Relationship Between Population,Environment and Development

1. INTRODUCTION
2015
Author: Antony Eshamwata
Unit: Environmental Economics II
Dated: 3/24/2015
Relationship between population, enviRonment and development

2. Population, development and environment are inextricably linked and are critical to determining
quality of life on Earth, now and for the future generations to come. One quarter of the world's
population -predominantly in the industrialized nations like Geman, Britain and America -
consumes over 70% of the earth's resources and is responsible for most of the global
environmental degradation. In addition, the implications of adding 95 to 100 million people
annually to the world's current population of 5.4 billion people is staggering and will place
tremendous stress on the earth's ability to provide for basic human needs. In a nut shell an
increase in population and development activities has various implications on the earth’s natural
resources/Environment as I will discuss this below.
Interrelationship between Population, Environment and Development
Across the world and even as it is witnessed in most parts of our country, it is obvious that
people depend on the environment to get the things whatever they want. To most the
environment is an unlimited resource. Most people depend on the various resources of
environment to fulfill their basic needs. They need water, air and food which are obtained from
the environment. Unlike the other creatures, humans are not satisfied only with basic needs.
They need different other facilities and materials to make their life comfortable and improve
their living standard. People conduct various types of development activities for their benefits
and improvement. To conduct the developmental activities the environmental aspects such as
land, forest, water and modern technology are used.
An increase in population usually demands more food, more shelter, more services and other
facilities. If the population growth is higher, the natural resources will be over used.this is highly
evident for example the increasing population growth rate around the central parts of this nation
has caused the clearance of some parts of our natural forests (the case of Mau ) so as to give
room for human settlement.
The same trend is being felt in Nyanza where due to increasing population of people ,has
resulted in an increase in demand for Fish thus leading to overfishing in L.Victoria due to a high
demand for the latter resource in most parts of the country. Similarly, as one traverse along most
banks of our rivers especially in rural areas, it is evident that most people are clearing the banks

3. which initially had a lot of vegetation; this is due to the pressure of more land for cultivation as a
result of increasing population growth rate in these areas.
A brief perspective from the Schools of thought on population and Environment
Theoretically different schools of thought give very different perspectives on the relationship
between population, development and the environment. These perspectives can be as far apart as
Malthusian and Boserupian or as similar as the Neoclassical Economists and the Dependency
Theorists There are vast differences in some of the basic assumptions made by these schools but
still they cannot be deemed mutually exclusive as each presents only a partial view of this very
complex relationship.
The Neo-Malthusians,( mainly ecologists and biologists,) predict future disasters are unavoidable
unless the population surge is controlled in time. On the other hand, the New classical
Economists predict that human ingenuity would be able to overcome resource scarcities
The Malthusians are of the view that natural resources are limited and sooner or later the human
population will exceed the carrying capacity of the planet. The primary focus of this group is to
reduce population growth rates in rapidly increasing population regions of developing countries.
For the Malthusians, the population densities and high growth rates within these densely
populated areas have special significance. They argue that it is difficult to maintain a high living
standard in a densely populated area with a high rate of population increase. The reason is that
due to the rapid growth of the population, adjustment time is too short for new technology to be
adapted. The result is continuous degradation of the natural environment.
Similarly, Dependency Theorists assume that population pressure is a direct cause of
environmental degradation, in fact poverty and unequal distribution of resources is causing both
environmental degradation and a persistent increase in population.
However it’s also vital for me to assert that not all theorists saw population growth in a negative
light. In particular, mercantilist ideas in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth century

4. saw the positive aspects of large and growing populations and favoured policies to encourage
marriage and large families.
A Chronological Evidence of efforts geared towards addressing impacts due to the
relationship between Population, Environment and development at Global Level:
• 1972: First intergovernmental conference on environment at Stockholm in Sweden
• Series of conferences on population beginning in 1974 in Bucharest
Key issues that arose in the latter meetings:
• Stockholm conference : Population growth presents problems for environment
• Bucharest: problem of per capita use of resources
• Mexico 1984: imbalances among trends in population growth, resources, and
environment
• 1987 Brundtland report proclaimed goals of sustainable development, explicitly linking
social, economic and environmental goals
• Rio 1992 and following population conferences have reinforced this integrated approach
Strategies to address the complex linkages between environments, population, development
Promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. More aggressively promoting renewable
energy and energy efficiency could substantially reduce reliance on oil and other exhaustible
energy resources that contribute to global climate change

5. Reduce population growth rates by providing widespread access to family planning,
encouraging girls’ education, and empowering women. Slowing population growth rates can
help reduce local pressures on natural resources, and thereby reduce scarcity-induced tensions.
Countries that go through a demographic transition—from high birth and death rates to lower
birth and death rates—are marked by higher life expectancies and smaller family sizes. They
have a lower likelihood of civil conflict and tend to fare better economically.
Safeguard ecosystems on which the poor depend, such as forests, watersheds, arable land,
and fisheries. The poor are extremely dependent on local resources for their well-being and
survival, as they cannot afford to purchase adequate shelter, food, and fuel. Safeguarding
ecosystems ensures that vital ecosystem services such as air and water purification, pollination,
climate stabilization, and erosion control are protected, thereby minimizing the potential for
conflict over resource scarcity.
Combat land degradation and improve water productivity through sustainable agricultural
practices and other techniques. A range of sustainable agriculture practices can be employed to
combat land degradation, including improving fertilization practices, planting tree crops,

6. Conclusion
Clearly, current patterns of consumption and distribution of people, wealth and natural resources
are as much to blame for widespread environmental degradation .Efforts to address population
should focus on the root causes of poverty, migration and high fertility rates, such as low status
of women and girls, early ages of marriage, lack of education and health care, high child
mortality rates, lack of access to family planning information and services for women, men and
teenagers, etc. Addressing the consumption lifestyles of peoples and societies is equally
important.
Alleviating poverty, empowering women, increasing access to family planning and health care,
ensuring human rights, developing more sustainable lifestyles in every part of this nation
especially in urban centers like Mombasa, Nairobi, Kilifi, Nakuru among others and improving
international, national and local development policies are all critical to providing a decent quality
of life for future generations, without causing irreversible damage to the environment.

7. References
1. United Nations report on Population, Environment and Development (New York, 2001).
2. The United Nations and Environmental Security policy brief on linkages between
population, environment and development by Michael Renner and Hillary French.