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Impacts of population growth fall into the following three categories:
Growing populations have also increased the need for developed land use, which has resulted in the degradation of habitats and loss of ecosystems. Deforestation, to acquire more arable land, has reduced oxygen production and carbon storage from trees. Species loss has resulted from degradation, and the migration of people has led to environmental depletion and degradation.
EXAMPLE
The Rwandan refugees in Africa in 1994 deforested areas near their camps in order to survive.Population growth has demanded more water resources, which has increased the need for dams for reliable sources of potable water and resulted in water pollution in freshwater, groundwater, and oceanic systems.
Every year at current rates of population growth, 72 million people are added to the planet. The following are three major scenarios for projections of population growth, outlined in the graph below.
Even though these scenarios may not seem that different, the differences on impact will be drastic. Depending on which scenario becomes most accurate, human standards of living, food supply, water access, prevalence of disease, and environmental degradation will be dramatically different. In the past, technology and innovation have been able to support population growth. However, we don't know how it will play a role in the future and whether it will be able to mitigate the impacts.
Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY JENSEN MORGAN FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. PLEASE SEE OUR TERMS OF USE.