Population and the Environment

The earth will be unable to sustain life indefinitely, but many seem to ignore this extremely logical and obvious fact. In the context of overpopulation, there are two countries of main concern China and India. However, population concerns the entire globe because of its inevitable environmental impact. According to Kegley, “the right to produce children is a major[ly] unregulated freedom” (347). The concern of the planet’s carrying capacity has made population and environmental policy a central issue in world politics.

The UN has reported that the world’s population in the 1950s was between 2-3 billion; amazingly, in 50 years time the world has managed to more then double that to, according to recent UN data, around 6.4 billion and rising. Nevertheless, the determined population growth rate has, in fact, declined. In 1964, the growth rate was reported to be 2.2 percent and currently the growth rate is at 1.2 percent. The threat that population increases pose has many variables, but perhaps one of the main threats is the thought of scarcity of food among other resources. Scarce resources can undermine security and lead to military conflict. If a country needs a large amount of a particular resource and they run out or run low, what are they going to be willing to do in order to get it? This is particularly evident in the Global south because of their lack of a good economy in order to purchase the resource.

Population in the Global South causes different problems than in the Global North. This is not surprising considering that 95 percent of the total growth in population occurs in the Global South. The mere fact that the Global South contains under developed countries means that they will be unable to deal with social, economic, and the environmental problems associated with larger populations. They simply do not have the money to support AIDS/HIV (prevention or curtailment) or family planning, nor are they overly concerned with advancing women’s rights, all of which contribute to helping in the effort of lowering growth rates. The one concern in the Global North, in regards to population growth, is their inability of having a desirable replacement growth rate. Many Global North countries (ie: Germany and Japan) are not producing enough children to work, thusly not paying into pension systems and there will be fewer people to fill the voids left by an aging population.

Environmental issues caused by overpopulation affect the entire Global thusly connecting the Global South and the Global North in a battle to protect the earth. Larger populations lead to greater urbanization, which in turn leads to a strain on clean water supplies, “shelter, and sanitation and, at the same time, adding to […], smog, and epidemics as overcrowding spreads HIV and other communicable diseases more rapidly” (qtd. in Kegley 355). Probably the single most important problem of larger populations is the communicable disease factor. This is a problem for the entire globe. Throughout history disease has had the ability to bring down mighty empires and disease does not care whether one is rich or poor, although if you are rich (compared to the prosperity of the Global South) you will likely have the ability to curtail whatever disease you have, but sometimes not even money can help.

Four major International Conferences have been held on population. The first was held in Bucharest the result was a slogan that says it all, “Development is the best contraceptive” (qtd. in Kegley 360). The second conference was held in Mexico City, it was generally agreed upon, that family planning would lower growth rates. The U.S. opposed this view, saying instead that free market economies should be pursued. In 1994, another conference was held in Cairo resulting in the conclusion that population stabilization could only occur “in conjunction with efforts to promote human development and sustainable economic growth, supported by increases in multilateral aid. This conclusion was reaffirmed at the [fourth conference at the 2002 Johannesburg conference]” (Kegley 360).

An interrelated subject of concern is the world’s dependency on oil, its affects on the environment, and the political problems associated with its acquisition. Barrels of crude oil used to be fairly inexpensive, in fact, in 1990 “the average price for a barrel […] was less then $15” (Kegley 367). However, after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, prices shot up to $40 a barrel and again shot up (to over $60) after the United States invasion of Iraq. It remains clear that not only does military activity in the oil rich countries of the Middle East have a direct effect on the prices of crude oil, but so does the undeniable fact that the world is using oil faster then we are finding it.

The demand for oil is just continuing to increase not only in the Global North, but in the developing countries of the Global South as well. Therefore, those who control the oil have, almost, infinite power over those who desire the acquisition of it, which leads to geopolitical problems. Canada and the U.S. use six times as much oil as the Global South. On top of all the issues with oil raised above, there is also the overwhelming power of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC, an IGO cartel, was created to maximize profits of oil, which they have successfully done. OPEC also used oil prices as a form of coercive diplomacy in hopes of influencing the war on terrorism.

This shift in demand for oil affects the entire world. With more Global South countries acquiring oil, it puts pressure on the Global North’s ability to effectively bargain for the acquisition of it. The U.S. is highly dependent on imported oil from the volatile Middle East, receiving “nearly three-fifths of its oil [from there]” (Kegley 369). OPEC countries are in an extremely powerful bargaining potion, for example, “consider Saudi Arabia, the king pin of oil, with a fourth of the world’s proven reserves under its vast desert expanses. Then add in the reserves held by other countries in the OPEC cartel, [which, in total, accounts for three-fourths of the world reserves]. A cutoff of OPEC exports to the United States, Japan, China, or Europe would be catastrophic” (Kegley 369).

At present, there are many different types of energy alternatives. Probably the most common are renewable forms of energy, for instance, solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen, and natural gas. “Renewable energy from replaceable sources also has the advantage of doing relatively little damage to the environment” (Kegley 371). However, there will continue to be pressure to disregard these for fear of bankrupting the members of the OPEC community. Perhaps the growing fear of global warming will counteract that particular issue. “Among known technologies, nuclear energy has often been championed as the leading alternative to fossil fuel dependence […]” (Kegley 370). However, the many accidents that have occurred have deterred many from putting much effort or resources into their programs. Or in even more extreme cases like Germany, have completely stopped their program altogether. Among the environmental concerns of using nuclear energy is the security concern of the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons, especially in countries that do not currently have nuclear weapons.

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