Julian+Paige+UNEP+Mali

Name:Julian Country: Mali Committee: UNEP High School: Arundel Sr. High School Date:1/02/12

Topic 1:Environmental Effects of Overpopulation

Overpopulation is a global issue that the world needs to address together because its affects are devastating and have no political boundaries. There are many ways the UNEP can guide the world in order to act against these harmful affects and to eventually curb overpopulation.The most evident being proper education and raised awareness of the environmental problems that are the result of over population, as well the development of pragmatic plans that can be executed by each country to lessen the growth of the human population.

As a population grows its need for resources expands as well, but the resulting widespread need and over use of resources can have disastrous effects on the world. As stated in Thomas Mathus' theory, the earth has a carrying capacity and can only support so many people with the limited number of resources it possess. The effects of overpopulation are extremely visible and result in a variety of adverse effects such as deforestation, poverty, malnutrition,the shrinking of bodies of water, and pollution that causes countless health conditions. Air pollution is possibly the greatest consequence of overpopulation and the use of harmful materials, it affects humans equally as it does the ozone and the rest of the biome. Air population is particularly hazardous because it doesn't generally stay where it was produced unless its been trapped, jet streams and air currents take pollution with it freely and make it impossible to trace. A very common form of air pollution is smog, smog can be poisonous to your health and is often trapped or inversely propelled by various temperature zones around cities and other areas. Air pollution leads to acid rain which is devastating to trees, plants, the soil, and water. The process of overpopulation amplifies society's already destructive habits buy simply providing more people and by creating greater stress on the environment. The growing demand for resources leaves less and less for animals who die as a result, and potentially to whole species who can become extinct. A loss of a single species can unbalance a whole ecosystem. What if that now extinct species was the top predator in that habitat? The former predator's prey are now able to rampantly over populate and cause an even further imbalance in the ecosystem. Overpopulation is such a tumultuous issue because its has so many negative affects, many of which are difficult to trace, and others which expand well beyond environmental issues.

My home country of Mali like every other nation has its fair share of environmental problems, these blatant environmental problems greatly affect the citizens of Mali both now in the present and even more so in the future due to deteriorating conditions. Mali's most profitable industries are agriculture based, this combined with Mali's Fourteen-million people unfortunately has lead to issues such as vast desertification, deforestation, and soil erosion. Overpopulation needs to end, but in a poor country such as ours it is a hard thing to quell. Many families have multiple children to help with labor, and the short supply of contraceptives does not help the situation. Mali is willing to fully participate in the discussion of the environmental affects of overpopulation, but would more likely then not require assistance from a developed country in executing any plan to combat the problem.

Although overpopulation is a daunting problem that only grows greater with time, with proper planning and cooperation it can be reduced world wide. The most effective way to reduce overpopulation is to reduce the overall number of people who are born, this can be done globally by promoting the use of contraceptives and family planning, as well as making them readily available for all. Another method to reduce the effects of overpopulation without actually reducing birthrates is by educating the masses about overpopulation. Doing so can spur those who are able to reduce the affects of overpopulation, to do so. They could use less of resources and materials like paper or water,and encourage sustainable farming practices, or try to pollute less.

Overpopulation is a problem that affects us all, if it is not dealt with in the proper manner it could lead to even larger problems down the road. Possible outcomes of not resolving overpopulation are: further poverty and even freater birthrates, longstanding wars over resources, and overall further global strife.The possible outcomes of this issue if left alone speaks for its self in its importance. Mali is eager to help the world tackle this important issue. Although Mali most likely will not be able to play a leading role in the execution of any plans, it will however give its full support and input into any real, viable strategy.