Biology Special Topics Assignment 4
Human Populations
The World’s population has been exponentially increasing and according to the center for
biological diversity, “There are more than 7 billion people on the planet, and we’re adding
227,000 more every day (Population)”. Between 2000 and 2005, the average growth rate
was 1.2 percent, when applied to the world’s 2005 population of 6.5 billion people, that is
an annual increase of about 78 million people. Because of the extraordinarily large
increasing population size, the number of people added to the worldwide population will
rank high for a number of decades, even if growth rate continues to decline.
The exponential growth of the human population is leading to over-population, which is in
turn is creating several global issues. Overpopulation is causing various environmental
problems to be exacerbated including global warming, pollution, destruction of habitats,
depletion of our natural resources, and Waste Management. We are putting a strain on the
environment by overusing our natural resources; The Earthday Network referenced in
Wenner’s Article, “the way of life in the United States, on average, requires approximately
five times the resources available on Earth today.“ Therefore, by using the natural
resources it would take five earths to sustain everyone living in the United States!
In addition, Our exponential growth is taking a huge toll on the extinction of particular
species. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, “Species are disappearing 1,000
