Linkages between population and environment
From that point of view; Population is a collective group of individuals of the same species occupying a particular place or space and human population refers to total number of people living in a particular place.
According to William (2007), environment is anything that surround human beings which include chemical, physical and biological things. It can be biotic which involve living things or abiotic which involve non living things.
Environment includes the physical factors of the surroundings of human beings including air, land, water, climate, sounds, light, odor, taste, microorganisms, the biological factors of animals and plants, cultural resources and socio-economic factors of aesthetics and the natural and the built environment and the way they interact (URT, 2004).
From that point of view; Environment refers to anything in the surroundings of human being including human being himself.
The linkages between population and environment
Level of income; income of the population determine how to interact with the environment this is due to fact that the relationship between the poor and rich people with the environment is different. Poor people can affect the environment in positive and negative also rich people can affect the environment in positive and negative way. Poor people although they cannot participate in large economic activities that can affect the environment at high extent like industrial activities, large faming activities that lead to air pollution and environmental degradation but they tend to involve in shifting cultivation and also poor people depends more on environmental goods and services but in other side poor people conserves environment because they have low technology for industrial activities mining and lumbering activities. Rich people also have high ability of protecting the environment like conducting permanent agriculture and also modifying the environment but in other side they tend to destruct the environment through different investments like in industries, lumbering and agriculture that leads to air and water pollution. According to Abrnethy (1995), the escalating human population is fuelling the acceleration of all environmental problems, the increase in the number of human is responsible for amounts of pollutants dumped in land, water and atmosphere human population is seen as the main cause of other biological and ecological destructive.
Level of education, the population with high level of education normally has the knowledge concerning the environment and the effects of destructing the environment and the benefit of conserving the environment, normally they conserve the environment and make the environment to be safe or they use the environmental resources sustainable, also these educated one may make some modification to the environment which may destruct the nature of the environment. In other side the population with low level of education may destruct the environment as they haven’t education concerning the environment so they will utilize the environmental resource unsustainable, example in some sub-Saharan countries like Tanzania and Mozambique most of the population use shifting cultivation which is unsustainable to the environment.
Population culture, the population has linkage to the environment as they protect the environment through their culture, there culture which use the environmental resource for worshiping and sacrifice. Example in Njombe the Bena people use Nyumbanitu forest for sacrifice and worshiping, for this there is no any one who allowed to practice any activity in the forest, so through this the forest is conserved hence the environment is conserved. Also there is some population culture believe that the environmental resource has to be utilized as you can because God has provided it so as to sustain life so through this the environment is destructed.
Technology, is the system and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purpose, there is strong link between population technology and environment, as population have high level of technology accompanied with industrialization, urbanization and transportation it play a vital role on environmental pollution especially air pollution as those activities produce high amount of green house gases. John (2009) explained that industrialized nations of western Europe and north America, china and India produce about 76.5% of total daily green house gases. But on other side advancement in technology help in environmental conservation this is through application of modern conservation practices like recycling, alternative sources of energy that produce low amount of harm gases like hydro electric power, solar energy and wind power, good agricultural practices like terracing, contour faming and innovation and inventions that reduce environmental danger. Jesse et all (2010) identifies the roles of technology on environmental conservation through innovations it establish model that collect data, analysis in three dimension simulation using remote sensing technology to predict situation due to climate change so that to conduct conservation, the system is established under UN environmental conservation technicians board based on international exploration. In 2011 intel labs research organization created the intel energy and sustainable lab ESL.
Politics; the politics has role to contribute on environmental managements. The political decision on the issues of the environment can shape the existence of particular resources found on our environment. Through Policies and Acts formulation made by political leaders, determine or guide how human use environmental components in sustainable manner. It is the political will that come with environmental policy enacted to shape human accessibility on his or her environmental resource to without compromise its nature and its existence. It is the better result of political will that today we have national parks and many other protected areas. On the other side, politics may lead to poor use of our environment. Political leaders can be the source to environmental destruction, tracing war risen in this world the affected our environment, this is the result of poor political decision (Pezzey, 1994).
Population size; Absolutely, there is clear and strong relationship (linkage) between population and environment in context of population size. Population size determines the status of the environment from where human being and other life-forms depend upon. Is should be clearly stated that, the larger the population size, the larger the probability of deterioration of environmental good and services through competition in virgin lands, deforestation, desertification, erosion, overexploitation of natural resources. On another side larger population can be a source of workforce for environmental restoration if that population contains the larger number of environmental and conservation expertise. In case of low population practically there will be less environmental degradation since environment will get time to regenerate itself, conversely low population in other side may lead to under exploit some resources that sometimes can exceed the human capacity to control it. Melake (2005) argued that more population means more people demand for resources and generate more degradations and low population means low degradation and some resources being less exploited (Melake, 2005).
Environment to population
Raw materials; environment is the main source of raw materials needed to meet human needs. The natural resources found on the environment are critical to human developments. It is the environment provide to human minerals resources, forest resources, air resources, land resource and water resources. No any human development attained without use of environmental components in this world, hence environmental components is crucial to mankind development. But on other hand raw materials obtained from our environment can affected human development if no use properly. When the environment not provides raw materials actually the population will become poor. Therefore environmental create poverty to human once not supply raw materials for development (Pezzey, 1994).
Hazard, is an act or phenomenon that has the potential to produce harm or other undesirable consequences to a person or thing. Environment can affect population through various kinds of hazards like Earthquakes, hurricanes, diseases, tornadoes, and other geological and meteorological events that have been occurring in different areas. These normally cause injury, loss of property and deaths to population but at the sometime hazards can enable population towards creativity in order to solve the hazard problems. This can be supported by the Boserup theory state that “when the population faces a critical event like shortage of food or other necessity goods, people would find a way to overcome the situation by increasing workforces, using new method of producing or inventing new machines and tools” so this can be applied to population when they faces environmental hazards (Ester, 1965).
Habitat, this refer to the place where people live, environment usually characterized by different component such as land, water and air or this are influence of habitat for people. Environment with good climate condition, suitable soil and free from hazard forces attract people to settle, but environment which characterized with poor climate and natural risk forces are inhabitant. Example polar regions of the earth, also in valley and steep slopes area people tend to run from them (Ester, 1965).
Environment provides healthier food to population; food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth. From environment population get fresh food like vegetables and fruits which are very healthier diet and non-chemical foods or they do not contain any artificial ingredients. By consuming environmental or natural foods it ensure food safety since you will be able to know the source of the food individual consumes, also the population by consuming environmental or natural food they enjoys food security since all people at all time will have access to nutritious food, personally acceptable and culturally appropriate. For instance according to The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the emphasizes is on the use of natural or environmental food such as vegetables and fruits for the healthy life since they reduce obesity which is the major contributor to type two diabetes and other diseases.
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology which can be naturally or modified by man from the surrounding or environment actually the environment offer the beauty or attractive such that land scenery, waterfalls, scarps, Public space such as parks and beaches are essential venues for many recreational activities, Rogers (2005) argued that tourism has recognized that large population are specifically attracted by recreational offerings and other naturally physical features in which a man takes a venture through them having the joy and some physiological and psychological treatments particularly during the time of intensive stress because recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement or pleasure and are considered to be fun. Recreational activities can be communal or solitary, active or passive, outdoors or indoors and healthy ,But some time the nature or beauty can be harmful, or detrimental simply a man or the people can encounter an adventure means the tour which accompanied with a lot of troubling including snakebites, climbing. In support of recreational activities government has taken an important role in their creation, maintenance, and organization, and whole industries have developed merchandise or services. Recreation-related business is an important factor in the economy it has been estimated that the outdoor recreation sector alone contributes $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy and generates 6.5 million jobs.
Conclusion, population and environment are two interdependable objects, one can affect the other positively or negatively as accrued in explanation above, in simple way man can shape environment and the environment can shape human population.
Recommendation, uncontrolled rapid population growth has more negative significant impacts on environment, it will increase the access to environment to make exploitation of environmental component to meet the basic need to sustain their life, hence in to maintain equilibrium between environmental resources and population must have control of rapid population growth.
REFERENCES
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Jesse H. Ausebel and Hedy E, (2010). Committee of health environment and technological application. National research.
John M. (2009). American energy technology transfer and environment. Washington, D.C.
Pezzey, (1994). Sustainable Development Concepts: an Economic Analysis, Environment Department, World Bank, Washington DC.
Rogers NB (2005). Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society, 7th Edition.
United Republic of Tanzania (2004) The national Environmental Management Act, The Vice president’s office- Environment, Dar es Salaam.
WHO/ UNEP (1993), Urban Air pollution in megacities of the world, Geneva, World Health Organisation and United Nations Environmental Programme.
William P.C, (2007) Environmental science, a global concern 9th edition.
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