Free «Overpopulation: Rise in Unemployment» Essay Sample

Overpopulation has emerged as vital and controversial issue in the current times. Overpopulation refers to an undesired situation whereby the existing human population tends to exceed the earth’s carrying capacity. The situation is caused by several factors including reduced mortality rates, depletion of vital resources and better medical facilities that encourage people to be reproductive. It has been claimed that since the period of Bubonic plague in 1400s, increase in population has been a continuous condition (Pimentel 151). Some religious people may argue that controlling population is against God’s will since He advised human beings to be reproductive and fill the earth. However, overpopulation has been associated with several negative effects including depletion of available natural resources, degradation of the environment, conflicts and wars, high costs of living and the most evident one is rise in unemployment (Premkumar et.al 1139). Overpopulation and unemployment has been inseparable for a long period in most developing nations. Rise in unemployment has been notable across overpopulated nations such as India since there are not enough jobs for that large amount of workforce.

Discussing rise in unemployment from an overpopulation perspective requires a deep understanding of certain issues. It is vital to think of people as resources in a nation. In case a nation consists of one individual, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be terrible since one individual can do little for a nation (Lewis 66). In case one more person is added into such a nation, there will be a rise in GDP despite the fact that it would not be great (Kuo 23). Adding more people to such a nation would mean that the country would start gaining synergistic influences since more people allow space for increased specialization, as well as increased economic activities require a particular level of customer viability (Elsby, Bart & Ayşegül 531). Most importantly, the synergistic effects begin to fade away when such a population attains a certain level since people become specialized. In addition, a decreased innovation of economic activities can undergo spurring by a larger population (Pimentel 152). Nevertheless, every additional individual contributes in increasing a nation’s GDP through consumption and hard work. It is clear that the economic benefits accruing from a large population begin to fade away due to overpopulation (Areo 45). People start to specialize and engage in few economic activities hence leading to increased levels of unemployment.

As mentioned earlier, considering every person as a resource would play a huge role in describing unemployment. Like any other available resource in a nation, the value of overpopulation begins to decline at some point in time (Chen 64). Every additional individual means an increased competition for jobs, demand for houses, products, and services among other resources. There will also be increased pressure on infrastructure as well as on the environment (Premkumar et.al 1141). Overpopulation means that people will be underutilized in a nation. That means that every additional individual can be considered as less productive. However, these same unproductive men and women in an overpopulated nation will be demanding amenities and other resources in order to be maintained. Fewer jobs will be available since not all people fit into the employment opportunities (Caddy & Dennis 55). Overpopulated developing nations experience high levels of unemployment since there are few resources being competed for by a huge population.

Several solutions can be listed in order to settle the ongoing problem of unemployment in overpopulated nations. Improved education is one of the measures able to control or/and solve the problem of overpopulation leading to reduced unemployment. That will play a huge role in implementing policies that reflect social change. Moreover, educating people assists them to realize the need of having a certain number of children that they can afford (Kuo 25). Family planning, as well as family birth control, can help women in making wise reproductive choices. Moreover, tax benefits or those involving concessions through the government can help curb problems of overpopulation (Lewis 68). Governments of the overpopulated countries could have introduced various policies in order to solve taxation issues to curb overpopulation. Tax incentives can be given to those that have decided to follow family planning while high tax rates are induced on those who have large families which increases the problem of overpopulation (Premkumar et.al 1145). Nevertheless, critics argue that there is no liberal way to solve overpopulation, meaning that taxation would be a brutal way. Separating the facts from opinion, taxation can play a huge role in solving overpopulation hence reducing the rate of unemployment in a nation.

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In conclusion, there has been a debate concerning overpopulation and the ways to settle the problems of unemployment. Several solutions such as birth rates, family planning, and tax concessions have raised debates since they are considered illiberal. Critics argue that tax concessions are unfair since they will increase inequality among people in a population. Others would argue that family planning is against God’s rule of reproduction and filling the earth. However, it is vital to consider the whole fact of overpopulation and economic crisis caused by it. Overpopulation is a critical issue affecting developing countries so is the need to address it using new and available ways. The stated solutions can play a huge role in curbing the problems caused by overpopulation with unemployment being one of the most critical effects. Unemployment leads to increased crime rates among other population related problems. Despite the many criticisms surrounding the solutions stated above, they can be the best policies to curb unemployment problems across the overpopulated nations.