Population problems are entirely linked to population growth. Population growth is defined as the increase in size of population over certain period of time. To discuss this better some population theories are evaluated to indicate a relationship between population and environment.

A British scholar, Clergy and reverend priest Robert Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) a classical economist who wrote at the time of the revolution responded to the mercantilist writers of his time stressed the influence of population growth.

According to him there exist a disparity between population and the means of subsistence of people in the society. He presumed that population grows at geometrical progression while food production grows at arithmetical rate. This means a population at geometrical rate likely to double itself at the period of 25 years. As a result, hunger and starvation are likely to dominate.

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To Malthus, there is a need for change as well as check balances in population growth. He provided two types checks

(i) National check (i.e. natural calamities such as war, hunger, drought, food, fire out break and disease)
(ii) Preventive check (i.e. chastity or moral restrain. Including delay marriage or not marrying at all, mass education and the use of contraceptives etc).

Population estimates have shown how Nigeria experience a rapid population growth especially within the neo-colonial era from 1960-2006, the country rose from less than 70 million people to over 140 million as her population capacity. This process is known to be detrimental to the environment. For example high stress on resource insufficient social amenities such water electricity; hospitals, schools etc are few among the environmental needs.

Other environmental components or factors that are much important and related to population includes: air, forest, farmlands, vegetation’s, space etc. Nigeria faces a problem of urban expansion which allows the denomination of human inhabitants over other integral parts of ecosystem. This is due to a rapid population growth and causes threats to the needed and desired balance of the system.

THERE ARE MANY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH POPULATION GENERALLY THEY INCLUDE:

1. Poverty/Lacks: poverty is the condition of inadequacy or total lack of basic human needs like food, cloth and shelter. Population cause poverty because when there is high population there is a tendency of many people depending on others thereby making them poor.

2. High crime rate: over population leads to high crime rate because since high population is the source of poverty it makes people to turn to deviant means to livelihood like harm robbery, picking pocket, prostitution, etc

3. Persistence of disease: over population causes overcrowding, thereby leading to fast spread of disease e.g. if a room that is meant for 2 persons is occupied by five people as a result of over population, it become the source of disease and uncontrollable spread of disease.

4. Insufficient basic infrastructure: basic infrastructures like tape-water, electricity, hospitals, schools, roads are frequently damaged as a result of over consumption and over use. This over consumption is as a result of too many people using what is intended for few people.

5. It reduce saving and investment capacity: overpopulation reduces savings and investment capacity because the profit or interest that is raised for one’s input which is supposed to be saved to enhance surplus in the long run is rather used to feed the months that it was not intended for, this occur as a result of depending which is a direct product of over population.

6. Not enough job opportunity leading to high unemployment: over population lead to insufficient job opportunity because the population increase beyond available jobs, thereby leading to high unemployment rate.

7. It increases environmental degradation: environmental degradation is the contamination of the basic components of the environment, including water, land and air. The more the population grows the more refuge are dumpt in inappropriate places, and the more forest are destroyed and the more chemicals are used for production causing the combination of the air, land and water.

 

CONCLUSION:

Population by definition is the aggregate number of people found in a particular territory. Population problems are entirely linked to population growth.

Population growth is defined as the increase in size of population over certain period of time. To discuss this better some population theories are evaluated to indicate a relationship between population and environment.