Population Problem Essay
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Population ProblemTwo hundred years ago, Thomas Malthus, in An Essay on the Principle of Population, reached the conclusion that the number of people in the world will increase exponentially, while the ability to feed these people will only increase arithmetically (21). Current evidence shows that this theory may not be far from the truth. For example, between 1950 and 1984, the total amount of grain produced more than doubled, much more than the increase in population in those 34 years. More recently though, these statistics have become reversed. From 1950 to 1984, the amount of grain increased at 3 percent annually. Yet, from 1984 to 1993, grain production had grown at barely 1 percent per year, a decrease in grain production per person of 12 percent (Brown 31). Also strengthening to Malthus argument is the theory that the world population will increase to over 10 billion by 2050, two times what it was in 1990 (Bongaarts 36). Demographers predict that 2.8 billion people were added to the world population between 1950 and 1990, an average of 70,000 a year. Between 1990 and 2030, it is estimated that another 3.6 billion will be added, an average of 90,000 a year (Brown 31). Moreover, in the 18th century, the world population growth was 0.34%; it increased to 0.54% in the 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century to 0.84% (Weiskel 40). Neo-Malthusians base their arguments on the teachings of Thomas Malthus. Of the Neo-Malthusians, Garrett Hardin is one of the most prominent and controversial. Hardin s essays discuss the problem of overpopulation and the effects it will have on the future. In Lifeboat Ethics, he concludes that continuous increases in population will have disastrous outcomes. Neo-Malthusian arguments come under much scrutiny by those who believe that the population explosion is only a myth. Those who hold these beliefs state that the evidence Neo-Malthusians use to justify their views is far from conclusive. Critics hold that the Neo-Malthusian call for authoritarian control is much too radical. Thus, these critics belittle the theories of Neo-Malthusians on the basis that population is not a problem. However radical Hardin s theories may be, current evidence shows that he may not be too far off the mark. It is hardly arguable that the population has increased in the past few decades, for current statistics show that this actually is the case. Equally revealing, is the fact that vast amounts of land are being transformed into more living space. More people means more waste, more pollution, and more development. With this taken into consideration, it seems that Hardin s teachings should no longer fall on deaf ears. When discussing the issue of population, it is important to note that it is one of the most controversial issues facing the world today. Population growth, like many other environmental issues, has two sides. One side will claim that the population explosion is only a myth, while the other side will argue that the population explosion is reality. Because of this, statistics concerning this subject vary widely. But, in order to persuade, it is necessary to take one side or the other. Thus, statistics may be questioned as to their validity, even though the statistics come from credible sources. Lifeboat EthicsThe United States is the most populous country in the world, behind only China and India. Unlike China and India though, the United States is the fastest growing industrialized nation. The United States population expands so quickly because of the imbalance between migration and immigration, and births and deaths. For example, in 1992, 4.1 million babies were born. Weighing this statistic against the number of deaths and the number of people who entered and left the country, the result was that the United States obtained 2.8 million more people than it had gotten rid of (Douglis 12). Population increases place great strain on the American society and more particularly it causes tremendous destruction to the natural environment. For example, more than half of the wetlands in the United States are gone, and of all of the original forest cover, 90 percent has been destroyed. This depletion has caused the near extinction of over 796 individual plants and animals. At least part of the year, the air that over 100 million people breathe is too dirty to meet federal standards. And finally, almost 15 million people are subject to polluted water supplies (Douglis 12). It is very likely that total destruction of the environment can take place and probably will if something is not done to curb the population growth. When discussing Hardin s essays it is necessary to confront the problem of immigration. Immigration is responsible for approximately 40 percent of the population growth in the United States (Douglis 12). The United States now accepts more immigrants than all other developed countries combined (Morganthau 22). It is estimated that approximately one million immigrants from all over the world are making the United States their new home each year (Mandel 32). This estimate does not include illegal immigration, which makes this total even greater (McKenna 336). It is obvious that immigrants have a much better life in the United States than in their previous homes. Immigrants come to the United States to benefit from the United States economy, and return to their original homes with more money. Take for example a quote form a Malaysian immigrant working illegally in the United States: If you take one dollar back to Malaysia, it is double the value. You work here to earn U.S. dollars so you can greatly improve your living standard in Malaysia. (Mandel 32)While immigrants benefit themselves by coming to the United States, they leave natural born Americans competing for jobs. By 2050, it is estimated that the population of the United States will be close to 383 million. Of this, approximately 139 million, or 36 percent, will be immigrants and their children. This will make Americans of European descent, which in 1960 were an 89 percent majority, a minority of less than 50 percent (Brimelow 42). Immigration poses great threats to the national economy, and costs taxpayers millions of dollars every year. Studies show that post-1970 immigrants, legal and illegal, used $50.8 billion of government services in 1992. Subtracting the $20.2 billion they paid in taxes, the difference, which American taxpayers had to make up, was $30.6 billion. These figures, averaged out, account for $1,585 for every immigrant. Over the next ten years, it is estimated that an additional $50 billion in American tax money will go toward supporting immigrants (Thomas 19). According to Garret Hardin s idea of Lifeboat Ethics, continuing to add to the population of the United States will create many hardships. In order to bring the population within a reasonable number, Hardin suggests population control. Like other Neo-Malthusians, he states that this can only be accomplished under authoritarian government. Under authoritarian control, couples would no longer be able to receive private benefits from reproduction, while they pass the costs of their fertility on to society (Chen 88). He claims that individual rights--particularly reproductive rights--are too broad. He argues that population control cannot be achieved with birth control alone. Birth control simply gives the person the choice of when to have children and how many to have (Chen 90). Thus, in order to attain a stable population, the right to reproduce freely can no longer be allowed. Hardin begins his argument by noting that poor countries have a GNP of approximately $200 per year, while rich countries have a GNP of nearly $3,000 a year. Thus, there are two lifeboats: one full of equally rich people, the other disastrously overcrowded with poor people. Because of the overcrowding in the poor lifeboats, some people are forced into the water, hoping eventually to be admitted onto a rich lifeboat where they can benefit from the goodies on board. This is where the central problem of the ethics of a lifeboat becomes a primary issue. What should the passengers on the rich lifeboat do (Hardin 223)?First, Hardin notes that the lifeboat has a limited carrying capacity, which he designates at 60. Fifty people are already aboard the lifeboat, leaving room...
Bongaarts, John. Can the Growing Population Feed Itself? Scientific American, March 1994, pp. 36-43. Brimelow, Peter, and Joseph E. Fallon. Controlling our Demographic Destiny. National Review, 21 February 1994, p. 42. Brown, Lester R. The Earth is Running Out of Room. USA Today Magazine, January 1995, pp. 30-32. Calhoun, John B. Not by Bread Alone: Overcrowding in Mice. Man and the Environment. Dubuque, Iowa: William C. Brown Company Publishers, 1971. Chen, Lincoln C. A New Modest Proposal. Issues in Science and Technology, November 1993, pp. 88-92. Day, Henry C. The New Morality: A Candid Criticism. London: Heath Cranton Limited, 1924. Douglis, Carole, and Gaylord Nelson. Images of Home. Wilderness, Fall 1993, pp. 10-23. Hardin, Garrett. Stalking the Wild Taboo. Los Altos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc., 1978. Hardin, Garrett. The Limits of Altruism: An Ecologist s View of Survival. London: Indiana University Press, 1977. James, Daniel. Close the Borders to all Newcomers. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Political Issues. Ed. George Mckenna and Stanley Feingold. 9th ed. Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc., 1995. Malthus, Thomas Robert. An Essay on the Principle of Population. Ed. Phillip Appleman. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1976. Mandel, Michael J., and Christopher Farrell. The Price of Open Arms. Business Week, 21 June 1993, pp. 32-35. Morganthau, Tom. America: Still a Melting Pot? Newsweek, 9 August 1993, pp. 16-23. Thomas, Rich, and Andrew Murr. The Economic Cost of Immigration. Newsweek, 9 August 1993, pp. 18-19. Weiskel, Timothy C. Can Humanity Survive Unrestricted Population Growth? USA Today Magazine, January 1995, pp. 38-41.MLA Style
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