Human Population Growth Essay, Research Paper

Letter Analysis

The world we live in is encountering a problem that affects all of its residents, from Australians to Alaskans, and everyone in between. I am writing this analysis in regards to a letter I received addressing Earth’s population growth problem. This letter directed my attention to a situation of global proportions and with devastating potential. This situation that I speak of is unchecked exponential population growth. I am confident that we will be able combat this problem effectively with the intervention of our government through the implementation of tax incentives and the power of knowledge through education.

To effectively combat the problem of out of control population growth we must first know the facts on the subject. Our earth is adding 100 million people a year to our population- a million people every three days, 250 every minute. The country of India had a population of 853 million in 1996; by the year 2020 is will have a population over 1.4 billion (Raven, Johnson 476). These numbers alone should trigger immediate action from our leaders. Figures like the ones above are primarily due to a couple key factors. The first, decreased mortality rates due to advancements in medicine. In the last 300 years the death rate has fallen from 29 per 1000 per year to 13 per 1000 per year (Raven, Johnson 474). The other key factor that is affecting population growth is major advancements in technology and agriculture. Advancements in these fields allow us to feed and house more and more people comfortably. While these advancements sound beneficial to all, they are quickly overwhelming our limited or scarce resources. An example of this would be California’s central valley and the depleting of its ground water tables. Increased suburban sprawl accompanied by increased need for agricultural products is depleting the ground water tables faster than nature can replenish them. This problem affects not only Californians, but also everyone who depends on their agriculture for day-to-day nourishment.

Many ideas have been experimented with the world to combat the problem of population growth. I would like to take a couple ideas from each of these experiments, combine them, and implement them into our society immediately. First I would like to start by urging the government to begin a campaign of education regarding the population situation. This program could begin teaching resource management and population control as early as elementary school. It could be a normal topic of study just as is math or English. The school programs could be accompanied by media messages and advertising. I feel this would enlighten people of our society to the problem and prepare the leaders of the future for action on population related issues. My second idea would be for the government to create some sort of tax credits for people who help combat this problem. Tax credits could be issued to families who only have one or two children, or who use minimum amounts of energy or water. I have seen a form of this implemented in Sacramento, California, where SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utilities District) gives bill credits and cut rates to households who use SMUD’s suggested energy efficient appliances and building supplies. The time and money that SMUD put into this program has resulted in widespread energy conservation and awareness in the Sacramento area. I feel that a program of federal and state tax credits would have the same effect, only on a nation-wide stage.

We, as a world, are encountering many new problems as we enter the new millennium. One of these problems is the out-of-control, exponential population growth that is occurring and will continue to occur into the future unless something is done now. If my signature on the letter, in which I am writing this analysis in soon. regards to, means an increase in awareness and sensitivity to this issue than consider it signed. I feel strongly about this subject and hope to see some sort of resolution in the works