|
|
Home
> Environment
>
Understanding Population Growth
>
THE BIOLOGICAL SUCCESS OF HUMANS
THE BIOLOGICAL SUCCESS OF HUMANS
If you are a
typical college student, you were probably horn in the early 1970s. At
that time the human population was slightly less than 4 billion. Today
there are well over 5 billion humans and it is likely that our numbers
will increase to more than 8 billion during your lifetime. This
tremendous increase in population is a measure of our biological success
as a species. Humans have been able to provide more food and better
nutrition by increasing the productivity of agriculturally important
crops and animals through selective breeding. We have made great strides
in the fight against diseases with life-saving sanitation practices,
ever-advancing medical techniques, and newly developed medians. All of
these factors have not only increased our numbers, but also increased
the likelihood that we will live longer.
|
Unfortunately, our biological success has created innumerable
problems for us and the other plant and animal species on our
planet; we are in danger of overwhelming the Earth with too many
people. The Earth has limited resources, and the human population is
using up, encroaching upon, fouling, and wasting them. The
pollution, extinction of wildlife, degradation and loss of natural
resources, and depletion of energy reserves in today's world are all
related to human population growth. |
|
|
