Human Population Growth as an Environmental Problem

The essay to be assessed in this paper discusses the relationship between the human population growth to environmental problems. The essay argues that human population growth leads to the increase of environmental problems due to the human population’s inability to recognize the importance of the environment. It argues that ‘individual behavior’ is the ‘main cause’ of environmental problems.

In order to prove the claim that human population growth and the continuous practice of actions that lead to environmental problems is the main cause of environmental problems; the author of the essay provides examples in which environmental problems are enabled by human actions. For instance, the author points out that human population growth leads to the increased use of air polluting chemicals that further lead to the increase in air pollution.

Another instance specified by the author is how environmental degradation [in the form of the degradation of grasslands] is a result of human beings’ desire for profit. The author ends his paper by claiming that in order for environmental problems to be solved, it is necessary that human beings become more aware of how their actions affect the environment.

Given the main argument as well as the main points presented in the said essay, it is important to note that although the author is correct in arguing that there is a relationship between human practices as well as human population growth to the environmental problems; the author was unable to specify how population growth affects environmental problems.

In order to solve this, the author may have argued that increase in human population leads to the increase in the demand for food, space, water, energy, and other resources (Diamond 494). Such an increase will lead to environmental problems given the scarcity of the current food, space, water, energy etc. resources combined with the current wasteful practices of human beings.

Work Cited

Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. New York: Penguin, 2006.