Introduction
Overpopulation implies the situation when the number of people residing in an area surpasses the number of resources needed for survival. The articles of Madaan (2016) and Worldwatch Institute (2012) discuss the peculiarities of this problem and suggest how to tackle it. The current essay contains the main points of these two writings and presents my opinion on the authors arguments.
Main Points of the Articles
Effects of Overpopulation
Overpopulation has a devastating impact because it causes the emergence of epidemics and the rise of violence and unemployment (Madaan, 2016). Furthermore, population pressure leads to the pollution of water and wasting of soil fertility, lower lifespan, shortage of potable water, deforestation, global warming, and exhaustion of mineral wealth (Madaan, 2016). Therefore, overpopulation poses a danger both for people’s quality of life and environmental conditions.
Solutions to the Issue of Overpopulation
Worldwatch Institute (2012) suggests strategies to control the increase in population. They include the provision of equal access to family planning services, reliable contraceptive measures, and sexuality education as well as the same opportunities for education and career for both genders. Governments should cease the implementation of policies aimed at the support of families with a defined number of children and create more initiatives to reduce the rate of unemployment. Worldwatch Institute (2012) recommends educating policymakers to cope with challenges posed by population growth. Thus, the issue of overpopulation could be mitigated via prudent policies and education.
Discussion of the Articles
I agree with the listed problems that appear because of overpopulation. In addition to the suggestions presented by Worldwatch Institute (2012), I suppose overpopulation could be controlled at the supranational level as well. Baus (2017) claims that global governance is a driving force for implementing such policies. Nevertheless, non-government organizations (NGOs) could not impose on sovereign states an obligation to follow regulations. Still, NGOs could establish recommendations that would help to reduce the rate of overpopulation.
Conclusion
The articles emphasize the danger of overpopulation for the environment and the quality of people’s life. Active engagement of policymakers could facilitate a decrease in the further development of this problem. People should be aware of all the environmental costs of having a child. Though reducing the rate of urban overcrowding is hard, it is not impossible.
Effects of COVID-19 in the Society
The pandemic of COVID-19 heavily influenced people’s lives and revealed a lot of societal problems. The main effects of COVID-19, including growth unemployment, inequality, and education problems, are discussed below.
Unemployment
Unemployment is one of the most devastating outcomes of the pandemic and forced self-isolation. Many people, working in the service sector, lost their jobs because of the closure of factories and shops. The rise of unemployment, in its turn, leads to social unrest and violence.
Inequality
The pandemic situation revealed the topicality of the gap between rich and poor citizens. Individuals with low income became more vulnerable to the virus since they could not afford insurance costs to cover their being in the hospital. Besides, this problem has a close connection with the previously mentioned one. Low-income citizens became worse off as they became unemployed.
Education
All schools, colleges, and universities were compelled to cease offline classes due to the coronavirus outbreak. Switching to online platforms took a lot of time and effort. It was a problem for rural academic institutions, students of which have limited access to a stable Internet connection or do not have suitable digital equipment at home.
Conclusion
The pandemic of COVID-2019 indicated a few severe social problems that became even more acute during the quarantine. The closure of borders related to the spread of coronavirus shattered the economic stability of the world economy and ruined many small and medium-sized enterprises. Society was affected by the pandemic through the increasing rates of unemployment and inequality and hindrance for the continuation of educational practices.
References
Baus, D. (2017). Overpopulation and the Impact on the environment. Web.
Madaan, S. (2016). What is overpopulation and the problems of overpopulation? Web.
Worldwatch Institute (2012). Nine population strategies to stop short of 9 billion. Web.