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The Social-Economic, Political, and Environmental Impacts of Unregulated Population Growth

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Submitted By mitchxdutra
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Anthony Mitchell
Hessler
5/8/12

The Social-Economic, Political, and Environmental Impacts of Unregulated Population Growth

Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, mankind is well on its way to answering a seldom asked yet vitally important question pertaining to its sustainability. "How many people can inhabit this planet sustainably?" This is a question that should have been looked into decades ago, yet the answer is still unclear. With no regards to what the answer may be mankind persists in rapidly escalating its population as if the worlds sustainable population capacity is limitless. With the numerous problems that currently plague mankind, overpopulation is perhaps the most threatening and overlooked issue. If current population trends continue there will undoubtedly be terrible repercussion to face in the future. Problems arising from overpopulation will eventually have a grim impact on the socio-economic systems and political systems of the world along with the environment as a whole, the worst of which could lead to the annihilation of the human race. This is why population growth should be a global concern that should be recognized, examined, and dealt with immediately. To understand the impacts of overpopulation one must first understand the concept of overpopulation. Overpopulation is a state wherein the population density of an area has grown large enough to exceed what would be the natural sustainable inhabitant capacity of that area causing a significant reduction in the quality of life for those inhabiting the area (Hardin). The notion of population density refers to the amount of residents residing within a particular area of study. It is a valuable tool when it comes to assessing population growth and understanding the limits of the sustainability of an area. Overpopulation occurs when the populace of a

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