Population Growth

Population Growth

At the onset of the 21st century, a population explosion seems to be the biggest challenge of the years ahead. The long hours of morning and evening commutes, traffic jams, environmental pollution, the growing competition for parking spaces in malls during holiday seasons, and many other nuisances of our everyday life are making us realize that our planet is getting crowded. Furthermore, starvation in many parts of the world due to inadequate food supplies, residents living in areas prone to flooding, wars waged over scarce resources, illnesses, and so on, are other constant reminders of a burgeoning population, particularly in the developing world. But how fast is the population really growing? Should we be concerned? Will our children's lives be affected by it?

A review of history will reveal the true nature of population growth throughout the globe. During the first millennium, humans survived with minimal population growth. According to the demographer Massimo Livi-Bacci, from the University of Florence, the estimated growth rate of the world's population from CE 1 to 1750 was just 0.064% per year. The total world population in 1750 was less than 800 million. The life expectancy remained the same, at about 25 years, between the years 500 and 1750. Later in that century, infant mortality rates fell significantly, primarily because of improved pediatric care and better hygienic living conditions. This led to rapid population growth, especially in the European countries.

The growing population of the poor and middle classes demanded a greater share of wealth, thus leading to the revolutions in Britain and France and ending monarchic rule in both countries during the 19th century.

The fast growth in population during the 18th and 19th centuries made the leaders of the European societies concerned about maintaining the balance between the human population and the availability of natural resources. A famous demographer and political economist during that period, Thomas Malthus, discussed the fate of humankind in his Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798. He famously predicted that because of the limited land on earth, food production in the world would not be able to keep up with the geometric growth rate of the human population. He did not, however, foresee the coming of the Industrial Revolution, which dramatically changed everything from food production to the standard of living in the next two centuries.

The Industrial Revolution started slowly in Europe but quickly gained momentum. By the late 19th century, people in Western Europe and North America were enjoying the prosperity brought to them by new technologies. The population growth enhanced technological progress, especially in medical science and practice. At the same time, the abundance of food, energy, and other useful goods and the efficiency of distribution of all commodities in these societies resulted in population growth in these parts of the world. Human consumption per capita also increased at a faster pace than ever imagined. Arts and science flourished in this century, resulting in a better lifestyle for humankind.

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