Biodiversity - Human Population & Increasing Waste (GCSE Biology)

Human Population & Increasing Waste

Waste Management

Human Population Growth

We have previously looked at the growth of the human population but now we will particularly look at its effect on the environment.

• The human population has grown greatly over the last few centuries. The human population has increased exponentially over time. The populations of countries such as India and China are expected to, or have already, reached a billion each. This is an astounding number of people. Each year, there is an increase of around 75 million people.
• There are many reasons for this increase in population. The growth in population has generally occurred as our standard of living have increased. There is a lower infant mortality rate and a higher life expectancy due to better healthcare facilities. Moreover, food production and water availability has become greatly increased. There are also cultural reasons for this increase, as some religions do not tolerate contraception and others believe in very large families.
• Attempts have been made to curb population. China attempted the controversial, ‘One Child Policy’ as they realised that their supply was not meeting their demand. There were not enough resources for the sheer number of people. Scientist worry that this could happen for the whole earth as we produce more and more waste and use more and more resources.

Increasing Waste

• The increase in population leads to an increase in pollution. As the population grows, more and more resources are used and more and more energy is required. For this, there is an increase in the use of fossil fuels and an increase in the waste produced. This leads to an increase in pollution.
• The increase in pollution affects the environment. For example, whether in the sea or on land, we see an increase in littering and this can affect the environment as well as the organisms living there. Our waste can have horrible effects on biodiversity, reducing the species diversity and so making our ecosystem far less stable. We will look at give some reasons for the this in more detail in the next chapter.

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