This song focuses on overpopulation and the fragile environment.
The world is growing by more than 76 million people a year. At the current
rate of growth, even accounting for a continual decrease in the growth
rate, the world population is headed for double digits within 50 years.
Every 20 minutes, the world adds another 3,500 human lives but loses one
or more entire species of animal or plant life - at least 27,000 species
per year. The world population has doubled in the last 40 years. It took
just 12 years to leap from 5 billion to 6 billion. It took about 18
centuries for the earth to reach its first one billion inhabitants. The
world is adding a city the size of Los Angeles every two weeks.
Birth rates are falling worldwide but death rates are declining even faster. A
tiny fraction - only 7 percent - of the world's people live in countries
where population is not growing.
If fertility remained at current levels, the population would reach the
absurd figure of 296 billion in just 150 years. Even if it dropped to 2.5
children per woman and then stopped falling, the population would still
reach 28 billion.
1.2 billion people worldwide are living on $1.00 a day or less.
Reasons Why Population Matters
- Worsening water scarcity stems in large part from increases in human demand. Water tables are dropping world wide.
- Pollution in cities is the number one killer of young children because of respiratory diseases. Cities are growing at an alarming rate.
- Worldwide, 800 million people are malnourished, and the number could grow significantly. Farming lands are suffering from soil erosion and desertification.
- The poor are getting poorer due to competition for resources while governments are strained to keep up with them and economies fail.
- The world's oceans are overfished and the coral reefs are dying
- Humanity is rapidly changing the earth's atmosphere and thus its climate
- Wild habitats that shelter endangered plants and animals are giving way to human activities and needs
- Disease knows no borders, and crowding helps spread disease, and lack of education in reproductive health is a factor in the recent upsurge of infectious disease
- Migration pressures are aggravated by rapid population growth
- Civil conflict often emerges in societies where rapid population growth combines with environmental scarcity to undermine governments.
Population & Environmental Links
OverPopulation.net works to bring awareness of the catastrophic problems of exponential population growth and the disasters it will create when the sustainable limits of Earth are reached.
African Wildlife Foundation works to conserve the wild animals of Africa and the land they inhabit.
The Alliance for Justice is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection.
The Center for a Livable Future promotes policies to protect health, the environment and sustainable living.
Clean Water Network is an alliance of over 1000 organizations working to protect our nation's water resources.
Conservation International promotes biodiversity conservation in endangered ecosystems worldwide.
CREST provides information about energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable technology information and connections.
Defenders of Wildlife works to protect wild animals and plants in their natural communities.
Earth First! works to protect wilderness through radical means.
Earth Island Institute provides organizational support in developing projects to protect the global environment.
Earth Share manages workplace giving campaigns for its member charities.
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund strives to protect people and natural resources by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws (formerly the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund).
Earthwatch sponsors scientific field research to improve understanding of the planet and its inhabitants.
Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) provides multidisciplinary research and development of innovative energy and environmental technologies for the protection of air, water and soil.
Environmental Literacy Council offers links to environmental resources on the web.
Environmental Working Group provides the public with locally relevant information on the environment.
Friends of the Earth USA focuses on the underlying social and economic causes of environmental problems.
Greenpeace uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and force solutions.
National Audubon Society works through advocacy, policy, science, litigation, sanctuary management, grassroots outreach and education to protect birds and their habitats.
National Coalition for Marine Conservation is dedicated to conserving ocean fish, preventing overfishing, reducing bycatch and protecting habitat.
National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) is dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the U.S. National Park System.
National Religious Partnership for the Environment seeks to integrate commitment to global sustainability and environmental justice into all aspects of religious life.
National Wildlife Federation unites individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect nature and wildlife.
Natural Resources Defense Council protects the environment and human health through advocacy, litigation, research and education. (And publishes this website!)
The Nature Conservancy preserves habitats and species by buying the lands and waters they need to survive.
Nuclear Control Institute monitors nuclear activities worldwide and pursues strategies to reverse the growth of nuclear arms.
Oceana works to protect and restore the world's oceans through advocacy, science, law and public education.
Public Agenda provides information on issues ranging from abortion to welfare.
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) is an association of watchdog organizations dedicated to safeguarding the public interest and protecting the environment.
Rainforest Action Network protects rainforests through education, grassroots organizing and non-violent direct action.
Rainforest Alliance promotes research and education to conserve tropical rainforests.
Scenic America protects scenic roads, prevents billboards from trashing our highways and helps people create more attractive communities.
Sierra Club promotes environmental conservation by influencing public policy -- legislative, administrative, legal, and electoral.
Society of Environmental Journalists is a membership group of print and broadcast journalists as well as educators and students. SEJ's purpose is to enable journalists to better inform the public about critical issues concerning the environment.
Southern Environmental Law Center is the only environmental organization dedicated solely to protecting the natural resoures of the southeastern United States.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance works to protect the magnificent canyon country and unspoiled public lands surrounding Utah's prized national parks.
Union of Concerned Scientists is dedicated to advancing responsible public policies in areas where science and technology play a critical role.
The Wilderness Society protects wild places in the United States through public education, policy work and litigation.
Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered at New York City's Bronx Zoo, works to save wildlife and wild lands throughout the world.
The Woods Hole Research Center addresses environmental issues through scientific research and education.
World Resources Institute helps governments and private organizations cope with environmental, resource and development challenges of global significance.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) seeks to reverse degradation of the environment by promoting biodiversity and sustainability, while minimizing pollution and consumption.
World Wildlife Fund (U.S.) dedicated to protecting the world's wildlife and wildlands.
