Human Race Headed for Distinction - Essay Sample

Introduction

The world population has been on the increase since time immemorial. The population hit seven billion people in the year 2012, a one-billion people increase in population since 1999. While the earth is not yet filled up, it is clear that the rate of population growth is alarming. While this has raised an alarm to some scholars and governments, it is highly unlikely to happen primarily owing to the many activities that the modern human race engages in. People today engage in rather dangerous activities, some of which pose significant dangers to the existence of the humans themselves. In this context, this paper aims to address some of the risky behaviors and activities exercised by human beings, and which pose a challenge to the survival of future generations. In particular, the paper focuses on the discussion of pollution and childlessness and how these aspects favor the extinction of the human race.

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The basis of human survival hinges upon the sustainable linkage between the people and the environment. The present-day scenario, as observed from a range of environments, tells a different story. The ever increasing problems as resulting from pollution are leading to the accumulation of various environmental hazards that are particularly detrimental to the survival of the human race. Environmental health is a term that has been coined to describe all the different forms of substances, forces as well as conditions that may exert an influence on the health and well-being of people. The concerns of people for their environment is not a new phenomenon, but one that existed during the middle ages. However, there begun numerous changes in the society that resulted in the rise of major cities and increased the number of diseases and illnesses that could be transmitted from one person to another as a result of pollution.

According to Darwinian proposition, all organisms breed to the limit of their already existing resources. The growth in population poses a substantial pressure to the available resources thereby endangering the survival of the future generations (Lahart, Barta and Batson n.p). While it has been warned that human activity will with time overwhelm the resources of the earth, pollution is posing danger to the existence of these resources in some numerous years to come. In fact, it can clearly be asserted that pollution is posing a major challenge to the survival of the human species. While the large population is depleting the available resources in the search for food and quality life, a large set of activities that people engage in are unfriendly to the environment.

While the need to secure our environment is popular information, research shows that pollution is on the rise, particular in the 21st century. The article by Waters (n.p) describes of the heaps of waste plastics that are washed off to the ocean every year and which poses a major problem to the animals living in water. The article discusses the Great Pacific Garbage patch that is heaped with litter swept into the sea and which congregates into a series of current-driven whirlpools that are approximately seven square miles in size. The heat from the sun often breaks down these plastics into small pieces which fish often mistake for food. While the heap continues to grow in size and in volume, no government takes responsibility to clean it up. In the understanding of the dangers posed by pollution towards the availability of resources for human survival, it is right to say that the challenge of pollution poses one of the major challenges to human survival.

Coupled with the issue of environmental pollution is the issue of modernism. In the modern society, bearing of children is not considered in high regards as it was in the past years. Today, the largest population of people of, or older, than the child bearing age prefer to stay without children than bearing children. While this enables them to live standard lifestyles primarily owing to the tough economic times, it also possess a major challenge to the continued existence of human race. Childlessness has rendered many countries unable to replace their populations. According to the article by Longman (n.p), countries like Brazil have an aging population that is no longer able to produce children enough to replace its aging population. A similar situation is also experienced in Chile and Costa Rica. Longman (n.p) further explains that although a significant population of the United States is made up of young people, over 20% of the baby boomers have never had child.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although the world population is currently on the increase, this might soon be a history. The trends visible in the majority of countries around the world clearly provide enough evidence of the potential of significant declines in the global population. Activities such as the high rate of population growth resulting in a high rate of depletion in resources, the increased level of pollution that pose a threatening challenge to the human-environment linkages and the issue of childlessness as observed in many countries, all favor the extinction of human race. In this understanding, there exists the immediate need towards a change in behavior and human activities towards the security of human existence.

Works Cited

Lahart, Justin, Barta, Patrick and Batson, Andrew. "New Limits to Growth Revive Malthusian Fears. " The Wall Street Journal, 2008. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120613138379155707 [Accessed 31 July 2018]

Longman, Phillip. "Headed Toward Extinction?".Koreatimes, 2009, http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2017/11/160_42080.html. Accessed 31 July 2018.

Waters, Hannah. "What One Bottle's Extreme Journey Proves About Pollution" Audonon, 2016. https://www.audubon.org/news/what-one-bottles-extreme-journey-proves-about-pollution[Accessed 31 July 2018]