Population pressure, a term summarizing the stress brought about by an excessivepopulation density and its consequences, is used both in conjunction withhuman overpopulation and with otheranimal populations that suffer from too many individuals per area (or volume in the case ofaquatic organisms). In the case of humans, absolute numbers of individuals may lead to population pressure, but the same is true foroverexploitation andoverconsumption of available resources and ensuingenvironmental degradation by otherwise-normal population densities.[1] Similarly, when thecarrying capacity of the environment goes down, unchanged population numbers may prove too high and again produce significant pressure.[2]
Governments and international organizations have responded to increasing population pressure by implementing a range of policy measures that include family planning programs, investments in healthcare and education, and efforts to improve gender equality. These interventions aim to manage fertility rates and ensure sustainable development in high-density regions.[3]
"Pressure" is to be understood metaphorically and hints at the analogy between a gas or fluid that underpressure will tend to escape a bounded container. Similarly, "population pressure" in animal populations in general usually leads tomigration activity, and in humans, it may additionally causeland loss because ofland conversion of previously-uninhabited areas anddevelopment. Advances in technology have also provided new tools to manage the effects of population pressure, including innovations in agriculture (such as vertical farming), water purification, urban planning, and clean energy. These technologies help support larger populations with fewer environmental consequences.[4] However, responses to population pressure must also consider ethical concerns. Experts emphasize that policies should respect human rights and avoid coercive practices. Rights-based approaches, which focus on education, voluntary family planning, and community empowerment, are seen as more sustainable and just.[5] When no space for evading the pressure is available, another severe consequence can be thereduction or evenextinction of the population under pressure.
Based on ideas byThomas Malthus as laid out inAn Essay on the Principle of Population,Charles Darwin theorized that population pressure must generate astruggle for existence in which many individuals die, and better-adapted variants are more likely to survive and to reproduce.[6]
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