In 350 BC, Aristotle once said that society would only be free from poverty and crime when there was an effective birth control policy. During that time, he highlighted the issues related to population growth. The growing population was a concern then and now. With the increase in population, several other issues have also increased.
Some researchers suggest that the world is at risk of facing another world war after World War II, potentially caused by population explosions. In 1804, the population of the globe was 1 billion, and by 1927, it had doubled to 2 billion. In 1974, it reached 4 billion, and in 2018, it reached 7.6 billion. As of now, the world population is 8,045,311,447. It’s expected that by 2050, the world’s population will be 10 billion. By 2050, the world’s population could become the reason for World War III because, as the population grows, natural resources will become limited, and people will start fighting for resources like drinking water. India contributes 18% of its population to the world population, second only to China.
The increasing number of human populations can be related to the calculation given by Thomas Malthus, a famous English economist remembered for his “Essay on the Principle of Population” in 1798. According to Malthus, agricultural production increases at an arithmetic rate, but the population doubles every 25 years as it grows at a geometric rate. According to his theory, “food production increases at an arithmetic rate, i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… and the number of people doubles every 25 years as it increases at a geometric rate, i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16… thus, according to him, the population will go hungry. Therefore, it’s important to control population growth through measures such as late marriage, infanticide, abortion, contraception, etc. If the population is not checked, people will suffer from hunger, and eventually, war, epidemic disease, and starvation will occur. Also, according to his theory, if humans fail to control their population, then nature will do a positive check on the population in its own way through different ways like an earthquake, floods, tsunamis, etc. Many demographers have mixed views related to Malthus’s theory of positive checks in nature.
Malthus’ theory about positive checks by nature on the population can be supported by available data related to weather-related disasters. In 2021, 436 disasters occurred in total, exceeding the average of 376 per year over the previous 30 years. Storms and flooding have continuously caused the greatest economic losses due to their high frequency of occurrence. According to the data, there has been an increase in the number of climate-related disasters over the past 30 years, and their effects are getting worse. Extreme heat waves (like the one in Canada in July 2021) and cold waves were documented in 2021 alone. In 2021, climate-related disasters, particularly floods, storms, and droughts, were mostly responsible for both human suffering and monetary losses, continuing a 30-year pattern. India was badly affected by floods and storms in 2021, affecting more than 18 million people, in addition to the heat wave, which was a climate-related calamity in Asia.
Millions of people were affected by the floods that devastated Bangladesh and Nepal. Over 1 million people in Indonesia and 14 million people in China were also affected by floods. In addition, drought has been a problem for many people for the past 30 years, and in 2021 alone, it caused more than 28 million people in Asia to lose their jobs. Around the world, 60,000 people per year are killed by natural disasters. In 2022 alone, approximately 31,000 people were reported dead worldwide due to natural disasters. The total global economic loss due to natural disaster events worldwide amounted to about 313 billion U.S. dollars that year. The heatwave that swept across Western, Southern, and Central Europe in July was the deadliest catastrophe of 2022, with 15,450 reported deaths. Economic losses due to natural disasters globally amounted to 313 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, while 2011 was the costliest year to date. Among the different types of natural disaster events, tropical cyclones caused the largest economic losses across the globe in 2022. In recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, more than 30,000 people were killed. One of the main reasons behind the increase in the occurrence of natural disasters is the growth of the population. More people mean more dependence on nature, which will not only result in environmental degradation but also create long-term effects on the earth’s atmosphere and the entire ecosystem. The reason behind climate change is the increase in human interference with the environment.
Although, with the advancement of technology, most of the time, a tsunami and rainfall can be predicted, and with the help of the disaster task management team, people’s lives can be saved on time, there are many situations where technology cannot predict what nature will call for, like an earthquake, a cloudburst, etc. The data available regarding natural disasters and their frequent occurrence prove the Malthusian theory that nature can check the population. If there is a burden on Earth, then nature will reduce it through natural calamities.
It is crucial to remember that, even while disasters might play a part in slowing the growth of the population, catastrophic events cannot be used to manage populations ethically or practically. Instead, governments and society need to address the issue of overpopulation through sensible birth control laws, pro-life awareness campaigns, and environmentally friendly resource management. Instead, governments and society need to address the issue of overpopulation through sensible birth control laws, pro-life awareness campaigns, and environmentally friendly resource management. Prioritising initiatives aimed at lessening human interference with the environment and lowering climate change’s consequences, which are two key factors contributing to natural catastrophes, is also crucial. We can work towards a more sustainable future for both humanity and the world by taking proactive measures. Population control is the need of the hour, and everyone should take it seriously, or else our lives are not safe.
Dr Pyali Chatterjee is HOD, Faculty of Law, ICFAI University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.