Population Growth and Environmental Pollution in the Global South

Global human population has been on the rise, particularly in developing countries. The challenge of satisfying the needs of the increasing population of the world has led to unsustainable environmental exploration and exploitation, intensive agricultural practices, overfishing, industrialization, modernization, and changes in consumption patterns with consequential environmental pollution. These anthropogenic activities have significantly impacted the environment, leading to various kinds of environmental pollution. Population increase puts more pressure on the environment, which could manifest in different forms of environmental degradation such as land, air, and water pollution, thus translating to generation of more wastes, which impact and pollute the environment directly or indirectly. Most countries in the southern part of the globe are developing countries with a high population. They face the challenges of low income, poverty, low technological advancement, and low standards of living compared to the developed countries. It is important to state that the type of environmental pollution emanating from developing countries reflects their underdevelopment and inability to effectively manage it. Developed countries with their technological advancements are also considered major environmental violators but appear to have effective environmental management and pollution control systems in place. The resultant effect of environmental pollution due to population growth, particularly in the Global South, is of great concern. Inadequate availability of water, poor sanitation, polluted air (due to increased use of fossil energy), land degradation, and poor health facilities leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality eventually translate into poor economic productivity that can hardly sustain the underdeveloped and developing countries of the Global South. In conclusion, adequate control of population growth is highly relevant to pollution control and environmental quality improvement in the southern part of the globe.