“A Theoretical Framework for Overpopulation as a threat to Humanity”

A Research Proposal Presented to

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

by
BET ESET 2A
Aguado, Maverick
Lope, Ryan
Martin, Nichole Andrea
Velasquez, Chiesa Mae
I. Introduction

One of the global issues impacting the world today is the threat of

overpopulation. Overpopulation is a term used to describe the number of people who

start to exceed the resources available to sustain them. It is also one of the biggest

problems that faced the world today. In the last two centuries, population growth has

been an important issue that needs to be resolved and focused on since it has had the

greatest impact in all aspects of the life of a person such as increased demand for food,

water, housing, energy, healthcare, transportation, and many more. And all that

consumption contributes to ecological degradation, increased conflicts, and a higher risk

of large-scale disasters like pandemics.

Environmental activists acknowledge the issue, while the rest think that they will

be able to overcome this crisis as they were able to survive similar environmental events

in the past, but do not realize that nature took an irreversible turn and that what occurs

cannot go back to how it was before. Most people tend to focus mainly on short-term

goals to enrich themselves and to experience a pleasure rather than give their full

attention to environmental protection for long-term goals. For that reason, the planet is

running out of resources, and with every child born, the environment suffers. It is

paramount for humans to understand that earth is a bounded system and no help from

outside will come to assist the scarcity of natural resources that humans are soon to

experience. Indeed overpopulation is a big threat to humanity (Baus, 2017).

The Philippines is one of the developing countries. According to Worldometer

(2022), the Philippines ranks number 13 in the list of overpopulated countries which is

equivalent to 1.41% of the total world population. The Philippines will even have a faster
 population growth than India and China (Jones, 2013). In Southeast Asia, the Philippines

is only second to Indonesia in terms of population size. However, in the next 20 years,

the greatest relative increase in population in Southeast Asia will be in the Philippines.

The continued positive population growth rate and its slow decline in the Philippines are

due to the continued relatively high total fertility rate (Pastrana and Harris, 2011; NSO,

2012).

The 2020 Census of Population (POPCEN 2020), record City of Dasmariñas has

the highest population in Cavite having a population as determined by the 2020 Census

was 703,141. This represented 16.18% of the total population of Cavite province or

4.34% of the overall population of the CALABARZON region. The city has a land area of

90.13 square kilometers or 34.80 square miles which constitutes 5.91% of Cavite's total

area.

This research proposal aims to provide a better understanding of the problems,

ascertain different factors that affect the growth of the population, and the effects of

overpopulation on the country and every family, and recommend policy measures and

grassroots solutions to resolve the issue. Lastly, how overpopulation becomes a threat

to humanity.

II. Problem Statement

Knowing and studying the population data is essential for planning purposes especially

in different places. Any country needs to know the size and composition of its population –

around age and sex structure, among other factors to prepare and plan it will be the solution for

coming problems due to overpopulation

Humanity” seeks to determine the significant effects of overpopulation on humanity.

Generally, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is an effective way to lower the Population?

2. How much money and time will be consumed in these projects?

3. What is the expected year to be done?

4. What ways will be used to inform the citizen?

III. Objectives

Theoretically, this project proposal aims to lower the population in Brgy. Salawag,

Dasmariñas Cavite which we make a total of by means of sensus (2015).

Specifically, this paper also aims to accomplish the following:

1. provide information for Brgy. Salawag LGU and LGU of Dasmariñas

2. inform the citizens in Brgy. Salawag of their population growth

3. help the LGU to lower the population in Brgy. Salawag

4. come up with a solution to lower the population in Brgy. Salawag

IV. Preliminary Literature Review

The Philippines holds one of the highest population densities and fastest-growing

populations in Asia, yet they lack government-funded family planning methods due to many

things that need to be considered such as loyalty to the church, full of religion, tradition, and

culture of every Filipino (McDermott, 2012).

threats to humanity. For instance, low-income countries like the Philippines, do not produce

enough food to match their population growth, leading them to be more dependent on

expensive grain imports and thus to incur more debt. In addition, rapid population growth leads

to slow economic development, which widens the gap between poor and rich people and

nations. In reality, unemployment grows at a higher rate in less developed countries because of

the increase in the working-age population. Unemployment contributes to higher rates of

alienation and crime, thus greater social problems. Finally, fast population growth makes it hard

for governments to maintain adequate public services for everyone.

Additionally, with the growing population, degradation increases. Expanding urban

areas, the race for food and water resources, and the lack of housing and employment

opportunities arise as consequences of overpopulation. The burning of fossil fuels and

unsustainable use of other natural resources provided developed countries with a “cheap ride to

growth”, but left undeveloped nations with excessive demand for those resources which are

taken (Goldin, 2014).

Overpopulation may result in excessive urbanization, which has a devastating impact on

the environment and humanity. “Cities create 80 percent of greenhouse gasses, we are told by

such bodies as the US-based Clinton Climate Initiative”. An International Institute for

Environment and Development released estimates of urban and rural carbon footprints, which

show that cities contribute 30 to 40 percent of emissions (Baird, 2011). This is explained by the

urban heat island effect under which rural surroundings have lower air and surface temperature

than the urban areas. The main causal factors of the effect are the architecture of the city,

especially the high-rise buildings that trap heat, the size of the urban area, and the land covered

with surfaces impervious to water, such as buildings and roads, as well as aquatic and
vegetation lands. The process of urbanization enabled pollution of water resources, biodiversity,

air, and the functioning of ecosystems.

Another evidence is the carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses that may trigger

humanity due to overpopulation. According to Dodds (2018), humanity’s footprint on the global

environment is evident in the increase of carbon dioxide and the decrease of ozone in the

atmosphere. The burning of wood, coal, and oil, along with volcanic eruptions and the

respiration process of animals, plants, and microorganisms, are compounds that produce

carbon dioxide. In the past 200 years, carbon dioxide has been increasing exponentially and in

this period, it increased by one-quarter in the atmosphere. However, until humans have begun

burning fossil fuels and changing the rhythm of carbon dioxide production, the natural process

of releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has been balanced. When plants die, the

carbon dioxide they absorb is left in the soil and later serves to form oil, gas, and coal reserves

under the ground.

Another effect of overpopulation is food scarcity. According to Angus and Butler (2013),

the relationship between the number of people on the planet and the amount of food is directly

proportional. Each individual needs a daily intake of two to three thousand calories, where the

diet is balanced and filled with necessary nutrients. As the number of people grows, the demand

for food ultimately rises. Therefore, according to biologist Paul Ehrlich, “The race between

population and food can never be won” (Sorval, 2012). Although the United Nations claims that

the world produces enough grain to feed humans 3,500 calories every day, the statistics prove

different. “The global cereal crop in 2010 was the third-highest ever, but 950 million people were

desperately hungry, and over a billion more couldn’t get enough nutrients to support good

health. Even more shocking, 60 percent of the world’s hungry people are small farmers and 20

percent are landless agricultural workers” and most likely happen to the Philippines. Inequality
in the production and distribution of food is another contributor to the world food gap. Giant

agricultural corporations operate to maximize their profits by placing food in areas where people

have the financial ability to buy it.

If food is scarce there will also be water shortages due to overpopulation. According to

Dodds (2018), The growth of the global population resulted in water pressure the only valuable

resource that has a finite rate of supply. In the past half of the century, humans used one-half of

the resource which signifies that a strict amount will remain available in the next half of the

century. Water will no longer be available for indirect uses, such as watering the golf courses or

filling up swimming pools, and many species may become extinct in severely dry areas. The

impact will be dreadful in developing countries that rely on water for crops to fight persistent

malnutrition and starvation. Nevertheless, the shortage of water is already experienced

worldwide, as “more than one-third of all people on Earth live in areas where water is in short

supply, and 1.7 billion people reside in regions where chronic water shortages hinder crop

production and economic development”. Approximately one billion people still have no access to

drinking water today. The demand for water increases faster than the population itself. The fact

that population growth is exceeding the total amount of water available proves the slow process

of water replenishing in groundwater sources, or aquifers, that are almost considered

nonrenewable sources. Underground reservoirs have been filled for over a thousand years by

the rainfall cycle, but nowadays most of them are empty and contaminated. The water is

contaminated and polluted with human waste, which forms bacterial illnesses, such as cholera,

polio, and infectious hepatitis, but it also contains parasites and toxic chemicals that lead to

cancer and neurological diseases. As the freshwater became depleted, salty water from the

Mediterranean Sea entered the well and left it contaminated. Not only are humans excessively

taking away natural resources necessary for their survival, but they are also destroying the

habitats of animals.
V. Methodology

The researchers will develop a project proposal that focuses on how to slow

population increase in Barangay Salawag, Dasmarinas, Cavite, which has the highest

population density in the province. When such a request is granted, the researchers will

request a meeting with LGU officers and a presentation regarding the project.

If the project is implemented, the estimated cost will be reviewed with LGU

officers, then examined or accounted for by an accounting officer in the same unit, and

lastly be audited by an auditor in the same unit. The researchers must also keep track of

the planned project's progress and document all implementations and similar initiatives

from the beginning until the finish.

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