Effects of and Solutions for Human Overpopulation

Effects of and Solutions for Human Overpopulation Human overpopulation is an animal rights issue as well as an environmental issue and a human rights issue. Human activities, including mining, transportation, pollution, agriculture, development, and logging, take habitat away from wild animals as well as kill animals directly. These activities also contribute to climate change, which threatens even the most remote wild habitats on this planet and our own survival. According to a survey of the faculty at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in April of 2009, overpopulation is the worlds worst environmental problem. Dr. Charles A. Hall went so far as to say, â€Å"Overpopulation is the only problem.† Definition Overpopulation occurs when a population has exceeded its carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that can exist in a habitat indefinitely without threatening other species in that habitat. It would be difficult to argue that humans are not threatening other species. Current Estimates and Projections According to the U.S. Census, there were six billion people in the world in 1999. On October 31, 2011, we hit seven billion. Although growth is slowing, our population continues to grow and will reach nine billion by 2048. Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich, authors of â€Å"The Population Explosion,† explain: The entire planet and virtually every nation is already vastly overpopulated. Africa is overpopulated now because, among other indications, its soils and forests are rapidly being depleted- and that implies that its carrying capacity for human beings will be lower in the future than it is now. The United States is overpopulated because it is depleting its soil and water resources and contributing mightily to the destruction of global environmental systems. Europe, Japan, the Soviet Union, and other rich nations are overpopulated because of their massive contributions to the carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere, among many other reasons. More than 80% of the world’s old growth forests have been destroyed, wetlands are being drained for real estate development, and demands for biofuels take much-needed arable land away from crop production. Life on earth is currently experiencing its sixth major extinction, and we are losing an estimated 30,000 species per year. The most famous major extinction was the fifth one, which occurred about 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. The major extinction that we are now facing is the first that is caused not by an asteroid collision or other natural causes, but by a single species- humans. Effects of Conservation Consuming less may be a way for us to live within the carrying capacity of the planet, but as Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich explain, â€Å"Overpopulation is defined by the animals that occupy the turf, behaving as they naturally behave, not by a hypothetical group that might be substituted for them.† We should not use the hope or the plan to reduce our consumption as an argument that humans are not overpopulated. While reducing our consumption is important, worldwide, per capita energy consumption increased from 1990 to 2005, so the trend does not look good. Lesson from Easter Island The effects of human overpopulation have been documented in the history of Easter Island, where a human population with finite resources was nearly wiped out when their consumption increased beyond what the island could sustain. An island once lush with diverse plant and animal species and fertile volcanic soil became nearly uninhabitable 1,300 years later. The population peak on the island has been estimated between 7,000 and 20,000 people. Trees were cut down for firewood, canoes, and wooden sleds for transporting the carved stone heads for which the island is known. Because of deforestation, the islanders lacked the resources necessary to make ropes and seaworthy canoes. Fishing from shore was not as effective as fishing out on the ocean. Also, without canoes, the Islanders had nowhere to go. They wiped out sea birds, land birds, lizards, and snails. Deforestation also led to erosion, which made it difficult to grow crops. Without adequate food, the population crashed. A rich and complex society that erected now-iconic stone monuments was reduced to living in caves and resorted to cannibalism. How did they let this happen? Author Jared Diamond speculates The forest the islanders depended on for rollers and rope didnt simply disappear one day-it vanished slowly, over decades... In the meantime, any islander who tried to warn about the dangers of progressive deforestation would have been overridden by vested interests of carvers, bureaucrats, and chiefs, whose jobs depended on continued deforestation. Our Pacific Northwest loggers are only the latest in a long line of loggers to cry, Jobs over trees! Potential Solutions The situation is urgent. Lester Brown, President of Worldwatch,  stated in 1998, The question is not whether population growth will slow in the developing countries, but whether it will slow because societies quickly shift to smaller families or because ecological collapse and social disintegration caused death rates to rise. The most important thing we as individuals can do is choose to have fewer children. While cutting back on your personal consumption of resources is laudable and may reduce your environmental footprint by 5%, 25%, or maybe even 50%, having a child will double your footprint, and having two children will triple your footprint. It is virtually impossible to compensate for reproducing by consuming less yourself. Although most of the population growth over the next few decades  will take place in Asia and Africa, global overpopulation is as much a problem for â€Å"developed† countries as it is for third world countries. Americans constitute only five percent of the world’s population, but consume 26% of the world’s energy. Because we consume so much more than most people around the world, we can have the most impact when we choose to have fewer children or no children. Internationally, the United Nations Population Fund works for gender equality, access to birth control, and the education of women. According to the  UNFPA, â€Å"Some 200 million women who would like to use contraceptives lack access to them.† Women should be educated not only about family  planning but also generally. World Watch has found, â€Å"In every society where data are available, the more education women have the fewer children they bear.† Similarly, the Center for Biological  Diversity  campaigns for the empowerment of women, education of all people, universal access to birth control and a societal commitment to ensuring that all species are given a chance to live and thrive. Additionally, raising public awareness is essential. While many environmental organizations focus on small steps with which few can disagree, the topic of human overpopulation is much more controversial. Some claim that there is no problem, while others might see it as solely a third world problem. As with any other animal rights issue, raising public awareness will empower individuals to make informed choices. Potential Human Rights Violations The solution to human overpopulation cannot include human rights violations.  China’s  one-child  policy, though arguably successful in curbing population growth, has led to  human rights violations  ranging from forced sterilizations to forced abortions and infanticide. Some population control proponents advocate offering financial incentives for people not to reproduce, but this incentive would target the poorest segment of society, resulting in racially and economically disproportionate population control. These unjust results cannot be part of a viable solution to human overpopulation.

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Admissions Data

Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Admissions Data The Virginia Military Institute is a selective school that accepts roughly half of applicants each year. See what makes it unique and what it takes to attend this college. About VMI Established in 1839, the Virginia Military Institute is the oldest public military college in the United States and one of the countrys six Senior Military Colleges (with The Citadel, NGCSU, Norwich University, Texas AM, and Virginia Tech). VMI is not for everyone, and students should be ready for a disciplined and demanding college environment (new cadets are called Rats). Unlike students at the U.S. military academies, students at the Virginia Military Institute are not required to serve in the armed forces after graduation. VMI ranks highly among public undergraduate institutions, and the schools engineering programs are particularly strong. In athletics, most teams of the VMI Keydets compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference. Will you get in if you apply? ​Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2017) Virginia Military Institute Acceptance Rate: 53Â  percentGPA, SAT and ACT graph for VMITest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 560 / 640SAT Math: 540 / 640What these SAT numbers meanSouthern Conference SAT score comparisonTop Virginia colleges SAT comparisonACT Composite: 23 / 28ACT English: 22 / 28ACT Math: 23Â  / 27What these ACT numbers meanSouthern Conference ACT score comparisonTop Virginia colleges ACT comparison Enrollment (2017) Total Enrollment: 1,722Â  (all undergraduate)Gender Breakdown: 88 percent male / 12 percent female100 percent Full-time Costs (2017–18) Tuition and Fees: $18,214 (in-state); $43,902 (out-of-state)Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $9,236Other Expenses: $2,150Total Cost: $30,600 (in-state); $56,288 (out-of-state) Virginia Military Institute Financial Aid (2016–17) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 89Â  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 69 percentLoans: 76Â  percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $14,434Loans: $8,265 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors: Civil Engineering, Economics, History, International Relations, Mechanical Engineering, PsychologyWhat major is right for you? Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation and Retention Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 87Â  percentTransfer-out Rate: 20 percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 63Â  percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 77Â  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports: Football, Lacrosse, Rifle, Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, WrestlingWomens Sports: Rifle, Water Polo, Swimming, Track and Field, Soccer If You Like VMI, You May Also Like These Schools Old Dominion University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphJames Madison University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of North Georgia: ProfileERAU - Daytona Beach: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphCollege of William Mary: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNorth Carolina State University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUS Naval Academy: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Virginia Military Institute Mission Statement mission statement from vmi.edu/about/ It is the mission of those at Virginia Military Institute to develop educated, honorable men and women, prepared for the varied work of civil life, imbued with love of learning, confident in the functions and attitudes of leadership, possessing a high sense of public service, advocates of the American democracy and free enterprise system, and ready as citizen-soldiers to defend their country in time of national peril. Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics