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Integrated Research Paper
Natalia D’Onofrio
Professor Michael Garbarini
PHL 375 Environmental Ethics
28 September 2009
Global Environmental Issues Associated with Overpopulation:
Shifting our focus from Kantian based ethics to Care-Based and Feminist Ethics.
One of the greatest environmental issues facing the world today is that of human
overpopulation. The threat it poses to the ecological sustainability of the environment is an issue
that can no longer be avoided. Consequently, the lethal effects that overpopulation has had over
other forms of life and to the human race as we know it today have been definitive. Increased
population equals more consumption of non-renewable resources, contamination of the world’s
ecosystems and probable irreversible environmental devastation. Due to the fact that the
consumer marketplace is truly global, the problem of overpopulation does not just affect the
most populous regions. Overpopulation and the complications that accompany it can be felt clear
across the planet through an intricate interlocking web into every facet of the environment. As an
ever growing global community, we need to band together and shift our values from Kantian
based ethics to that of Care Based and Feminist Ethics. One of the ways to help achieve the goal
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of population control is through a conceded global effort towards the enlightenment of women
worldwide. Doing so will help to curb overpopulation and its effects on future generations.
Therefore, in order to learn how to populate and live responsibly it is necessary to shift our focus
to the interconnectedness, relationships and consequences between humans, animals and nature.
On a global basis, the consequences of overpopulation are threatening ecological systems for
which all life depends, including the human race. The Ocean, one of our key ecosystems, is
being threatened by pollution, overfishing and global warming (Perrin). As the population of the
world increases, more and more resources are consumed or converted for consumption in order
to satisfy the needs of the insatiable global consumer. Corporations who conduct business
carelessly should be held accountable for the externalities they cause and should be made to
rectify the harm they cause. Our selfish disregard for the animals that live in the ocean and the
subsequent effects of industrial pollution are undermining our future supply of marine food and
jeopardizing their survival. By overfishing and poisoning the water for which their survival is
very dependent upon, we endanger the lifeblood of our planet and undermine our continued
existence (Perrin).
Overpopulation puts a strain on and drains our natural resources so much so that we have
come up with harsh industrial animal farming methods to produce the meat that consumers
demand. Millions of acres of forests are cleared to make way for the inhumane methods of
commercial meat production, thus “farming has succumbed to business methods, the objective
being to get the highest possible ratio of output… Man may always have killed other species for
food, but he has never exploited them so ruthlessly as he does today” (Singer 140). Although,
some changes in animal farming are occurring in other countries. The slow conversion from
Kantian based farming methods to a more Care-Based method has been occurring gradually in
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England. Proposals on animal rights codes such as “Any animal should at least have room to turn
around freely” are starting to take precedence “by an advisory committee set up by the British
government” (Singer 140).
Alwyn Havard, of Havard Associates International; Agric and Bio Sciences, who is a leading
agriculture consultant and farm animal rights supporter stated during a private interview that
these animal rights ideals were only a few years away from becoming a reality in the U.K. He
stated that “all of the current farming methods will be drastically changed, so that the animals
move about and perform as they would under more natural farming conditions” (Havard).
Another benefit to this highly anticipated system will be to the consumer. Havard claimed that
the new system will put less stress on the animal, which in turn is better for the consumer
because the animal will require less medical care, little or no antibiotics and will not be full of
stress hormones. Hopefully, this will prove to be a good example of how Care-Based ethics can
work synergistically with the needs of a growing population and with the environment. Until that
day arrives, the abusive treatment and careless slaughtering of farm animals will continue down
its environmentally destructive path of feeding an overpopulated world who’s craving for meat is
insatiable.
We can no longer hide behind the guise of Kantian ethics. Our intentions need to be modified
to include the effects on interlocking relationships along the food chain and between ecosystems.
The destruction of natural habitats for animal agriculture has helped to increase the rapid rate at
which species are becoming extinct. The rapid rate of extinction of multiple species is proof that
our overpopulating the earth “has led to both the direct and indirect destruction (intentional or
not; foreseen or not) of many species of plants and animals by the cramping, erosion, or
elimination of their habitats or food supplies” (VanDeVeer 453). A plethora of various species,
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VanDeVeer argues, is essential for humans so that they may “maximize utility” at the very least
(454). A higher form of thought for desiring the preservations of various species is due to that
entity having “intrinsic value or moral standing” not just aesthetic appeal (454). In What Is a
Species, Stephen Jay Gould concludes his essay on species by saying, “Species are living,
breathing items of nature. We lose a bit o our collective souls when we drive species (and their
entire lineages with them), prematurely and in large numbers, to oblivion” (469). Overpopulation
of the human kind can be directly linked to the under population of the plant and animal kind.
Overpopulation, according to Thomas Malthus, poses a real problem mathematically in
regards to food production. Malthus’s argument was “that under certain conditions the increase
in human population would increase exponentially, whereas the increase in food supply was
likely to be only arithmetic” (VanDeVeer 389). Meaning, the human race can multiply faster
than its ability to produce food. Food production is linear and humans can multiply like
compound interest. If this nightmare of a situation were to turn into a reality, then “tragedy in
terms of famine and premature death is in the cards” (VanDeVeer 389). The Neo-Malthusians of
today argue that if Malthus is correct in his assumptions, within fifty years the human population
will have doubled itself to over twelve billion (VanDeVeer 390). Assuming those calculations
are accurate, the human population owes itself corrective action; “The basic need is simply to
regain control” (VanDeVeer 396). Unless we figure out how to conserve our resources and
produce enough food and supplies for twelve billion people, we will have to take some
seemingly drastic or perceived unethical measures to prevent a total catastrophe. Malthus
suggests, “By the law of our nature which makes food necessary to the life of man, the effects of
these two unequal powers must be kept equal” (398).
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Human populations increase more rapidly in undeveloped nations than they do in developed
nations, and “the environmental impact of one American…is fifty times that of one citizen of
Bangladesh” (VanDeVeer 392). This is where consumption and population meet at a political
crossroads of capitalism. Simply having many people does not guarantee that they will be able to
feed themselves, or sustain themselves and deplete precious resources. Malthus states in his
essay, “The only true criterion of a real and permanent increase in the population of any country
is the increase of the means of subsidence” (400). He also believed that, “The happiness of a
country does not depend, absolutely, upon its poverty or its riches…but upon the rapidity with
which it is increasing, upon the degree in which the yearly increase of food approaches to the
yearly increase of an unrestricted population” (400). If one American can do the same amount of
damage as fifty people in Bangladesh, then this shows us that it may not be the overpopulation of
underdeveloped countries which is the real drain on society, it may be that it is the
overpopulation of the developed countries that will ultimately do us in. Do overpopulation
problems need to be addressed in impoverished and crowded places like Bangladesh? Yes, but
given our abundant resources currently, poverty and famine still persist in some of the poorest
nations even though we logically have the resources and the ability to end poverty and end
suffering. The people dying in third world countries continue to reproduce, suffer and die with
very little help from first world nations. Malthus states, “The vices of mankind are active and
able ministers of depopulation” (401).
We can remain optimistic that technology and governments will do what’s best for its people,
but if the past is any indicator of the future, then the future looks quite dim (VanDeVeer 393). In
order to do what is right for the sake of conservation and sustainability, we may have to cross a
few lines ethically. If curbing population growth is one of the tasks that must be accomplished in
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order to eliminate or control a catastrophe in the future, then there may be some societies that
ethically oppose what may need to be done.
Feminist Ethics and the education of women is one way to help achieve the goal of global
population control. There are many similarities between the domination of nature and the
domination of women by men (Warren 284). Since men traditionally are thought to rule over all
things mental and women are seen as being closer to nature, the rule of man over woman and
nature has historically prevailed (Warren 284). Therefore, the ethics behind ecological feminism
argues that oppressive conceptual frameworks have been used to “establish inferiority and to
justify subordination” (Warren 283). Warren argues that in order to free nature, women must also
be free since the two are traditionally linked together, thus the evolvement of feminism to
include the environment has emerged as ecofeminism. By empowering women and nature in
their own right as something to be looked upon lovingly as opposed to something that is to be
used and conquered by man, the borders that once defined their boundaries can be redefined and
the healing process for the environment can begin.
One of the main factors contributing to the degradation of the environment is overpopulation.
Overpopulation is a reproductive matter, which ultimately makes it a female matter. This is why
the progression of Feminism to Ecofeminism is so crucial. In order to control overpopulation, we
must empower women to be able to control their reproduction in every class structure and in
every country. Dasgupta has found in her studies a possible commonality for the causes of high
fertility among women in third world countries. She states that “lack of paid employment and
education limits a woman’s ability to make decisions and therefore promotes population growth”
(Dasgupta 415). She also believes that the lack of money takes precedence over education as a
main contributor to high fertility rates (415). The sexism involved regarding the rights a woman
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has over her body is compounded by the lack of funds to acquire any means of birth control. If
countries initiate educational programs and occupational training, women could earn an income
that would enable them to have more control over their lives and more control over their
reproductive capabilities. There are forces that would oppose this change. Tradition and religion
are very much closely tied together and can prevent a society from embracing changes in gender
roles. Some social structures still require high birth rates to have help in the home (Dasgupta
417). Regardless, contraceptive methods should be made available and the enlightenment of
women is necessary if there is going to be changes in the current rate of population.
In conclusion, overpopulation is one of the main factors for an unbalanced and ailing
environment. One of the ways to help the environment regain its vitality and balance is for a
unified global endeavor towards slowing and controlling population growth. Also, the elevation
of a women worldwide via education and employment will help manage fertility rates. In order
to achieve these goals, we must have a paradigm shift on a worldwide basis and move towards
the mentality of Care Based and Feminist Ethics. By turning a loving eye upon our current
problems, we can slow down population so that future generations can live in this world
conscientiously and in harmony with nature.
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Works Cited
Dasgupta, Partha S. “Population, Poverty and the Local Environment.” Environmental Ethics
And Policy Book. Ed. VanDeVeer, Donald, and Christine Pierce. 3rd ed. North Carolina
State University; Thomson/ Wadsworth, 2003. 414-419.
Gould, Stephan J. “What Is a Species.” Environmental Ethics And Policy Book. Ed. VanDeVeer,
Donald, and Christine Pierce. 3rd ed. North Carolina State University; Thomson/
Wadsworth, 2003. 465-469.
Havard, Alwyn. Personal Interview. Havard Associates International; Agric and Bio Sciences,
Cotswolds, England. 23 Sept. 2009.
Malthus, Thomas R. “An Essay on the Principal of Population.” Environmental Ethics And
Policy Book. Ed. VanDeVeer, Donald, and Christine Pierce. 3rd ed. North Carolina State
University; Thomson/ Wadsworth, 2003. 397-401.
Oceans. Dir. Jacques Perrin. Galatee films, 2009.
Singer, Peter. “Animal Liberation.” Environmental Ethics And Policy Book. Ed. VanDeVeer,
Donald, and Christine Pierce. 3rd ed. North Carolina State University; Thomson/
Wadsworth, 2003. 140-141.
VanDeVeer, Donald, and Christine Pierce, eds. The Environmental Ethics And Policy Book. 3rd
ed. North Carolina State University; Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003.
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Warren, Karen J. “The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism.” Environmental Ethics
And Policy Book. Ed. VanDeVeer, Donald, and Christine Pierce. 3rd ed. North Carolina
State University; Thomson/ Wadsworth, 2003. 282-293.