In recent years, technological advancement has led to increased production of food and better medical facilities which has resulted in a decline in death rates. Additionally, an increase in extreme poverty and lack of access to tools for family planning have resulted in families having more children. Earth’s rapidly growing population and the problems associated with it have made it more important than ever to find solutions.
In 1994, the United Nations issued the World Population Plan of Action states that couples and individuals have the right to chose the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information, education, and means to do so. This plan expresses a need to stabilize population growth while respecting the rights of women.
In several countries, government policies have been used to help limit the population. For example countries such as China and India have implemented policies that limit the number of children each family is allowed to have while other countries like Uzbekistan have implemented policies of forced sterilization. While these methods have effectively decreased the rate of growth, they have raised ethical concerns, with many arguing that these policies violate human rights. Specifically, policies that promote sterilization lend themselves easily to coercion and target the poor. A less drastic suggestion has been to provide tax benefits or concessions for families with fewer children.
The most widely accepted solution to overpopulation has been to offering greater accessibility to sexual health care and education. Underdeveloped countries, women have a far higher birth rate due to a lack of access to or knowledge of contraception with around 40% of pregnancies worldwide being unintended. Because of this, many groups have aim to rectify this problem.
One such group is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which states that its goal is to create a world where every birth is both safe and wanted. By approaching the issue from a human-rights approach, UNFPA advocates the right of every woman to chose whether or not she wants to start a family and helps to provide the means to do so. UNFPA also advocates the rights of young people to have access to informations and services regarding reproductive health to allow them to make informed decisions. By promoting reliable access to modern contraceptives as well as creating an annual report titled The State of World Population in order to educate and bring visibility to issues, UNFPA is helping to create a more sustainable future.
Additionally, the Population Institute is a non-profit organization that aims to create a world population that is in balance with the environment and its resources through voluntary family planning. The Population Institute also strives to educate policymakers about over population as well as promote universal access to family planning information, education, and services. This organization has also created the Sustainable World Initiative in order to ensure that humanity does not use ecological resources at a faster rate than nature can regenerate so future generations will have the ability to meet their own needs.
In 1994, the United Nations issued the World Population Plan of Action states that couples and individuals have the right to chose the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information, education, and means to do so. This plan expresses a need to stabilize population growth while respecting the rights of women.
In several countries, government policies have been used to help limit the population. For example countries such as China and India have implemented policies that limit the number of children each family is allowed to have while other countries like Uzbekistan have implemented policies of forced sterilization. While these methods have effectively decreased the rate of growth, they have raised ethical concerns, with many arguing that these policies violate human rights. Specifically, policies that promote sterilization lend themselves easily to coercion and target the poor. A less drastic suggestion has been to provide tax benefits or concessions for families with fewer children.
The most widely accepted solution to overpopulation has been to offering greater accessibility to sexual health care and education. Underdeveloped countries, women have a far higher birth rate due to a lack of access to or knowledge of contraception with around 40% of pregnancies worldwide being unintended. Because of this, many groups have aim to rectify this problem.
One such group is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which states that its goal is to create a world where every birth is both safe and wanted. By approaching the issue from a human-rights approach, UNFPA advocates the right of every woman to chose whether or not she wants to start a family and helps to provide the means to do so. UNFPA also advocates the rights of young people to have access to informations and services regarding reproductive health to allow them to make informed decisions. By promoting reliable access to modern contraceptives as well as creating an annual report titled The State of World Population in order to educate and bring visibility to issues, UNFPA is helping to create a more sustainable future.
Additionally, the Population Institute is a non-profit organization that aims to create a world population that is in balance with the environment and its resources through voluntary family planning. The Population Institute also strives to educate policymakers about over population as well as promote universal access to family planning information, education, and services. This organization has also created the Sustainable World Initiative in order to ensure that humanity does not use ecological resources at a faster rate than nature can regenerate so future generations will have the ability to meet their own needs.
Sources:
http://www.unfpa.org/
Used for information on the United Nations Population Fund
https://www.populationinstitute.org/
Used for information on the Population Institute
http://www.un.org/popin/icpd/conference/bkg/wppa.html
Used for information on the World Population Plan of Action and leading causes of overpopulation.
https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/health-information/3a-populations/population-growth
Used for information on government policies to solve overpopulation
http://www.unfpa.org/
Used for information on the United Nations Population Fund
https://www.populationinstitute.org/
Used for information on the Population Institute
http://www.un.org/popin/icpd/conference/bkg/wppa.html
Used for information on the World Population Plan of Action and leading causes of overpopulation.
https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/health-information/3a-populations/population-growth
Used for information on government policies to solve overpopulation