Download How does human overpopulation affect food, water, shelter, and

Human Overpopulation
NC Essential Standard L.3.1/ Common Core: W2, R1, R10
Explain how factors such as food, water, shelter, and space affect populations in an ecosystem.
Introduction: In 1967, there were only 3 billion people on the
planet. Today, there are more than 7 billion people on Earth!
Every year, the population is increasing by about 80 million
people! Human population is increasing rapidly and is causing
many environmental and social problems. In this activity, you
will read about human overpopulation and how this
overpopulation affects factors such as space, water, shelter,
and food.
Objective: Describe the cause and effect relationship between
human overpopulation and factors such as food, water, shelter,
and space.
How does human overpopulation affect food, water, shelter, and space on
Earth?
Hypothesis: If ____________________________________________________________________,
then______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________.
What do you think the Earth will look like in 250 years? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________.
Procedures (complete as assigned):
1. Read the article from Discovery Education
2. Fill in the Human Overpopulation Chart using the reading, your classnotes, the textbook, and
any additional resources you need. Some suggestions are:
 http://www.howmany.org/
 http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/overpopulation/index.html
 http://www.overpopulation.org/
3. Answer the concluding question in an essay. Use the information collected for your chart as
support while answering the question.
It Is Crowded in Here
By: Discovery Education
Population and Overpopulation A population is all
the members of a particular species living in a specific
place. A population can include any area, such as a city,
an island, or even a country. The current population of
humans on Earth is estimated to be 7,025,387,361—
more than 7 billion people who need food, water, and
shelter to survive. And this number is growing each
year. Populations increase as organisms reproduce or
move into an area. Populations decrease as organisms
die or move out of an area.
Overpopulation occurs when too many organisms, of the
same or different species, are located in one area. When
there are too many organisms in one place, there is less
food for each organism and shelter becomes crowded or
limited. Eventually, all the resources in that area might
be used up and this would cause many of the organisms to die.
Migration of individuals can reduce overpopulation. Migration occurs when individuals move or relocate to
a new area. In some areas of the far north, there are growing populations of coyotes. Some experts think
that the warmer weather in the north has helped coyote populations increase. But as coyote numbers
have grown, there are fewer habitats for coyotes
to live in and fewer prey for coyotes to eat. Thus,
the coyotes are moving farther south looking for
food, sometimes moving as far south as
populated cities and metropolitan areas. This can
cause problems because most cities are not
equipped to handle coyotes. The coyotes are
becoming a nuisance in the cities by getting into
garbage cans and attacking household pets.
However, sometimes there are no new places to
go. Some environments are very limited. For
example, a small pond is limited in size. If the
population of trout in that pond grows too high,
the trout cannot leave. The trout will likely begin
to die off as the competition for food and shelter
increases.
Human Overpopulation
There are also limited places where humans can live. Some areas of the Earth are not ideal for people to
live, such as dry deserts and frigid polar
regions. Areas around the United States, such
as Las Vegas, for example, have expanded into
the hot, dry desert. For many years, the
residents of Las Vegas have depended on local
lakes and rivers such as Lake Mead and the
Colorado River. However, because of the
increased population in the area, heavy water
demands, and terrible drought conditions,
these sources are at very low levels and may
become so low that they are not usable as a
source of water. Finding new sources of water
is
challe
nging
,
especially in a desert, and Las Vegas keeps digging deeper and
deeper to tap into the local water table, which is running out.
The human population is having devastating effects on the
environment as well. Human waste and construction have wiped
out thousands of species. The production of greenhouse gases
by humans has resulted in the acidification of the ocean, which has destroyed habitats of marine life and
coral reefs. Some areas of the ocean are inhabitable. Humans have also wiped out forests, including some
in the Amazon, affecting all of the animals and plants that once lived there. Some organisms have unique
niches and once they lose their habitat, there is nowhere else they can relocate to.
Overpopulation is a serious environmental issue. Of all the species on earth, humans are the most
overpopulated. Some experts believe that a mass extinction is under way, given the rate at which species
are dying because of human activities. The decreasing supply of clean water and air could result in a
severe reduction in the human population.
In areas of high population density, where a large number of people live in a comparatively small area,
the transmission of diseases can happen very quickly and affect many people. The bubonic plague, which
killed an estimated 25 million people in the 1300s, has occasional outbreaks across the world. These
outbreaks must be caught and treated quickly. Modern medicine cures and contains the spread of the
plague most of the time, but there is always another pandemic out there that modern medicine is not
ready for, such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the bird flu.
As Earth's population continues to grow, there must be new ways of managing water, food, and other
natural resources to avoid continued environmental devastation.
Human Overpopulation
What happens if the
What are possible solutions
Factor
Describe the Problem
population continues to
to solve this problem?
increase?
FOOD
WATER
SPACE
SHELTER
_________
Conclusion:
1. Write an essay answering the following question: Do you think the world will be able to
continue to support Earth’s growing population? Why or why not? If not, what can be done
to solve the problem?
Be sure to describe at least 3 factors from above, how human overpopulation affects each
factor, and, for each factor, how the Earth will continue to support humans or what has to
change.