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"THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF OVERPOPULATION:
ADDRESSING THE CONSEQUESNCES FOR
PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT"
Overpopulation is a global issue that has negative impacts on both public health and the environment. As the population continues to increase at an alarming rate, resources such as food, water, energy, and healthcare become more limited, and the demand for them increases. Overcrowding and poor sanitation lead to the spread of communicable diseases, and healthcare facilities become overwhelmed, resulting in reduced access to care and longer waiting times. Developing countries are particularly affected by overpopulation due to restricted access to family planning options, poverty, and low levels of education. Furthermore, resource depletion, environmental damage, and climate change are also consequences of overpopulation that can affect future generations. Global inequality exacerbates these issues, and addressing it is crucial to promoting laws and behaviors that prioritize the interests of the entire community over individual self-interest. Immediate action from decision-makers, individuals, and communities is necessary to address the issue of overpopulation.
In addition to the challenges mentioned earlier, overpopulation can also lead to social and economic challenges. In many developing countries, overpopulation can result in high rates of unemployment and poverty, as there are limited job opportunities and resources for people. This may increase inequality and social instability, which may put more pressure on healthcare systems and worsen problems with public health. Family planning and reproductive health programs must be prioritized and expanded in developing countries, and access to education and healthcare must be improved. Additionally, efforts to reduce poverty and inequality, including initiatives that promote economic development and social welfare, are essential in addressing the root causes of overpopulation and its negative consequences. Overpopulation is a critical global issue that poses significant challenges to public health, the environment, and social justice. Addressing this issue will require a concerted effort from individuals, communities, and decision-makers to promote sustainable development and reduce the negative impacts of population growth on the planet and future generations.
NARTURAL GROUTH RATE
Although the rate of population growth reached its peak in the 1960’s, it is still continuing to increase, just at a slower rate. This growth of the population is tracked by two metrics. One of these considers the birth and death rates of a region without the element of migration included. This is called natural population growth. The second metric is known as population growth and includes the birth and death rates as well as the migration rates of a region. When looking at the statistics of the natural growth rate, it is evident that there was no country with a negative growth rate until after 1970’s. This can be seen in present day Japan for example. It is true that after 1970 many countries either went negative or zero with their natural birth rates but many countries still maintained a positive rate of natural growth. The highest rate of natural growth in population is seen in Africa. This rate is such that for every one person that dies, two and a half people are born.
HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN OVERCROWDED AREAS
High density areas often rely on large medical facilities such as hospitals. Large hospitals recently have had issues with wait times and staff shortages, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. The average wait time for a medical facility is roughly 1 and a half hours, which is extremely low when compared to New York-Presbyterian Hospital which has an average wait of 5 hours and 41minutes (Hospital Stats). When you consider how large New York is it becomes easy to understand how these 2 facts correlate. New York City is the largest urban area within The United States (Cox). Those that live in lower population areas are not waiting as much time as those that live in high density areas like New York City. This clearly shows the disparity between healthcare facilities for those that live in highly populated and lowly populated areas. This issue is not going anywhere either. Medical personell has been declining and is expected to continue to decline. There have been predictions that by 2034 there will be a shortage of around 124,000 health care workers which consists of 48,000 primary care physicians (Mensick, 2024). This will only heighten the problem as these overcrowded areas still grow.
CONDITIONS LINKED TO OVERCROWDED AREAS
The highly dense areas often consist of more cars and other buildings that emit fumes into the air. This leads to health issues that we can see in the early stages. There have been many cases of increased asthma in highly populated areas. One study took kids in urban areas to see if they had asthma at a higher rate than those in rural areas. It was found that people in urban areas were 2 times more likely to have asthma than those that do not live in the urban areas (Shellbourne, 2023) The asthma they have is also not caused by viruses like some other but rather by their environment. This directly links the overcrowded urban environment to a disease not commonly found in rural residents.The problems of overpopulation include a depletion of natural resources, the loss of habitat, an amplified version of climate change, a decrease in biodiversity, a depletion of freshwater resources, a demise to the quality of life, an increased chance of pandemics and epidemics, and abusive farming practices.
COVID 19 GREAT IMPACT ON HUMAN POPULATION
Worldwide there has been a dramatic loss in human life based on what has been going on with all of the unpredictable challenges in the public health care systems. Covid was going on there was a critical need for everyone to have access to all types of health care to prevent the illness from spreading throughout everyone that had come in contact with the virus. The virus was going everywhere regardless of where everyone was. Health care was trying to make sure that all individuals were able to obtain all their need. Knowing all of this due to facts there was information that was saying that the most evidence showed that people with very low income and living with underdeveloped places that this whole population was more affected by Covid 19 due to not having the access to all of the service that was being provided for others.During this time the people have found out a lot more of what is being said about the healthcare system and how it is only really supporting people that have that access to all of the best resources.
CARING FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE
AFTER MATH OF COVID
Most of the time the people with post Covid conditions are having to deal with so many different frustrations and some of the time they are having a long time sickness which in cases makes them feel isolated. This is making it all feel like the population of the people in the world is going a lot lower within these years. It was documented that this pandemic was the fifth top disease since the year of 1918 which was because of the flu pandemic. Most of the time with in the after math of people that are caring for others that are much older is going to be harder to them to get the help that they need. Many people are just being left alone to deal with what needs to get done by themselfs. This is something that is very hard for the people that doing have all the money for people to help them.
Licensed under CC BY by the author Max Roser.
THE PROBLEM OF OVERPOPULATION IS NOT GETTING BETTER
The issue of overpopulation is in no way getting better. Experts have recorded the growth of the population at an increasing rate that continues to increase with each year. The concern with respect to this problem lies within the carrying capacity of planet Earth. Although it is impossible for someone to calculate the exact carrying capacity of Earth, it is a given fact that more people equals a larger carbon footprint. The problems of overpopulation include a depletion of natural resources, the loss of habitat, an amplified version of climate change, a decrease in biodiversity, a depletion of freshwater resources, a demise to the quality of life, an increased chance of pandemics and epidemics, and abusive farming practices. The problem that this essay is most concerned with is the demise to the quality of life for people on Earth. More specifically, the consequences it has on public health. The total human population of Earth is estimated to be 8 billion. 25 years ago this number was 6 billion so there has been a dramatic increase since the early 1990’s. This number is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 if it continues at this rate. The carrying capacity of Earth is estimated to be 12 billion which is what we could reach by 2100.
Conclusion
In conclusion, overpopulation is a major issue that affects both the environment and public health on a global scale. It leads to increased pressure on natural resources, environmental degradation, and public health problems such as the spread of communicable diseases. The problem is particularly severe in developing countries, where there is already a lack of access to essential services. Overpopulation can also exacerbate global inequality, which results in poverty and shortages of basic resources like food and water. The increasing population has led to many crises within the healthcare world. As the population grows, overcrowded areas become more common all over the world. This increases the chance for diseases to spread more easily. This combined with the pollution caused by the crowded areas has led to poor health. Hospitals in New York City have waits that nearly double the average wait time across the U.S.A. The population continues to grow as people continue to look for a solution to this problem. It was truly brought to light however during the Covid pandemic. Hospitals filled up quickly as cases began to rise. People particularly from these crowded, lower income areas were not able to gain adequate health care compared to those that lived in more rural areas. This discrepancy is not fair for those that live in overcrowded areas as they have a right to the same healthcare as others. Overpopulation might eventually result in shortages of resources, environmental harm, and climate change if it is not addressed, making it harder for future generations to make a living on the planet. Therefore, it is essential that everyone take prompt action and enforce place laws that deal with the underlying causes of overpopulation and encourage sustainable development.
Authors
Dillon Langton, Finance, 2025
Madeline Karle, Criminal Justice, 2024
Sebastian Headrick
Fatima Rasuly, Graphic design&Marketing, 2026
Resources
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