Joel E. Cohen's Human Population: The Next Half Century

Development: As the population grows there is need for urban development which could be intrusive on the

The Unites States of America is currently working to combat climate change in order to protect people from its effects. By combatting climate change, the USA hopes to prevent its effects from becoming worse in the future because the USA cares for its citizens and doesn’t want them to keep experiencing the consequences of climate change. The USA is putting great effort into dealing with climate change and also hopes that other businesses, organization, and individuals will join them in their effort (Environmental News Service). One concern the USA has towards climate change is its cause of natural disasters. Climate change is bringing more natural disasters by making weather patterns stronger, and weather patterns are becoming stronger as climate change grows which is bringing more natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and drought to the USA (Rice). One example of a natural disaster that occurred in the USA as a result of climate change is the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. In this event, a tornado rated 5 on the Enhanced Fuijta scale hit Oklahoma and had a negative impact on this city by destroying many of its houses and buildings also resulting in the destruction of businesses such as schools (Cable News Network). Another major concern of the USA towards climate change is that it will cause a rise in the global sea level which will result in many of its coastal cities to be submerged underwater. There will be a permanent 4 feet rise in the global sea level

The United States of America experienced a nearly one percent population growth rate in 2014 (Lafayette Parish, Louisiana). This growth rate is higher in comparison to Britain, France, and other first world countries. To many, this statement is not surprising. There is always an exaggerated news story about the increasing number of people immigrating to America and how it affects the country. Each woman in America is replacing herself and her spouse by giving birth to an average of nearly two babies in her lifetime (Louisiana). As America grows, more and more people migrate to cities because, generally, living in a city provides an easier life. Cities have plentiful jobs, more housing, and a multitude of places to shop and to eat. Cities also

Over the past 20 years the 100 largest US urbanized areas have sprawled an additional 14,545 square miles according to the US Bureau of Census on Urbanized Areas. That was more than 9 million acres of natural habitats, farmland and other rural space that were covered over by asphalt, buildings and housing of suburbia. A major controversy in the efforts to halt the rural land loss is whether land-use and consumption decisions are the primary engines of urban sprawl, or whether it is the nation’s growing population boom that is providing the driving expansion. A good example of this rapid sprawl is the city of Chicago. It has had astonishing growth in the past years bringing about

Irrespective of its cause, the impacts of climate change include more frequent and severe weather, higher death rates, dirtier air, higher wildlife extinction rates, and higher sea levels (IPCC, 2014). Although each of these impact areas are significant and worthy of further discussion, it is the ramifications of sea level rise that brought me to discuss climate action today.

In 2007, for the first time in human history, more people lived in urban areas than rural. Today slightly more than half of the world’s population resides in cities, and by 2050 that proportion is expected to rise to two out of every three people (Human Population: Urbanization). This is momentous development to say the least; especially when you consider that human population density was less than one person per square mile for the first 100,000 years we existed on Earth (Dechant, 1). This huge jump in population density was facilitated by the development of planned settlements that could house and provide for large numbers of people, otherwise known as cities.

Some effects of climate change are already being seen in the world today. For example, Davenport said “$250,000 each time to repair Strickland's damaged building, replace his furniture, and truck in an arsenal of fans and dehumidifiers to dry everything out (1).” This is the cost of replacement whenever his house was flooded from rising sea level. Regarding sea level, he also said east coast oceans will rise 3 to 4 times faster than the global average (Davenport 1). Leading to some important cities to eventually be underwater. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are also being absorbed into the oceans, killing marine wildlife, specifically saying “Over the past decade, so much carbon dioxide has been pumped into the atmosphere that the oceans' carbon levels have shot up.” Davenport also said “We've crossed a line. In 20 or 30 years, there won't be any water in the Northwest where we can grow oysters (1).” Growing oysters are a source of food and income, and with the large impact that these companies have, who knows what animal is next.

How many U.S. consumers believe global warming is the most serious ecological issue facing the world today? According to a study by Stanford University, one-third. “More than half the respondents view this issue as extremely or very important, almost double the number just a decade ago.” (Rothaermel, 2017)

One can describe urban sprawl as a city's people region spreading further and further into more provincial regions, until rural areas become non-existent. While this dispersal and advancement of land is an issue over the world, it is exceptionally prevalent in the United States of America. “The developed acreage per person has nearly doubled in the past 20 years, and housing lots larger than 10 acres have accounted for 55 percent of land developed since 1994, according to the American Farmland Trust” (CWAC 2008).

Sea level rise is another area of concern for scientists and the global community with respect to climate change. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the sea level has risen about 8 in. and continues to rise about 0.14 in. per year (National Climate Association). IPCC has predicted a sea level rise of 1m. (~3.3 ft.) by the end of this century (O‘Rourke), putting small island nations such as the Maldives and at risk of losing their land, as well as cities in the US such as Miami, New Orleans, and New York. Once again, this number may seem insignificant, but when one considers that approximately 5 million people live within 4 ft. of the high tide areas in the United States; and 1 in 10 persons live in low lying coastal areas around the globe, then the numbers illustrate cause for great concern. An estimated 634 million people will be impacted by rising sea levels (Greenfieldboyce) and 1 billion people could be displaced from their homes by 2050 as a result of climate change (O‘Rourke).

The United States is an ecologically rich and diverse nation. Ever since the United States became a country so many years ago, they have remained one of the places that everyone from all over the world strives to make a living in. But what if in the future the United States couldn't offer people the basic needs of life such as water, food, land, and clean air? Well that harsh reality isn't too far away after all. Due to the increase in land and water usage in the United States it has become a cesspool of urbanization and disease. Because of this the United States is quickly running out of natural resources and shows no sign of stopping. “The US Environmental Protection Agency Resource Conservation website begins: Natural resources and

On top of the issue above, there is an annual increase in population of nearly 76,000,000 (Worldometers.info, 2016) and the world’s urban population is also on the increase; expected to be at 70% of the planet’s population by 2050 (Berg, 2016).

Throughout this recommendation, one will find several reason why this topic is important and why it is a relevant topic to address. The recommendation contains information that was discovered after researching further into the problem at hand. One will find the methods that were used while conducting the research and the results that this research reveals. Most importantly, the recommendation will show what these results mean when discussing conclusions. Throughout the document, one will find that by overpopulating an urban area, the economies of not only rural communities but the state as a whole will suffer.

America is at risk with the climate change going on. Climate change is a serious problem, it’s effecting all the regions in America and more. As individuals we need to make a change, not today, not tomorrow, now. The first step is to to inform everyone on the risks of climate change and how it has affected the world since the 1800’s.

The first challenge is due to high population. A quick rise in population will cause housing and food shortages and a rise in the price of general living. According to Yujun, Z. (2011), in developing countries, the fastest population growth rate will be 7-8% annually; a burden in most developing countries is that there is no population control, for example, in Beijing, China. By the end of 2013, according to census data in China, the population of Beijing will be over 20 million. Huge population problems for the city’s infrastructure have brought tremendous pressure, housing and food shortages. Grain yield is lower than the population growth rate so many people