Page 88 - IJPS-9-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Human development, population, and environmental burden

Economic convergence – more income equality within and 6. Conclusion
between countries – may become questionable, but one
might question why it should not persist. The narrowing The past 250 years have witnessed a remarkable and
consistent growth in overall human well-being, as indicated
inequality between continents as shown in Tables 1 and 2 by improvements in longevity, access to knowledge, and
gives grounds for optimism, as long as local inequalities income through DPI. This growth by a factor of 16 has
diminish accordingly. been truly impressive. Furthermore, it is highly likely that
Consider the enormous impact of the carbon-based another doubling will occur well before the year 2100.
economy on the world environment, with present and While this projected growth alone will lead to significantly
foreseeable catastrophes of flooding, wildfires, mass enhanced and widespread well-being, it is crucial for each
migrations, and so on. It is indeed possible to greatly country to take responsibility for furthering this progress
reduce our dependence on carbon fuels by utilizing by reducing inequality. In addition, the challenging task
solar, wind, uranium, and thorium as alternative energy of balancing the requirements of human development
sources. There are strong reasons to suggest that this with the preservation of our living environment must be
growth model should be seen as a warning rather than addressed. Each country must effectively prepare for the
a projection, and as such, it should be acknowledged. local consequences of a 4°C rise in global temperature.
Regardless of the accuracy and extent of these potential The concomitant growth in world production and
scenarios, it is imperative to thoroughly examine the consumption per capita together with the enormous
consequence of such growth and for humanity to take population growth has imposed a substantial burden on
decisive and concerted action. The environmental impact natural environment. If we do not radically take collective
of human development is a growing concern. Just as the action worldwide, the impact could grow by yet a factor
future development of different sectors of the economy of five or more. Therefore, it is imperative to establish a
is uncertain, the environmental impact they will have is dependable indicator to quantify the escalating global
also uncertain, regardless of how it is measured. There is environmental impact.
a need for a measure that is better than GWP or its sector
components. This is analogous to the need that in the Acknowledgments
1980s led to the broader definition of human development None.
and the first attempt to measure it, known as HDI.
Dire predictions have a long history, and many of them Funding
have proven to be false, resulting in ridicule. One example None.
of such prediction is the theory of Malthus (1798), which
highlighted a feedback effect loop believed to lead to Conflict of interest
overpopulation and famine. According to this theory, as The author declares no competing interests.
more food is produced, it leads to improved well-being,
which in turn leads to population growth that requires Author contributions
more food, creating a vicious circle and eventually causing This is a single-authored article.
a shortage of farmland. The expected consequence was
the miserable outcome known as the “Malthusian Trap,” Ethics approval and consent to participate
i.e., global hunger. However, developments that could Not applicable.
hardly have been foreseen by Malthus, such as the advent
of artificial fertilizers, advancements in education, and Consent for publication
the process of industrialization have rendered Malthus’s Not applicable.
prediction invalid.
Perhaps, the most recent relevant study is the Club Availability of data
of Rome’s study conducted by Dixson-Declève & Ghosh All data used were acquired in the public domain and can
(2022), which expands upon the groundbreaking work be accessed through the cited references.
of Meadows et al. (1972), highlighting the alarming
unsustainability of humanity’s current trajectory. This References
latest study not only serves as an antidote to despair but Dixson-Declève, S., & Ghosh, J. (2022). Earth for All: A Survival
also offers a comprehensive plan consisting of five steps to Guide for Humanity. British Columbia, Canada: New
achieve prosperity for all. Society Publishers.

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 82 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.474