Activities on Population Growth & Limiting Factors

The world is becoming a smaller place. With the rising fertility rate, overpopulation is becoming a cause of concern on a global level. Many governments and organizations are taking steps to decrease population growth to manageable levels. For example, the Chinese government introduced the "one-child policy in 1978 to cope with social, economic and environmental problems in China. The policy restricts the number of children a married couple can have to one, although the policy allows a few exemptions including urban couples and ethnic minorities.

Space

• Space is one of the most basic requirements for a population to grow. In fact, there are several countries in the world that are considered to be grossly overpopulated based on the person-to-land ratio. Most of these countries are based in Asia, for example India and China.

Food and Energy Resources

• Food and energy resources are important limiting factors that affect population. It is impossible for a population to exist if it does not have access to the required food and energy resources. Also, space, food and energy resources are interconnected. A population requires space to live, to grow food, and to install machinery that can create energy resources.

Light

• Light is another important resource that is required by living organisms to survive. Humans, animals and plants cannot exist without light. Like plants, humans also require sunlight and other forms of light energy to lead a healthy life. Without sunlight, the human being would not get some important resources and nutrients, thereby decreasing quality of life.

Diseases

• Disease is also an important limiting factor on overpopulation. In the light of the progression of medical science, diseases have become an important limiting factor on overpopulation, while there are still some demographics that do not have access to expensive medicine and are not eligible for free medical aid. In addition, there are several diseases for which medicines and medical aid have still not been discovered or invented.

Activities on Population Growth

• When it comes to the activities for population growth, there is not much that any government or organization can do other than increase the awareness that overpopulation can affect us negatively, especially for future generations. Another step that is frequently carried out in some countries is giving financial incentives, such as rewarding government officials and civilians who have only a certain number of children. Also, some government organizations have begun increasing the awareness about safe and protected sex, in a bid to curb the possibility of having unwanted children. Most NGOs (non-governmental organizations) offer free contraceptives to support these steps.