Article Review

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Article Review

The Retro Report titled The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion that featured in the New York Times provided an in-depth discussion of the unprecedented growth of the global population and the challenges facing urban areas, developing and developed states around the world. The article notes that the world is gradually moving towards a dystopian global society, as the struggle for meager resources prompts conflicts, migration, and violence. I think the video provides an elaborate prediction of what we should anticipate in the future because of declining resources, despite the rapid growth of the global population. We should anticipate conflicts, violence, and the presence of a dystopian society as resources decline because of the unwillingness of the developed world, elite, and communities to safeguard resources and control population growth.

Despite critics predicting that the world population would push the world towards an apocalypse, the global population continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. On the other hand, with recent developments in technology as illustrated by the Green Revolution, innovations have contributed towards enhancing the global capacity to feed the global population despite the rapid increase in population numbers. I personally think that Dr. Ehrlich has valid claims that the world is on the precipice of a disaster because of unprecedented growth in the world’s population. On the other hand, due to the capitalistic nature of the global community, any growth in a population usually results in an opportunity for income (Haberman).

The discussion in the video notes that technological advancements have contributed to enhanced healthcare standards, eliminating the traditional survival imperative of birthing a large number of children. In addition, it is apparent in densely populated areas, having large families is no longer a blessing; rather it is a burden for such families. In addition, women around the world have become empowered providing them with social and economic independence, enhancing the contributions made by women towards global development. Research suggests that the rapid growth in population amidst declining resources is associated with poverty and other unwanted social incidences such as conflicts, crime, and disease (Haberman).

The video notes that some of the most populated areas such as Singapore, Macau, and Monaco are not desperate cases of overpopulation. Mr. Pearce notes that “We can survive massive demographic change,” given that primary issue is over-consumption of resources as opposed to over-population, given that majority of which are non-renewable (Haberman). Thus, it is imperative for modern communities and governments to focus on controlling the use of resources, given the concerns associated with rapid urbanization, technological advancement, and industrialization.

The New York Times provided an effective and fair representation of the debate, as all the parties involved were able to express their ideas in an articulated manner. In addition, the discussion also highlights the growing concern of pollution and its role in the spread of disease, poverty, and unsustainable weather, which some communities rely on for agricultural activities and survival. Furthermore, the discussion also highlights that the concern has gradually shifted away from overcrowding because of rapid population growth towards over-consumption of existing resources. Thus, the primary challenge for the global community will be on the controlled use of scarce resources such as energy, food, and water. In addition, the discussion provides a new perspective on the issues, which governments and the global community should concentrate, mainly over-reliance on scarce resources amidst rapid population growth. However, this does not negate the need to control population growth; it only affirms that humanity has gained ingenious avenues for sustaining the growth the global population using new technology (Haberman).

Works Cited

Haberman, Clyde. “The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion.” The New York Times. 31 May 2015. Web. 17^th February 2016. <http://nyti.ms/1FVUKn1>