Population explosion

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1. What is population explosion?

Population explosion is a population increase that is too rapid, sudden, and out of control in a short period, causing a great impact on all aspects of social life. A population explosion occurs when the rate of natural increase exceeds 2.1%.

2.Cause of population explosion

• Difference between birth and death rates:  In early history, birth and death rates were relatively balanced. During the population explosion period: the birth rate is maintained, and the death rate decreases due to highly developed economic, social, and medical conditions…
• Migration to urbanization and population accumulation are taking place quite strongly and are not well controlled, which are characteristics that negatively impact the process of sustainable development in terms of population and society.
• Demand for production force: Mainly in underdeveloped countries, requiring a large labor force due to the slow development of science and technology.
• Outdated views: The situation of knowing the sex of the fetus in advance is increasingly common, due to the ideology of favoring men over women in some countries and there still exist some outdated concepts such as the ideology of having more children than many people,… This causes high birth rates, gender imbalance and even population explosion.

3. Consequences of population explosion

• Declining natural resources.
• Increased levels of air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and noise pollution.
• Deforestation and loss of ecosystems.
• Changing atmospheric composition and global warming consequences.
• Irrecoverable loss of arable land, desertification.
• Infant and child mortality rates are high due to poverty.
• Increase opportunities for disease development, burden on health, education, welfare policies, etc.
• Conflicts over dwindling natural resources lead to increased risks of war.
• Crime rates have increased because of drug trafficking and criminal organizations.

4. Solution to overcome population explosion

• Birth rate control: Countries need to strictly apply some birth control measures.
• Education and propaganda: Focus on education and propaganda about the consequences of population explosion; benefits of family planning; birth control measures,…
• Extraterrestrial settlement: Proposal to build space habitats that can accommodate 30,000 times Earth’s capacity.

5. Vietnam has faced the risk of population explosion

• Previously, the population explosion in our country started in the late 50s and ended in the late 20th century. Vietnam has experienced a population explosion, and is facing a second population explosion.
• According to forecasts of the General Statistics Office (2016), Vietnam will become a country with an “old population” around 2032 when it reaches the “threshold” rate of 20%. During this period, the elderly were still mainly people from the war period, living in rural areas, poor, so their health was weak, and most of them did not have social insurance…
• Currently, Vietnam is entering the golden population period. It is forecast that by around 2040, Vietnam will end the period of “golden population structure”.

REFERENCES: 

1. Bùng nổ dân số là gì? Nguyên nhân, hậu quả và cách giải quyết.
2. Dân số – Wikipedia tiếng Việt.
3. Việt Nam đối mặt nguy cơ bùng nổ dân số.
4. Dân số và phát triển: Thách thức mạnh mẽ đến sự phát triển bền vững của Việt Nam