Effects of population increase on the environment

recent debates

Abstract

There is no agreement among researchers on whether the world population can continue to increase when its effect on the environment is considered. In this paper, I reviewed the views of the neo-Malthusians who are pessimistic about the influences of the population growth on the environment and the revisionists those are optimistic about this problem to find out the reasons and backgrounds for their different positions. The results of the review indicated that the difference between the neo-Malthusians and revisionists is ascribed to the distinctions in their view toward nature. Neo-Malthusians evaluate effects of population increase on the environment from a nature-oriented view such that nature cannot be controlled by humans while revisionists grasp environmental problems related to population increase from a human-oriented view where they believe nature can be ruled by humans.