(2) Biodiversity and the consequences of a rising world population

The rapidly rising human population is causing great pressure on the use of natural resources and causing a reduction in biodiversity.

World population increase

  Energy use increase

The graphs shows the acceleration of the world's population and their corresponding energy use.

Two important reasons why there is such an increase in the world population are:

(i) improvements in farming efficiency providing more food,

(ii) improvements in healthcare systems and the provision of drugs, particularly antibiotics,

both of these reduce death rates from disease or hunger, but the rise in population means an increased demand on the Earth's resources.

This is NOT good for biodiversity - the 'variety of life' - an old fashioned saying goes "variety is the spice of life"!

The greater the biodiversity of ecosystems, the more stable they are because species rely on each other - interdependence of food, water and shelter etc. 

Particular species are important for the physical and chemical integrity of the environment e.g.  the pH and the organic material in soil - so important for growing food.

BUT, we need more and more land for more food as the world population rises and there is far more industry now as the demand for more consumer goods and services rises too, and better technology has helped, but it doesn't have all the answers!

All of this increases the demand for raw materials like metal mineral ores, oil/gas, wood, limestone for concrete, stone for roads, and all of these activities need extra sources of energy.

I'm afraid this has increased pollution and decreased the biodiversity of our environment.

As communication technology and transport improved lots of countries are now better connected, often through huge multi-national companies which can simultaneously operate in many countries - we live in a time of globalisation.

Products and services are bought from, and sold to, most countries in the world - development can be rapid and often little thought given to biodiversity.

 

Unfortunately, human activities like:

(i) waste production and lack of its management is harming the environment - land and water pollution and the production of methane (a greenhouse gas),

(ii) deforestation, replacing trees and their complex ecosystems with cattle or cash crops, is causing a significant drop in biodiversity,

(iii) global warming, causing climate change is having its effect on habitats too - changes in weather patterns - changes or disruption of animal migrations,

(iv) overuse of fertilisers and anti-pest agents,

are all contributing to a decline in biodiversity.

These negative aspects of our activity and in danger, and to some extent already, have reduced our planet's biodiversity - it is not good for our survival or the rest of the world's organisms we should be living in harmony with - already many species have become extinct.

We are beginning to take the situation seriously, but there is much damage to correct, as the problems become larger and more widespread - following the spreading development of societies that do not live in balance with the environment they are moving into and inhabiting.

BUT, with the world's population rising, there is an even great pressure on societies to produce more food, including planting crops for cash in poorer developing societies - and often the revenue goes to multi-national companies and the local workers paid minimum wages.

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Key points - Summary of ideas

Based on the syllabus-specifications for students taking the AQA, Edexcel and OCR GCSE level biology examinations (~US grades 9-10).

The world's rising population puts increasing pressure on biodiversity and the Earth's natural resources in several ways:

Biodiversity Loss

1. Habitat Destruction – Expanding cities, agriculture, and infrastructure lead to deforestation and destruction of ecosystems, pushing species toward extinction.

2. Pollution – More people mean more waste and pollution, contaminating air, water, and land, which harms wildlife.

3. Climate Change – Increased energy use and industrial activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, altering ecosystems and endangering species.

4. Overexploitation – Higher demand for food, medicine, and materials results in overfishing, hunting, and depletion of plant and animal populations.

Natural Resource Use

1. Water Scarcity – The need for drinking water, irrigation, and industrial use strains fresh water sources.

2. Deforestation – Increased demand for land and timber accelerates forest loss, impacting climate and biodiversity.

3. Soil Degradation – Overfarming, deforestation, and poor land management reduce soil fertility and lead to desertification.

4. Energy Consumption – Fossil fuel reliance grows, depleting non-renewable resources and worsening environmental pollution.

Sustainable development and conservation efforts are crucial in balancing population growth with environmental health.

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Summary of learning objectives and key words or phrases

Be able to explain the reduction of biodiversity due to population growth and the increases in the need for food and exploitation of the Earth's resources.

Appreciate the correlation between population growth and increased energy used.

The increase in need for land for food and housing and resulting pollution contributing to the fall in biodiversity.

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