OVERPOPULATION

        The world’s population is an important issue. For hundreds of thousands of years, the human population grew at a low but steadily increasing rate. Then, in less than last 200 years, the world population went from several hundreds of millions to more than 6 billion people.

        The Earth has certain limitations and in particular, there are limits to growth of things that consume the Earth resour­ces.

         Many people believe that these resources, both the Earth and the human intellect are endless and population growth can continue and that there is no danger that we will ever run out of anything. Yet, many people had predicted catastrophic shortages of natural resources that would follow, because of continued population growth. Countries try not to raise this subject to the рublісmuch, because they do not want to raise panic.

        Nowadays they have to do something about it before it gets out of hand. They try to censor it and sometimes lie. Do you know that the USA itself consumes 50 per cent of all electri­city produced on the Earth? The population of the USA is just around 285 millions people. It is an interesting fact.

         Overpopulation is like a big magnifying glass making lit-, tie problems into big ones.

Overpopulation is destroying our environment, lowering the standard of living, and generally degrading the quality of life.

        Overpopulation also causes more violence, environmental pollution that reflects on land degradation, tropical forest destruction, global warming and destruction of coral reefs. 6 billion member society has to get a huge food infrastructure, so society start producing genetically made food, which is cheaper than ordinary one but might reflect in the nutrient balance. For example, in China it is prohibited to have more than one child for a couple. There is a very dangerous situation in India. By the year 2025 its population might reach 1.5 billion people.

      The planet urgently needs population control. Birth con­trol, abortion and quotas need to be supported, if the planet is to remain habitable in the long term.

        Every second five people are born and two people die, so there is a gain of three people. At this rate, the world population is doubling every 40 years and would be: 12 billions in 40 years, 24 billions in 80 years and 48 billions in 120 years. But the Earth could provide food only for 20 billions people.

QUESTIONS:

1. How many people live on the Earth today?

2. Why is overpopulation an important issue?

3. Does overpopulation hurt our environment?

4. Is it prohibited to have more than three children for a couple in China?

5. How much time does it take to double the Earth’s popu­lation?

6. How many people might live in India by the year 2025?

VOCABULARY:

overpopulation — перенаселение

to grow (past grew, p.p. grown) — расти, увеличиваться

steadily — неуклонно, постоянно

to increase — возрастать, увеличивать(ся); расти

rate — темп; скорость

to believe — верить

natural resources — природные ресурсы

to raise — повышать, увеличивать

to get out of hand — выйти из-под контроля

to consume — съедать, поглощать (о еде); потреблять

electricity — электричество

environment — окружение, окружающая среда

to degrade — деградировать, ухудшаться, портиться, приходить в упадок

violence — жестокость, насилие

pollution — загрязнение

coral reef — коралловый риф

huge — большой, гигантский, громадный, огромный

infrastructure — инфраструктура

nutrient — питательный

to prohibit — запрещать

urgently — срочно

abortion — искусственный аборт

to remain — оставаться

to double — удваивать