Overpopulation In The United States Increases Water Pollution
Overpopulation in the United States has become an increasing problem. Between natural growth and immigration here in the United States, it is becoming overpopulated. The demands of increasing population magnify demands for natural resources, clean air and water, as well as access to wilderness areas.
In the future, when there are not enough resources to go around, we will see significant scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems lie behind scarcity and poverty. Ultimately, our own numbers, and the lifestyles many of us choose to live, drive all the critical issues we confront. Left unchecked, the combination of population growth and consumption- along with increasing inequity between rich and poor individuals and nations-will soon threaten not only the well-being, but even the lives of a majority of people on this planet. The United States is the third most populous country in the world following China and India. The U.S. population, currently more than 265 million, is growing by about 2.5 million people each year, making the United States one of the world's fastest-growing industrialized nations (The Demographic Facts of Life in the United States).
When population levels reach a critical threshold, we then see both a decline in the resource base, and damage to the environment, which supplies all those resources. These trends reinforce each other - the damaged environment provides fewer resources, and the shortage of resources causes us to further damage the environment. World energy needs are projected to double in the next several decades, but no credible geologist foresees a doubling of world oil production, which is projected to peak within the next few decades. Many `growth' advocates will argue that the natural ingenuity of people will overcome any problems that population growth creates. Advocates of `sustainability' argue that increasing population and consumption are already causing massive damage to the planet and that soil erosion,...
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