How does overpopulation affect environmental health?

Question

in general in this time period

Answer 1

Too many people pooping in my ecosystem.

Answer 2

Finally, an ecology question that's not a political debate in disguise!

Overpopulation is a common phenomena in nature. Nothing in the real world is ever truly in balance- in the case of animals, which is, I think what you mean, either there is room for more of you, or there isn't, and the pressures placed on populations are part of the deal.

First off, populations of animals (including people) IS a part of environmental status: the idea of environmental health is a value judgment, and doesn't exist in science. A barren waste won't be a barren waste for forever, remember.

If a population gets too numerous, the first sign will be overall poor health (think of Eritrea, Bangledesh, etc), followed by a struggle for basic resources. In addition, the overall size of the individuals will shrink, as nutrients get more scarce. The impact of disease on population will be amplified. Behaviors will shift to short-term survival tactics.

Get the idea? As someone else said here, it's not the number, it's the distribution that's the problem.

Answer 3

People in an overly congested area can certainly cause challenges to environmental health but the scare of overpopulation of the planet, if that's your point, is not an issue. The entire planet's population could fit in the state of Texas (though I would not go to Texas and suggest it!!) with the resulting population density of New York City. This was the first environmental scare for me as a child born in the early 50's. The vast area of our nation alone where people live many miles from their only neighbor is mind boggling.
99magna

Answer 4

With every day pass, our country is getting into more and more trouble. The inflation, unemployment and falling value of dollar are the main concern for our Government but authorities are just sleeping, they don’t want to face the fact. Media is also involve in it, they are force to stop showing the real economic situation to the people. I start getting more concern about my future as well as my family after watching the response of our Government for the people that affected by hurricane Katrina.

According to recent studies made by World Bank, the coming crisis will be far worse than initially predicted. So if you're already preparing for the crisis (or haven't started yet) make sure you watch this video at http://www.familysurvival.tv and discover the 4 BIG issues you'll have to deal with when the crisis hits, and how to solve them fast (before the disaster strikes your town!) without spending $1,000s on overrated items and useless survival books.

Answer 5

My parents emmigrated from Calcutta, India before I was born. I've gone back a number of times, and it's a perfect case study of how overpopulation can affect environmental health.

Due to millions of refugees from neighboring Bangladesh, the population of the area has increased to an estimated 20 million. This is in an area that is supported by a sewage system that was designed and built in the early 20th Century, when the population was only a few hundred thousand. Rivers and streams are horribly polluted with human and animal waste.

Shacks filled with poor people are everywhere, and diseases spread like wildfire throughout the area. Due to the economic explosion in India, the number of cars have skyrocketted in a few short years, causing significant air pollution problems. As in many asian cities, the air quality in the city is orders of magnitudes worse than cities in the U.S.

Cities worldwide are struggling with an influx of millions of people, just like Calcutta. People feel that, despite the cramped conditions, there are more opportunities in a city than in rural areas. This density of people has caused significant environmental damage in the air, land and water.

Answer 6

Currently every person on Earth can have 5 acres of their own. This means a family of 4 has a full 20 acres. This isn't overpopulation.

The Earth can hold 5 times as many people as it has now without any problems.

People are just scared of big numbers.

Answer 7

When there is overpopulation,everything is 'overly' used

Answer 8

loss of food