Jonathon Waddell Mr. Bonnici Humanities P. 5 4/21/13 Word count: 1048 Research Question: “How does population growth affect the sustainability of natural resources in the United states?” What is Sustainability? By definition it states that: “The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and there by supporting long-term ecological balance” (Dictionary.com). In the United States the population is increasing every day. Roughly 11000 babies are born each day in the US (Centers for Disease). With the increase of population it’s obvious that resources are being depleted more rapidly. The Sustainability of these resources is being challenged because of the ever increasing rate of population growth. The Unites States is one of the highest consumers of the world’s, and its own, natural resources. The reasons that mainly support this problem are, one, the lifestyle of Americans; and, two, Overpopulation. The United States was responsible for 21 percent of carbon emissions in 2006(Natural resource). An average US citizen consumes 32 times the amount of resources than a person in undeveloped countries (Natural resource depletion). Combining this with overpopulation you have a major problem of Natural resource depletion in the United States. The population growth is the main factor that jeopardizes the sustainability of resources. Logically, the increase amount of people in an area makes it so more resources have to be used up. Not only does it do this but it the increase health risk of asthma from air pollution and stress from living in a highly populated area are cause by Urbanization, which is caused by population growth. Another Statistic states that Humans have used more resources the past 100 years then all of the predescending centuries combined (Natural resource depletion). If the United States’ population keeps rising many resources will diminish, a main one being groundwater. Groundwater is an immensely important resource that 140 million residents in the United States use to get their fresh drinking water. That’s almost 50 percent of the population of the United States (Ground-water). This graph represents the United States population growth in recent and predicted years. If we look at 2050 and see that the population is at 510 million we can assume that 50 percent of those people will be using the diminishing fresh water. That’s 255 million Table 1- United States population growth (us population data and graphs). Jonathon Waddell Mr. Bonnici Humanities P. 5 4/21/13 Word count: 1048 people compared to the 140 million people 37 years ago. That’s an 82% increase in ground water consumers. The groundwater problem will not improve as this is coming to pass. Not only will this affect the peoples drinking water but for farming as well. The price of water will rise along with the price of food. The economy is impacted directly from the problem of overpopulation affecting resource depletion. In Arizona due to recent population growth more wells had to be installed to receive ground water. This caused the water declination of 300 and 500 feet in the area. Las Vegas in 1999 was the fastest growing city in the United States. The first well to suck up ground water was installed in 1907. Since that date 300 feet of water has declined underground. This substantial amount has caused the wells to dry up and no longer provide water for humans (Ground water Depletion). Plants are also affected by this as well and their population is reducing. Deforestation is a natural resource that is being depleted as we speak. In high dense areas there are virtually no trees such as major cities like Los Angeles or New York. But, as population growth continues people are inhabiting more rural areas and using the land for farmland. If the soil quality is good then their farm will be successful with minimum use of the land. However, if the soil quality is poor then it forces the farmer to cut down more timber for more farmland to increase crop output (Population Growth Deforestation). This is clearly linked with the overpopulation problem. But, what it is also linked to is ground water depletion. The lower the water levels the worse the soil Table 2 vegetation diminishing in quality is, in turn making deforestation a solution for Tucson due to reduced ground water levels (Ground water recompensing for the bad soil quality. It is a vicious cycle that depletion). that is all fueled by Population Growth. This greatly endangers the sustainability of natural resources like ground water and forests in the United States. Scientists have commented about the topic of the sustainability in the United States. Robert Criss,Ph.D. in earth and planetary sciences Discussed the topic. He said: “Population growth is driving all of our resource problems, including water and energy, the three are intertwined. The United States has over 305 million people of the 6.7 billion on the planet. We are dividing a finite resource pie among a growing number of people on Earth. We cannot expect to sustain exponential population growth matched by increased per capita use of water Jonathon Waddell Mr. Bonnici Humanities P. 5 4/21/13 Word count: 1048 and energy. It’s troubling” This Doctor later goes on and states: “Energy and water use are intimately related “As water tables decline, you have to use more energy to lift the water out of the ground. That’s what a pump has to do in places like Arizona, where water levels have dropped many hundreds of feet. More people, more water use, more food, more energy. It’s not sustainable”(Population growth drives). Dr. Criss really sums up what the situation is and even uses Arizona as an example when talking about Water as a Natural resource. It really isn’t sustainable with the amount of population and any solutions on the problem must be effective because the population growth is still increasing. Another alarming fact is that not only is population affecting resources fate, but also the people that are populating the world are becoming more wasteful. The increase of energy and water are actually rising faster than Population Growth over the last 50 years (Population Growth). Overall the future sustainability of the world’s resources isn’t looking so well because when population increases the resources decrease. Many things that that cause this as mentioned earlier relate to each other in a negative aspect because they all fuel each other’s downfall. This is the direct opposite from sustainability, and if humans want to change for the better solutions must be effective and put into effect immediately. Vocabulary relevant to: “How does population growth affect the sustainability of natural resources in the United states?” Sustainability Depletion Natural resources Ground Water depletion Population Environmental Science. The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and therebysupporting longterm ecological balance: The committee isdeveloping sustainability standards for prod ucts that use energy. To decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of: The firehad depleted th e game in the forest. Extravagant spending soon depletedhis funds. the natural wealth of a country, consisting of land, forests, mineraldeposits, water, et c. The depletion of the drinkable water found underneath the ground. The US main depleting resource is groundwater. The total number of persons inhabiting a country, city, or anydistrict or area. Jonathon Waddell Mr. Bonnici Humanities P. 5 4/21/13 Word count: 1048 Carbon footprint/emissions Deforestation A carbon footprint has historically been defined by Championne as "the total sets of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person To divest or clear of forests or trees: Poor planning deforested the areain ten years. Increase To become greater or larger. Consumption/consumer Economics. The using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value. urbanization The act or fact of urbanizing, or taking on the characteristics of acity: Urbanization has led to more air pollution and increasing child-hood asthma. Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. " Ground-Water Depletion Across the Nation." USGS Publications Warehouse. N.p., Nov. 2003. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. "Natural Resource Depletion." Lifeofearthorg RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. "Population Growth and Deforestation: A Critical and Complex Relationship." - Population Reference Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. "Population Growth Drives Depletion of Natural Resources | Newsroom | Washington University in St. Louis." Population Growth Drives Depletion of Natural Resources | Newsroom | Washington University in St. Louis. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. "Sustainability." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. "Sustainability Measurement." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Jonathon Waddell Mr. Bonnici Humanities P. 5 4/21/13 Word count: 1048 "U. S. Population Data & Graphs." U. S. Population Data & Graphs. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. "What Is Sustainability?" What Is Sustainability? N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.