Explanatory Synthesis In the articles “Overpopulation Is Not the Problem” by Erle C. Ellis, “Overpopulation Is Not the Problem? Really?” By Robert Walker, “Overpopulation Is Still the Problem” by Alon Tal and “The Overpopulation Myth” by Fred Pearce each author discusses the issue of overpopulation and how it has become a debate among many as to whether it really is as big of an issue as some may think. All four authors have strong opinions on whether or not they believe that the increase in overpopulation is a more substantial issue than consumption. Walker and Tal are firm believers that overpopulation is the sole reason for many environmental issues, unlike Ellis and Pearce who believe consumption is the …show more content…
With increasingly high growth rates from immigration and decreased deaths due to advanced technology the capacity is reaching its maximum level. Walker stated that he does agree consumption is a problem in our world, but he believes that overpopulation is far worse and states that with high amounts of people on our planet, consumption is bound to rise, thus overpopulation is the leading factor of consumption. He mentions that Ellis, whom believes consumption is a far greater issue, insists that even with excessive amounts of growth rates, we as humans can survive and are able to use our imaginations to do so. Walker disagrees with her statement and notes that what we imagine the world to be and what it could be should not be a reason to ignore the issues of overpopulation. He asserts that, “Sooner or later, we will face a day of environmental reckoning that no amount of human imagination will manage to stave off.” (Pg2) Essentially stating that when our planet reaches its limit it may result in habitat loss, limitations of resources and many other environmental …show more content…
Many believe that consumption does not increase with overpopulation, however, as the population gets bigger more products are needed to be produced, to keep up with high demands; thus causing high amounts of waste. Ellis and Pearce both agree that there is no such thing as a capacity limit in our world. Pearce argued that as population decreases, consumption than goes up and he stated “women only started having fewer children when they got educated and the economy got rich.” (Pg1) A huge portion of the world’s pollution issues comes from buying resources that are short lived and then later disposed of. He, mentioned that “the worlds richest half billion people…are responsible for half of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions” (Pearce, Pg2) from purchasing high amounts of material items. Overpopulation is a major issue in our world and will continue to be an issue with births everyday. However, consumption rises at an even faster rate, and so as overpopulation increases, consumption is then doubling. Pearce and Ellis mention that overpopulation will not reckon our planet, but that consumption will with high amounts of waste causing carbon dioxide emissions to rise and pollution to increase. She insists in her article, that our economy and environment will be a reflection of how we treat it. Even