The governing council of United Nations Development Fund in 1989 declared July 11 of every year as World Population Day to create public awareness on several issues related to population growth. According to World Metre, the population on our planet was 7. 8 billion in June 2020. The growth of population means more demands and pressure on the necessities of life. More people mean more space required to provide shelters and more food prerequisite to feed human beings, creating issues like house crises and food security.
According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the world’s blueprint for a better future for all on a healthy planet. On World Population Day, we recognise that this mission is closely interrelated with demographic trends including population growth, ageing, migration and urbanisation.”
There are many factors related to population like urban-rural divide, age and gender, which determine the shape of policies being formulated by governments to tackle population bomb. According to UNDP Pakistan’s article, “Sustainable Urbanisation,” “Pakistan has the highest rate of urbanisation in South Asia.”
Climate change effects in Pakistan, like glacier melting and famines, are rising the rate of population migration having various impacts on socio-economic factors
According to the 2017 Population Census, 36.4 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. In 1998, this figure stood at 32.5 per cent. The uncontrolled demands of rapidly growing urban population create many environmental problems like deforestation, rise in the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, depletion of the Ozone layer, noise pollution and waste management. The habitats of many rare species also vanish from the surface of this planet; endangering even the existence of such species. According to WWF, “Human actions threaten wildlife in two main ways: by destroying and damaging the places where species live, and by using them in ways that are unsustainable.”
Similarly, the population of various states comprising of a large number of old people leads to less human resource available to contribute in developing the economies of such countries. It adds more pressure on resources of the state to be spent on areas like health system and pensions. Italy is an example of such a country where the government is spending huge resources on pensions due to a major chunk of its population is comprising of old-aged people.
The gender divide is an important factor of the population to be considered while designing the policies. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentioned, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The fast-growing population is increasing pressure on the governments to provide equal access to basic needs like quality of education and health facilities to all its citizens especially females.”
According to the sixth census of Pakistan held in 2017, the population of Pakistan is 207.8 million. Men form 51 per cent, women 48.76 per cent and transgenders 0.24 per cent of the total population of Pakistan. It is pertinent to make effective utilisation of every gender to make huge population as a source of opportunities.
Similarly, migration of population from one place to another in search of opportunities and security also shifts the demographic features of that area. Migration trends not only impact the resources of the new area but also culture and traditions and even policies of that region. A huge Pakistani diaspora is settled in the United Kingdom, which shapes the foreign policies of both states. Similarly, climate change effects in Pakistan, like glacier melting and famines, are rising the rate of population migration having various impacts on socio-economic factors.
Overall, unchecked population rise and shifts in factors like urban-rural, age, gender and migration can undermine efforts of states to achieve sustainable development goals. All policies made at the state level must consider these factors while managing population needs.
Many of the problems related to population explosion can be solved by creating public awareness and improving management techniques keeping in view the efficiency and equity principles. It is very important to manage a huge population by adopting policies based on evidence and correct data in any part of the world. There is a close relationship between the number of graduates produced every year and the job opportunities created in any country. The human resource must be diverted towards jobs which have high demand through educational opportunities in those areas with scholarships and counselling at educational institutions at state level It would help to balance demand and supply of fresh graduates and manage the problem of unemployment. Huge population means the availability of cheap labour which can help to promote local industries. It is the responsibility of governments to identify areas where local industries can be promoted and job opportunities can be created. In order to mitigate the impacts of urban population explosion on the environment, we need to promote vertical and rooftop gardening in big cities. There should be proper legislation to ensure that town planners and housing societies dedicate at least 10 per cent of their areas to public parks and tree plantations. Similarly, if a country posses’ huge old population must create such opportunities which benefit them in old age.
The writer is a graduate of the University of Oxford on Chevening Scholarship