It's not Overpopulation it's greediness and inhumanity.
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| People queuing for food distribution |
Contrary to the false idea that the world is overpopulated hence a shortage of resources leading to poverty I beg to differ and say it is not and will never be overpopulation.
First lets look at the word "Overpopulation ".The word itself represents a misrepresentation in the sense that it is correct to judge in a negative way something that is "over" the normal limits but what we also consider is that the limits are not correct.Simply put "You cant have an "over" of something where the limits are not set or wrongly set.
In this case what is the maximum number of people that can be supported by this planet for us to come up with the word "Overpopulation "?
This planet and its human resources are already producing enough food to feed its 7.9 billion people. Maybe one day the Earth will be "Overpopulated "but at the moment it is not and all the talk about overpopulation is just a distraction from the real causes of war hunger,poverty and social inequalities the world face today.
I am surprised that millions of people in some parts of the world like Madagascar, Sudan, and Somalia still face starvation whilst tonnes and tonnes of food go to waste elsewhere in the world.
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| Food parcels being prepared for distribution |
According to United Nations statistics estimated by Worldmeter, the world's population is 7.9 billion in December 2021.
In 2019 the world produced 1 trillion pounds of food commodities including wheat, corn, rice, milk sugarcane, and others
I haven't mentioned other types of food that mother nature provides naturally which are in most areas the major diet for people living in remote and deep rural areas where food production and other statistical data is rarely collected.
This planet is not short of either land and food to support and feed its population or the resources and manpower to help distribute the available food equally, No!
We are also told that overpopulation is another cause of climate change which is also another distraction and diversion from the real culprits of the crisis.Population and emissions are not necessarily related.Data from IPCC shows that 10% of the Earth's richest people contributes 40% of world emissions.
Data accessed from the World Population Clock: Worldometer also shows that in 2022 and 2023 the world population will be 8.0 billion and expected to reach the 9 billion mark only in 2037 signifying a relative steadiness in population increase.
What we lack is the social responsibility and will to act humanly to ensure a concerted effort to reach out to those with no means of getting basic needs like food.
Overpopulation is not the cause of hunger...Capitalism, corruption, greed, inefficiency, and the reluctance from those in positions of responsibility to properly allocate resources is the major cause of hunger and poverty.
Depopulation will never solve the hunger and poverty problem as long as there is no social and more importantly political responsibility among those who are in authority to make it their obligation to see that everyone doesn't starve to death whilst tonnes of food lie idle in warehouses, barns, supermarkets, etc waiting for their expiry date.
I am not advocating for total handouts of food but I am dispelling the false narrative that has been peddled by certain groups of people that overpopulation is the cause of hunger in this world.
The world also has vast underutilized arable land that can be used to produce more food enough to feed those living in areas where food production is almost impossible due to different factors like droughts and other weather hazards.
Unfortunately, such land is in the hands of those who are greedy enough to keep it underutilized simply because to them it's a sign of wealth and power.
Similarly, the financial and natural resources needed to distribute and allocate food to the vulnerable population of this world is in the hands of those greedy individuals who don't even know how much wealth they possess not because of illiteracy but because they have just lost count of their wealth yet they still go around grabbing from, exploiting and displacing those who have nothing.
It's not overpopulation it's an unequal distribution of resources among people living in different parts of the world and under different socio economic circumstances.
About Author
Takesure Matewa is an independent Climate Change,Environmental , Social Justice and Community Development activist and he writes for Enviro-Agri News Africa publication
His interests includes participating in amplifying voices of the marginalized communities through paid or voluntary work,Coordinating Gender and Youth Development Programs, Environmental Protection Education and Community development projects.
He has been associated with various non profit organizations in both voluntary and non voluntary positions including freelance research work,communications and social media marketing.
He can be contacted through the following details
Email:envirosocafrica@yahoo.com
tkmatewa@yahoo.com
Cell:+27 (0)62 675 2447
