Demographics is the discipline that studies the human population in its various dimensions, such as the structure in accordance with the age, and birth rates, mortality or mobility. Demographic Explosion
One of the phenomena studied by demography is the disproportionate increase in population in some territories, especially in the planet’s large cities. This phenomenon is known as a population explosion.
Causes and consequences of the dizzying demographic growth
There are several causes that explain the increase in population:
1) an improvement in food and hygiene conditions;
2) better access to health services; Demographic Explosion
3) change from rural to urban society (many of today’s large cities began to grow from the industrialization processes produced in cities);
4) increase in the birth rate (for example, in the 1960s, in Spain, there was a “baby boom” promoted by Francoism).
Regarding the consequences, they are also diverse:
1) a disproportion between the population and the services available to them; Demographic Explosion
2) a growth in degraded urban areas and associated extreme poverty (the phenomenon of slums is an example in this regard);
3) an increase in environmental problems, as the number of people is related to the consumption of the territory and natural resources .
The Complex Debate on the Population Explosion
This global phenomenon has numerous associated realities. There are many problems and challenges facing humanity in relation to the rapid increase in population. Some of them are:
- – The loss of population in some territories as a result of migration movements;
- – Overcrowding and social tensions in big cities (São Paulo, Los Angeles, Bogota, Bombay and Mexico DF are clear examples); Demographic Explosion
- – Imbalances in some territories (the exodus from the countryside to the city generates depopulation in some areas and overpopulation in others);
- – The need to develop strategies to combat population growth (eg through birth control by some governments or seeking new territories in uninhabited areas). Demographic Explosion
