Environmental Studies

Population Control In this document I will provide an in-depth analysis on population control and some possible solutions. David Montano 12-1-2010

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Population Control, Issues, and Recommendations

What is population control? According to The World Book Encyclopedia P.15 (674), it

describes human population control as the practice of artificially altering the rate of growth of a

human population. In addition, The World Book (674) states that: “Because of the

overpopulation of human beings, many experts worry about that people in rich and poor

countries alike consume too much, destroy forests and soil, pollute the environment, and damage

prospect for human survival on earth. They believe disastrous shortages of food and other

necessities can only be avoided by halting population growth.” Overpopulation of people is an

environmental issue and problem that the world is faced with. Because of this environmental

issue and problem, population control is viewed as form of a solution to the overpopulation of

people on the earth. While population control may be viewed as a solution to the growth of

human population, other issues arise from population control such as birth control, food

production, the end of fossil fuels, and water shortages. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to

discuss population control and it’s relating issues of birth control, food production, the end of

fossil fuels, and water shortages; further, in this paper I will make recommendations for change

for the issues, the role of communication regarding these issues, and the relationship of the issues

regarding social and environmental justice.

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According to the book entitled Birth Control, Opposing Viewpoints Series, “Birth control

techniques and methods are used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various

stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception (the prevention of

fertilization), contragestion (preventing the implantation of the blastocyst) and abortion (the

removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus). The techniques and methods

frequently overlap and many birth control techniques and methods are not strictly contraceptive

as fertilization or conception may occur. Contraception includes barrier methods, such as

condoms or diaphragm, and oral and injectable contraceptives. Contraceptives, also known as

post-coital birth control, include intrauterine devices and what is known as the morning after

pill.” While some view the above birth control techniques and methods as a relating issue to

population control and a form of helping with population control, here in the United States, some

are opposed to birth control and they view such birth control techniques and methods as an

individual choice that correlates to reproductive rights of that individual and such individual

being particularly a woman. In fact, their view is that a woman should have an individual right to

choose what type of technique or method of birth control is in her best interest and what type to

use. (Reproductive Rights Making the Right Choice P.45). In addition, when it deals with birth

control techniques and methods, some religions are opposed to it, such as the Catholic religion.

In fact, the Catholic Church is morally opposed to artificial contraception and orgasmic acts

outside of the context of marital intercourse. This belief dates back to the first centuries of

Christianity. Such acts are considered intrinsically disordered because of the belief that all licit

sexual acts must be both united (express love), and procreative (open to procreation). The only

form of birth control permitted is abstinence. Modern scientific methods of "periodic abstinence"

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such as Natural Family Planning (NFP) were counted as a form of abstinence by Pope Paul VI in

his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. The following is the condemnation of contraception:

Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of

marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative

process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be

absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. Equally to be

condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct

sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary. Similarly

excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is

specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_birth_control. Even though birth control

techniques and methods are a form of addressing population control, religious beliefs are a

barrier to the solution to the growth of human population.

An uncontrollable growth of human population requires an adequate food production and

supply. The more the human population grows the more food production and supply are an issue.

There are several approaches to the issue of having enough food to feed the growing population.

One approach is genetically modified (GM) foods. GM foods are foods derived from genetically

modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into

their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than

mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to

create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food

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Organisms include selective breeding (plant breeding and animal breeding), and somaclonal

variation.GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. Typically, genetically

modified foods are transgenic plant products: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. Animal

products have also been developed, although as of July 2010 none are currently on the market. In

2006 a pig was controversially engineered to produce omega-3 fatty acids through the expression

of a roundworm gene. Researchers have also developed a genetically-modified breed of pigs that

are able to absorb plant phosphorus more efficiently, and as a consequence the phosphorus

content of their manure is reduced by as much as 60%. However, critics have objected to GM

foods on several grounds, including possible safety issues, ecological concerns, and economic

concerns raised by the fact that these organisms are subject to intellectual property law.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_birth_control

Another approach to the issue of food production is that some vegetarians argue that it

would be better for the environment for humans to be vegetarians and stop eating animals

because it takes too much water to raise them, land space for the keeping of animals is large, and

animals produce gases that harms the environment, so being a vegetarian would benefit the

environment. The book entitled, Six Arguments for a Greener Diet, How a More Plant-Based

Diet Could Save Your Life and the Environment, Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. In addition, other

views regarding the issue of adequate food supply may involve the cloning of animals for an

increase of food supply. “Cloning is a scientific process that allows scientists to copy the genetic

traits of an animal to create one or more living replicas. In 1996, Scottish scientists successfully

cloned the first mammal ever—a sheep, which they named "Dolly." Ever since,

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cloning has been a highly controversial topic. This approach has a view that cloning would allow

for more meat production and it would help with the feeding of the growing human population.

However, there are other views against the cloning of animals because of the concern about the

moral implications of cloning animals and humans, and the unknown health consequences of

eating foods made from the offspring of cloned animals.”

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/cloning/#impact.

The term "fossil fuel" is a standard phrase used in reference to hydrocarbons in their

various permutations as petroleum, coals, and natural gas.

(http://thomasbrown.org/EndofFossilFuels/End_Fossil_Fuels.html) May view that an

overpopulated earth would result in the end to fossil fuel which would mean that there would not

be enough fuel to provide certain human necessities like heat, coking, and transportation.

Limited fossil fuel would drive fuel prices up and many people may not be able to afford fuel.

Again, the ending or fossil fuel would be related to overpopulation and again population control

would be a solution to this.

As the human population grows, the demand for water grows as well. In addition, water

has to be safe for consumption and it vital for the sustainability of human life. “From a biological

standpoint, water has many distinct properties that are critical for the proliferation of life that set

it apart from other substances. It carries out this role by allowing organic compounds to react in

ways that ultimately allow replication. All known forms of life depend on water. Water is vital

both as a solvent in which many of the body's solutes dissolve and as an essential part of many

metabolic processes within the body. Metabolism is the sum total of anabolism and catabolism.

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In anabolism, water is removed from molecules (through energy requiring enzymatic chemical

reactions) in order to grow larger molecules (e.g. starches, triglycerides and proteins for storage

of fuels and information). In catabolism, water is used to break bonds in order to generate

smaller molecules (e.g. glucose, fatty acids and amino acids to be used for fuels for energy use or

other purposes). Without water, these particular metabolic processes could not exist.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water

Education for individuals about population control of the environment and its problems is

the recommendation that I would make for the above issue of birth control. Through education of

the topic to an individual this would allow for the individual to make better conscious choices

about birth control because as a population we are affecting the lives of other human beings

especially our children. Presenting the information as an educational tool about birth control and

as it relates to population control would put the informed responsibility to the individual and

therefore not taking away or trampling on individual rights and reproductive rights.

Again, education for individuals about population control of the environment and its

problems is a recommendation that I would make for the issue of food production and supply.

Through education of the topic to an individual this would allow for the individual to make better

conscious choices about their selection of food and its safety. Presenting the information as an

educational tool regarding food production and supply would put the informed responsibility of

choice on the individual. In additional recommendation, I would recommend that the FDA

mandates the labeling of food products that are genetically modified or cloned so that the

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consumers have an informed responsibility of choice for the consumption of food.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html

The recommendation that I would make for the end of fossil fuel would be the production and

inventions of alternative energy that deals with solar energy. I would add that I would make

recommendations for the taxation of certain polluting goods that would make it so that taxation

would be allocated toward the developing to solar energy. Solar energy is radiant light and heat

from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving

technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and

wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy

on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy).

Education is a recommendation that I would make for individuals. Education would consist of

information and knowledge regarding earth’s water supply and the environmental problem of

overpopulation and its solution about population control. Again, individuals need to be aware of

these issues and education is the vehicle that will make them aware, so that people are making

conscious choices when it comes to our water supply. An additional recommendation that I

would make would be to fine and sanctions people for the over use of water that results in waste.

The role of the communication community is to communicate the problems and issues that deal

with population control. These communications should be in whatever means necessary to

provide the necessary information for people to make an informative choice and have a different

view about birth control, food production, the end of fossil fuels, and water shortages that relate

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to population control. The Communication community can play a big part on contributing to the

protection of the environment, the protection of the earth, and the protection of human live by

way of its role of communication.

The relationships of the above issues to social and environmental justice are as follows: birth

control has a relationship toward social justice that would be when the individual does not lose

the right and freedom of choice and she is not subjugated to medical harm. Further, food supply

has a relationship with social justice and that is when the food supply is adequate and no people

are starving and have enough to eat. In addition, when the production of food supply does not

harm lands and soils this is environmental justice. Again, environmental justice would be when

fossil fuel does not produce gases that harm the earth and environmental justice and social justice

would be where there is enough water for plants and people on the earth.

Finally, the importance of my findings are, that being a communication major, I

understand the role I am going to play when it comes to providing information about the

environment to the public. This is a very important area of study that I will take seriously to learn

and spread information to people about environmental issues. Due to the lack of knowledge by

many on environmental issues, I feel it is my personal obligation to become influential in this

area with those around me who do not know what is going on. I feel as though many of our

problems that have become to effect the environment have come from greed by big corporations,

and also people not being aware of what is going on behind the scenes. My finds also educated

me regarding the environmental problems and their issues where I feel that I can come up with

informed recommendations for change and maybe improvements. Awareness and action is our

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key to the future of our planet and also to future generations. It is not too late to make changes

for the greater good of mankind.