Many environmental problems are attributable to societal practices that are associated with burgeoning population growth. Polluting use practices lead to reductions in the supply of usable water, as well as to increased costs associated with the maintenance of water resources and the delivery of usable water to consumers. Polluting use practices lead to similar outcomes in relation to energy, and such practices frequently foul the air. Polluting use practices often are motivated by rapid population growth, and the undesirable outcomes of such practices always are aggravated by both excessive population densities and rapid population growth.
A case in point is Beijing, the national capital city of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Beijing's 1970 population of 8.3 million people grew to a level of 10.6 million by 1994. Coal is the source of 70 percent of all of the energy used in home heating and industrial operations in the city. Pollution from the burning of coal causes pollution in the air to increase five-fold between summer (a low coal burning period) and winter (a high coal burning period). Mean air pollution levels have increased with population growth. In 1988, the Beijing Municipal Government enacted the Air Pollution Prevention Act; however, air pollution levels have continued to rise and population levels have increased.
The PRC is the world's most populous country. While the country's population control efforts have achieved some success in reducing the rate of births per 1,000 persons in the population, absolute population levels in the PRC continue to increase. Further, economic transitions in China are causing tens of millions of people to migrate from the country-side to the nation's cities. Environmental problems associated with population growth in China, thus, are worsening rather than improving.
This research analyzes the relationship between population growth and environmental problems i...