THE world population, over the last few centuries, has increased at an exponential rate, even though the last few decades have shown a certain deceleration in this growth. The main milestone for the increase in the number of inhabitants on Earth was the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century onwards, which made the growth of cities and accelerated urbanization, which initially occurred in developed countries and is currently manifesting itself in the world underdeveloped.
The precarious sanitary conditions in the period of formation and expansion of what are now considered the great cities of the world (New York, London, Paris, among others) caused mortality rates to be high, which offset the growth of the birth. However, over time, social improvements were developed and mortality rates decreased, causing population growth.
Currently, the world population is estimated at 7.2 billion people, which raises concern on the part of of many about how this large number of inhabitants will use the natural resources available on Earth. Will the planet be able to meet the demands and consumption level of so many people?
The fact is that, in fact, the level of exploration and use of natural resources has been expanding, being attributed by many as a consequence of massive population growth. However, if we make a more careful analysis, we can see that the increase in people is not necessarily responsible for the increase in the exploitation of nature by human beings. After all, even with population growth slowing down today, consumption has been expanding, and such expansion occurs unevenly in the world.
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The United States, for example, has about 6% of the entire population in the world, but consumes about ¼ of all resources on the planet. In some cases, such as oil, Americans consume more than twice as much as the runner-up in this ranking consumes, which is China. Some notes indicate that, if all countries maintained the same standard of living as the US, four and a half planets would be needed to withstand such consumption intensity. After all, in addition to consumer culture, there is still intensive scheduled or planned obsolescence, in which electronic equipment becomes obsolete (technically or psychologically) in a very fast period, increasing the demand for new products and, consequently, for more resources. And that's not to mention the huge production of garbage.
Some international organizations and entities claim that the planet currently produces enough food and resources for around nine billion people. people, which, however, does not prevent nearly 1 billion inhabitants from suffering from the problem of hunger and extreme poverty, the majority concentrated in countries underdeveloped. Therefore, what is noticeable is not the scarcity of resources – especially food – in the face of the increase in the number of people, but the poor distribution and lack of access to these elements, resulting from relations of inequality and accentuated poverty in various parts of the planet.
By Me. Rofolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Demographic growth and scarcity of natural resources"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/crescimento-demografico-escassez-recursos-naturais.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
