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Essay On Population

Nowadays, population is a major topic of concern for everyone as the population of the world has increased to 8 billion. A population is the total number of people living in a particular area. This count helps the government allocate adequate resources to each area. Here are some sample essays on the topic ' Population' .

Essay On Population

100 Words Essay On Population

Population refers to the total number of people living in a specific area or country. The global population has been increasing rapidly in recent decades and is projected to reach around 9 billion by 2050 . The population growth rate varies by country and region, with some areas experiencing higher rates of growth than others. Population growth can have a significant impact on resources, environment and economy of a country. It also poses challenges such as food and water shortages, housing and infrastructure problems and overburdening of healthcare and education systems. It's important for governments to implement policies to address these issues and ensure sustainable development.

200 Words Essay On Population

The global population has been increasing rapidly in recent decades. According to the United Nations, the world population reached 7.9 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050. This population growth rate varies by country and region, with some areas experiencing higher rates of growth than others. Developing countries tend to have higher population growth rates compared to developed countries.

Impact on Resources

The increasing population has a significant impact on resources. As the population grows, the demand for food, water, and energy increases. This can lead to issues such as food and water shortages, as well as strain on energy resources. Additionally, the increasing population also puts pressure on natural resources, such as forests and land, leading to issues such as deforestation and land degradation.

Impact on Environment

The increasing population also has a significant impact on the environment. As the population grows, so does the amount of waste and pollution produced. This can lead to issues such as air and water pollution, as well as strain on natural systems such as oceans and rivers. Additionally, the increasing population also puts pressure on biodiversity, leading to loss of species and ecosystems.

Impact on Economy

The increasing population also has an impact on the economy. As the population grows, so does the demand for housing, infrastructure, and services such as healthcare and education. This can lead to issues such as housing and infrastructure problems, as well as strain on healthcare and education systems. Additionally, the increasing population can also put pressure on employment and job markets.

500 Words Essay On Population

Population growth: a global phenomenon.

Population refers to the total number of people living in a specific area or country. The global population has been increasing rapidly in recent decades and is projected to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050. This population growth rate varies by country and region, with some areas experiencing higher rates of growth than others. Developing countries tend to have higher population growth rates compared to developed countries.

India's Overpopulation

India, with a population of over 1.3 billion , is facing the consequences of overpopulation. The rapid population growth has put a strain on resources, resulting in issues such as food and water shortages, as well as strain on energy resources. The water crisis in India, where over half of the population is facing high to extreme water stress, is a prime example of how overpopulation can affect the availability of resources. Additionally, the increasing population also puts pressure on infrastructure, leading to issues such as housing and transportation.

China's One-Child Policy

China, with a population of over 1.4 billion, has implemented a one-child policy to control its population growth. The policy, which was in effect from 1979 to 2015, aimed to slow down the population growth and improve the standard of living. While the policy did lead to a decrease in population growth, it also had negative consequences such as a gender imbalance and an aging population.

Singapore's Aging Population

Singapore, with a population of around 5.7 million, has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. The low fertility rate, coupled with an increasing life expectancy, has led to an aging population. This has put a strain on the country's healthcare and pension systems, as well as the workforce. The government has implemented various measures, such as incentives for couples to have more children and encouraging immigration, to address the issue of an aging population.

Population growth is a global phenomenon that affects not only the resources and environment, but also the economy and society as a whole. It's important for governments to implement policies to address the challenges posed by population growth and ensure sustainable development. This can include investing in infrastructure, implementing measures to reduce pollution and waste, and encouraging family planning and education programs. Additionally, it's important to find sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by population growth in order to ensure a future where everyone has access to the resources they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life.

What Can We Do

As students, there are several ways to educate society about population:

Raise awareness through class projects and presentations: Students can create class projects and presentations that educate their peers and teachers about the issue of population growth. They can present the information in an interactive and engaging way, using real-life examples, statistics, and videos.

Participate in population-related events: Students can participate in population-related events such as seminars, workshops, and conferences. This will give them the opportunity to learn more about the issue and to share their knowledge with others.

Use social media to spread awareness: Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are powerful tools that students can use to raise awareness about population growth. They can create posts and share infographics that educate their peers and the general public about the issue.

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Population Growth Essay Writing Guide

Academic writing

Essay paper writing

write an essay on population

Working on a population essay or research paper? We understand the struggle. Therefore, we have prepared the list of the greatest topics for you to choose from as well as useful tips that will help you submit an impeccable work.

Population essay topics

  • Essay on the principle of population
  • Essay on population definition
  • Population genetics essay
  • 21 st century global population essay
  • Population development essay
  • Essay on the history of population growth
  • Essay on population crisis
  • Agricultural revolution and population growth essay
  • Short essay on world population becoming smarter
  • Aging population opinion essay
  • Essay on population explosion
  • Essay about population problem in Asia
  • Relationship between national wealth and population health essay
  • Population and environment essay
  • Essay on increasing population
  • Cause and effect essay on population growth: What is the reason of current overpopulation issue?
  • Importance of population education essay
  • Effective means of population control essay
  • Population control argumentative essay
  • Can we solve overpopulation problems essay
  • Effect of population on environment essay
  • How to control population essay

statistics of population research paper

Tips for writing an essay on population

  • Make an outline. Once you do your research, create a well-detailed plan where you include all the essential points and ideas for each paragraph of your paper. You can use the example from the section below and build on it with the information you have found.  
  • Research carefully. Try using Google Scholar to search for articles and books on the topic if you have hard times determining which sources are credible.  
  • Don’t fake your references or just copy information. Nowadays, there are various tools for checking works for plagiarism. Therefore, do not put your academic reputation at risk – use real sources and your own words when describing what the author was writing about.
  • Mind your language. Of course, an essay is not a scientific article for a reputable journal, but you still need to be very careful with the word choice. Contractions or slang would not be appropriate here.
  • Provide specific examples and numbers where applicable. For instance, essay writing on population explosion would require you to indicate where, when, and how many people were born in certain time periods and why it happened.
  • Proofread your writing. This will help you to avoid submitting a work full of mistakes, which will inevitably lower your mark.

Essay outline

  • Introduction.

Start with a hook phrase, which can be a question, a quote, or just an interesting fact. After that, write a few sentences explaining why your topic is important and necessary to research. The main point of an essay on population should be clearly stated in the last sentence of the paper – a thesis statement. Give a brief overview of the points you are going to discuss but do not go into the details – you will be able to do it in the body of the work.

Depending on the word limit set for the assignment, the body of your paper might be divided into a few sections with distinct headings. Each section or paragraph should start with the introduction of the idea you are going to discuss. Next, you will have to provide some factual information to support it, and explain your own opinion if applicable. In the end, it would be necessary to sum up what you have discussed and transition into the next paragraph.

  • Population essay conclusion.

In the final paragraph, restate the thesis and the main ideas that were reviewed in the body of the paper. You cannot introduce any new facts in the conclusion – only synthesize what has already been discussed. Finish your essay by proving that you have accomplished the purpose of writing the paper or leave the reader with some idea to think about further.

Population research paper topics

  • Research paper about homelessness population
  • Aging population research paper
  • Religion and overpopulation
  • Human population growth research paper
  • Birth control and women’s human rights
  • The impact of overpopulation on the wildlife
  • India population crisis
  • The impact of overpopulation on the environment
  • Bangladesh population crisis
  • Population, migration, and urbanization
  • Global warming and overpopulation: Where is the link?
  • The issue of food and water shortage
  • Statistics of population changes research paper
  • The effects of population growth on the economy

Writing a research paper

  • Choose a narrow topic. It is rather hard to write a research paper about population in general, as the topic is really vast. Instead, you may concentrate on some population issues, trends, or other more specific topics, which can be studied thoroughly.
  • Be careful with citations. In your research paper, you will need to include and cite a lot of information. Learn how to do it according to the style you stick to and cite all factual data taken from other sources.
  • Check a few good population research paper examples. If it is hard for you to visualize how your research paper should look like, find a few sample works. Pay attention to how the text is outlined, what information is cited, how transitions are used, and how the info is presented in general. Try to find research paper examples about population control, overpopulation crisis, shortage of resources, and other related topics to understand what points might work for your own paper.
  • Develop a strong thesis statement. It should be short, to-the-point, and consistent. You have to summarize your main claim in one or two sentences in such a way that it will be clear and interesting for your audience.
  • Avoid filler phrases. “In conclusion,” “needless to say,” and all the other parenthetic words do not bring any value to your writing. Instead, try to come up with meaningful transitions to move from one paragraph to another one smoothly.

Research paper outline

  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Literature review
  • Results/Findings

You may also be asked to add an abstract before the intro to give your readers a quick overview of the paper. Depending on the length of the text, it might be necessary to add a table of contents to guide your audience on where to find certain information. If there are some figures that you wanted to include in the paper but they take too much space, you can refer to them in the text but insert them into the appendices section after the reference page.

an essay on the principle of population

Research questions about population

Here are some of the research paper questions about population that you may choose to answer in your paper:

  • What are the major negative consequences of overpopulation?
  • Why some countries are overpopulated while others are underpopulated?
  • How fast is the population increasing today compared to in the past?
  • What factors influence current population trends?
  • What may the population trends be in 50 years?
  • Are we on the verge of food and water shortage?
  • Is population growth still an issue?
  • How many people can Earth support?
  • Why should we be concerned about current population growth rates?
  • Is religion an obstacle to population stabilization?

Facts for a research paper or essay on population

  • In general, more than 107 billion people were born in the history of humanity. Thus, 6.5% of all people born in the history of humankind live on Earth today.
  • In 2009, for the first time in history, an urban population was equal to a rural one amounting to 3.4 billion people. It is expected that in the future, an increasing part of the world population will be represented by citizens (that is, the urban population will continue to grow faster than the world population as a whole), which is confirmed by the latest data.
  • In 2010, about 60% of the world’s population lived in Asia, 15.5% - in Africa, and 10.4% - in Europe. In 2050, according to the UN forecast, more than half of the world’s population will live in Asia, 25% in Africa, 8.2% in Latin America, 7.4% in Europe, and 4.7% in North America.
  • The largest state in terms of population is China. After 2025, India is likely to become a leader. Until 1991, USSR had the third-largest population. After its disintegration, the US took its place. Indonesia and Brazil occupy the fourth and fifth places. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Russia occupy the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth places, respectively.
  • As the UN report indicates, by the end of this century, the world’s population will be more than two times higher in comparison with 2011 and will reach 15 billion people.
  • The current population of the planet has doubled since the 1960s. This process is caused by the improvement of the quality of medical care and medical products as well as high fertility in the countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In addition, a certain role was played by the reduction of infant mortality and the increase in life expectancy on all continents of the planet.
  • Some experts question the figure of 15 billion inhabitants by the year 2100 proposed by the UN. They are convinced that the population will not reach such a catastrophic scale if appropriate measures are taken.
  • The author of the first essay on population was a popular economist Thomas Robert Malthus. His main work, An Essay on the Principle of Population, played a remarkable role in the development of economic science and demography.
  • In the mid-60s of the 20th century, humanity first paid attention to the problem of overpopulation and the depletion of resources. The community of the world’s largest businessmen, politicians, and public figures, united by the idea of ​​ preserving the natural environment on Earth have created a so-called Club of Rome. This initiated a large-scale research to find ways to curb the crisis.

population growth essay

Environmental issues

While writing an essay on the ecological effects of increased population, you may describe the current state of things:

  • The situation in the field of renewable resources deteriorates. Scientists warn that very soon, we will experience a water, wood, fish shortage, as well as reduced soil fertility.
  • Waste products accumulate and pollute the environment.
  • More investment, energy, materials, and labor costs are required to eliminate the negative consequences of using resources, e.g., for sewage treatment, irrigation control, air purification, etc.
  • A significant part of the capital, raw materials, energy resources, and labor costs is spent on solving the tasks of the defense industry.
  • Investments in human resources decline, and the situation with education and healthcare deteriorates.
  • The balance between the use of raw materials, energy resources, and the process of environmental pollution is disturbed.

Problem of population aging

  • According to the UN, during 1994-2014, the number of people over 60 years has doubled. In 2014, the number of older adults in the world exceeded the number of children under the age of five.
  • Now, in 15 EU countries, above 15% of citizens are at the age of 65 years and higher. The youngest country is Ireland (11.5%), and the oldest one is Sweden (17.5%). However, during the coming decades, the gap will decrease. The elderly group will be joined by generations born during the baby boom period (1946-1964).
  • Compared to Western European countries, the United States is a younger state: there are less than 13% of people over 65 years old.
  • The causes of population aging are ambiguous. On the one hand, there is a decline in the birth rate, which leads to a smaller number of children and young people, and on the other hand, there is an increase in life expectancy.
  • From 1960 to 1990, the number of people of age above 80 years has grown in the EU countries from 5 to 12 million people, that is, by 140%.
  • Medical care for the elderly involves additional funding, expanding the network of medical, gerontological institutions, and qualitative restructuring of the health care system.
  • The employment of the elderly population and provision of working places for young seniors are required. It is also important to maintain an active life position of the elderly, involve them in public life, and fight against loneliness.

problem of population aging

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An Essay on the Principle of Population

By thomas robert malthus.

There are two versions of Thomas Robert Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of Population . The first, published anonymously in 1798, was so successful that Malthus soon elaborated on it under his real name. * The rewrite, culminating in the sixth edition of 1826, was a scholarly expansion and generalization of the first.Following his success with his work on population, Malthus published often from his economics position on the faculty at the East India College at Haileybury. He was not only respected in his time by contemporaneous intellectuals for his clarity of thought and willingness to focus on the evidence at hand, but he was also an engaging writer capable of presenting logical and mathematical concepts succinctly and clearly. In addition to writing principles texts and articles on timely topics such as the corn laws, he wrote in many venues summarizing his initial works on population, including a summary essay in the Encyclopædia Britannica on population.The first and sixth editions are presented on Econlib in full. Minor corrections of punctuation, obvious spelling errors, and some footnote clarifications are the only substantive changes. * Malthus’s “real name” may have been Thomas Robert Malthus, but a descendent, Nigel Malthus, reports that his family says he did not use the name Thomas and was known to friends and colleagues as Bob. See The Malthus Homepage, a site maintained by Nigel Malthus, a descendent.For more information on Malthus’s life and works, see New School Profiles: Thomas Robert Malthus and The International Society of Malthus. Lauren Landsburg

Editor, Library of Economics and Liberty

First Pub. Date

London: John Murray

6th edition

The text of this edition is in the public domain. Picture of Malthus courtesy of The Warren J. Samuels Portrait Collection at Duke University.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter III
  • Chapter VII
  • Chapter VIII
  • Chapter XII
  • Chapter XIII
  • Chapter XIV
  • Bk.II,Ch.II
  • Bk.II,Ch.III
  • Bk.II,Ch.IV
  • Bk.II,Ch.VI
  • Bk.II,Ch.VII
  • Bk.II,Ch.VIII
  • Bk.II,Ch.IX
  • Bk.II,Ch.XI, On the Fruitfulness of Marriages
  • Bk.II,Ch.XII
  • Bk.II,Ch.XIII
  • Bk.III,Ch.I
  • Bk.III,Ch.II
  • Bk.III,Ch.III
  • Bk.III,Ch.IV
  • Bk.III,Ch.V
  • Bk.III,Ch.VI
  • Bk.III,Ch.VII
  • Bk.III,Ch.VIII
  • Bk.III,Ch.IX
  • Bk.III,Ch.X
  • Bk.III,Ch.XI
  • Bk.III,Ch.XII
  • Bk.III,Ch.XIII
  • Bk.III,Ch.XIV
  • Bk.IV,Ch.II
  • Bk.IV,Ch.III
  • Bk.IV,Ch.IV
  • Bk.IV,Ch.VI
  • Bk.IV,Ch.VII
  • Bk.IV,Ch.VIII
  • Bk.IV,Ch.IX
  • Bk.IV,Ch.XI
  • Bk.IV,Ch.XII
  • Bk.IV,Ch.XIII
  • Bk.IV,Ch.XIV
  • Appendix II

Preface to the Second Edition

The Essay on the Principle of Population, which I published in 1798, was suggested, as is expressed in the preface, by a paper in Mr. Godwin’s Inquirer. It was written on the impulse of the occasion, and from the few materials which were then within my reach in a country situation. The only authors from whose writings I had deduced the principle, which formed the main argument of the Essay, were Hume, Wallace, Adam Smith, and Dr. Price; and my object was to apply it, to try the truth of those speculations on the perfectibility of man and society, which at that time excited a considerable portion of the public attention.

In the course of the discussion I was naturally led into some examination of the effects of this principle on the existing state of society. It appeared to account for much of that poverty and misery observable among the lower classes of people in every nation, and for those reiterated failures in the efforts of the higher classes to relieve them. The more I considered the subject in this point of view, the more importance it seemed to acquire; and this consideration, joined to the degree of public attention which the Essay excited, determined me to turn my leisure reading towards an historical examination of the effects of the principle of population on the past and present state of society; that, by illustrating the subject more generally, and drawing those inferences from it, in application to the actual state of things, which experience seemed to warrant, I might give it a more practical and permanent interest.

In the course of this inquiry I found that much more had been done than I had been aware of, when I first published the Essay. The poverty and misery arising from a too rapid increase of population had been distinctly seen, and the most violent remedies proposed, so long ago as the times of Plato and Aristotle. And of late years the subject has been treated in such a manner by some of the French Economists; occasionally by Montesquieu, and, among our own writers, by Dr. Franklin, Sir James Stewart, Mr. Arthur Young, and Mr. Townsend, as to create a natural surprise that it had not excited more of the public attention.

Much, however, remained yet to be done. Independently of the comparison between the increase of population and food, which had not perhaps been stated with sufficient force and precision, some of the most curious and interesting parts of the subject had been either wholly omitted or treated very slightly. Though it had been stated distinctly, that population must always be kept down to the level of the means of subsistence; yet few inquiries had been made into the various modes by which this level is effected; and the principle had never been sufficiently pursued to its consequences, nor had those practical inferences drawn from it, which a strict examination of its effects on society appears to suggest.

These therefore are the points which I have treated most in detail in the following Essay. In its present shape it may be considered as a new work, and I should probably have published it as such, omitting the few parts of the former which I have retained, but that I wished it to form a whole of itself, and not to need a continual reference to the other. On this account I trust that no apology is necessary to the purchasers of the first edition.

To those who either understood the subject before, or saw it distinctly on the perusal of the first edition, I am fearful that I shall appear to have treated some parts of it too much in detail, and to have been guilty of unnecessary repetitions. These faults have arisen partly from want of skill, and partly from intention. In drawing similar inferences from the state of society in a number of different countries, I found it very difficult to avoid some repetitions; and in those parts of the inquiry which led to conclusions different from our usual habits of thinking, it appeared to me that, with the slightest hope of producing conviction, it was necessary to present them to the reader’s mind at different times, and on different occasions. I was willing to sacrifice all pretensions to merit of composition, to the chance of making an impression on a larger class of readers.

The main principle advanced is so incontrovertible, that, if I had confined myself merely to general views, I could have intrenched myself in an impregnable fortress; and the work, in this form, would probably have had a much more masterly air. But such general views, though they may advance the cause of abstract truth, rarely tend to promote any practical good; and I thought that I should not do justice to the subject, and bring it fairly under discussion, if I refused to consider any of the consequences which appeared necessarily to flow from it, whatever these consequences might be. By pursuing this plan, however, I am aware that I have opened a door to many objections, and, probably, to much severity of criticism: but I console myself with the refection, that even the errors into which I may have fallen, by affording a handle to argument, and an additional excitement to examination, may be subservient to the important end of bringing a subject so nearly connected with the happiness of society into more general notice.

Throughout the whole of the present work I have so far differed in principle from the former, as to suppose the action of another check to population which does not come under the head either of vice or misery; and, in the latter part I have endeavoured to soften some of the harshest conclusions of the first Essay. In doing this, I hope that I have not violated the principles of just reasoning; nor expressed any opinion respecting the probable improvement of society, in which I am not borne out by the experience of the past. To those who still think that any check to population whatever would be worse than the evils which it would relieve, the conclusions of the former Essay will remain in full force; and if we adopt this opinion we shall be compelled to acknowledge, that the poverty and misery which prevail among the lower classes of society are absolutely irremediable.

I have taken as much pains as I could to avoid any errors in the facts and calculations which have been produced in the course of the work. Should any of them nevertheless turn out to be false, the reader will see that they will not materially affect the general scope of the reasoning.

From the crowd of materials which presented themselves, in illustration of the first branch of the subject, I dare not flatter myself that I have selected the best, or arranged them in the most perspicuous method. To those who take an interest in moral and political questions, I hope that the novelty and importance of the subject will compensate the imperfections of its execution.

Preface to the Fifth Edition

This Essay was first published at a period of extensive warfare, combined, from peculiar circumstances, with a most prosperous foreign commerce.

It came before the public, therefore, at a time when there would be an extraordinary demand for men, and very little disposition to suppose the possibility of any evil arising from the redundancy of population. Its success, under these disadvantages, was greater than could have been reasonably expected; and it may be presumed that it will not lose its interest, after a period of a different description has succeeded, which has in the most marked manner illustrated its principles, and confirmed its conclusions.

On account, therefore, of the nature of the subject, which, it must be allowed is one of permanent interest, as well as of the attention likely to be directed to it in future, I am bound to correct those errors of my work, of which subsequent experience and information may have convinced me, and to make such additions and alterations as appear calculated to improve it, and promote its utility.

It would have been easy to have added many further historical illustrations of the first part of the subject; but as I was unable to supply the want I once alluded to, of accounts of sufficient accuracy to ascertain what part of the natural power of increase each particular check destroys, it appeared to me that the conclusion which I had before drawn from very ample evidence of the only kind that could be obtained, would hardly receive much additional force by the accumulation of more, precisely of the same description.

In the two first books, therefore, the only additions are a new chapter on France, and one on England, chiefly in reference to facts which have occurred since the publication of the last edition.

In the third book I have given an additional chapter on the Poor-Laws; and as it appeared to me that the chapters on the Agricultural and Commercial Systems, and the Effects of increasing Wealth on the Poor, were not either so well arranged, or so immediately applicable to the main subject, as they ought to be; and as I further wished to make some alterations in the chapter on Bounties upon Exportation, and add something on the subject of Restrictions upon Importation, I have recast and rewritten the chapters which stand the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, in the present edition; and given a new title, and added two or three passages, to the 14th and last chapter of the same book.

In the fourth book I have added a new chapter to the one entitled Effects of the Knowledge of the principal Cause of Poverty on Civil Liberty; and another to the chapter on the Different Plans of improving the Poor; and I have made a considerable addition to the Appendix, in reply to some writers on the Principles of Population, whose works have appeared since the last edition.

These are the principal additions and alterations made in the present edition. They consist, in a considerable degree, of the application of the general principles of the Essay to the present state of things.

For the accommodation of the purchasers of the former editions, these additions and alterations will be published in a separate volume.

Book I, Chapter II.

In my review of the different stages of society, I have been accused of not allowing sufficient weight in the prevention of population to moral restraint; but when the confined sense of the term, which I have here explained, is adverted to, I am fearful that I shall not be found to have erred much in this respect. I should be very glad to believe myself mistaken.

It should be observed, that, by an increase in the means of subsistence, is here meant such an increase as will enable the mass of the society to command more food. An increase might certainly take place, which in the actual state of a particular society would not be distributed to the lower classes, and consequently would give no stimulus to population.

Book I, Chapter III.

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  • Population Explosion Essay

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Essay on Population Explosion

After the Republic of China, India is the most populous country in the world. Presently, India is the second-largest populated country in the world that occupies 2.4% of the world’s land area and represents 17.5% of the world’s population. This means that one out of six people on this planet is an Indian.

It is estimated by the United Nations that India with 1.3 billion inhabitants would surpass China’s population of 1.4 billion by 2024 to become the world’s most populous country. Population Explosion is considered as a threat and burden on the Earth.

What is Population Explosion?

Population Explosion refers to the rapid increase in the number of people in an area. It is a situation where the economy of the country cannot cope up with the rapid growth of the population. Furthermore, in simpler words, it is a situation where the economy cannot provide proper facilities to its people.

Evidently, the largest contributing countries to population explosion are the poorer nations and are termed as developing countries. In India, the state of Uttar Pradesh is the most populated state and Lakshadweep is the least populated. Hence we can say that population explosion is inversely related to the development of that area.

Population Explosion has become the mother of evils in our country because too much population is trapping people in a web of poverty and illiteracy that further escalates the problem. Any time of the day, whether it is a metro station, airport, railway platforms, road, highway bus stop, shopping mall, market, or even a social or religious gathering, there is always a swelling crowd of people in India.

Causes of Population Explosion

The major cause of this population explosion is the difference between the birth rate. The birth rate is the number of individuals born in a population in a given amount of time. The human birth rate is the number of individuals born per year per 1000 in the population. For example, if 35 births occur per year per 1000 individuals, the birth rate is 35 ) .

The death rate is the ratio between deaths and individuals in a particular population during a particular period. In simple words, the incidence of deaths in a given population during a defined time (such as one year) is expressed per 1000 individuals ).

Apart from these, some other factors are partially responsible for population explosion, such as:

A decrease in infant mortality rate (Mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of infants below the age of 6 months.), 

The increase in life expectancy (An estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live). 

Earlier the life expectancy of people was around 55-60 years. Now the average age of a person has increased to 70-75 years.) but due to better and improved medical facilities, we can now increase the life expectancy of people. 

Earlier, there was a balance between the birth and death rate due to limited medical facilities, people dying in wars, and other calamities. According to the 2011 census, the birth rate has actually come down but then the death rate has also declined due to the medical advancements. 

Illiteracy is another cause of an increase in population. Low literacy rate leads to traditional, superstitious, and ignorant people. For example, Kerala has a very high literacy rate and it constitutes only 2.76% of India’s population as compared to Uttar Pradesh having maximum illiteracy rate and forms 16.49% of the population. Educated people are well aware of birth control methods. 

Family planning, welfare programs, and policies have not fetched the desired result. The increase in population is putting tremendous pressure on the limited infrastructure and negating India’s progress.

The superstitious people mainly from rural places think that having a male child would give them prosperity and so there is a considerable pressure on the parents to produce children till a male child is born. This leads to a population explosion. 

Poverty is another main reason for this. Poor people believe that the more people in the family, the more will be the number of persons to earn bread. Hence it contributes to the increase in population. 

Continuous illegal migration of people from neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh is leading to a rise in the population density in India.

Religion sentiment is another cause of the population explosion. Some orthodox communities believe that any mandate or statutory method of prohibition is sacrilegious. It is difficult for India to exercise a check on the religious grounds for its secularism.

Impact Due to Population Explosion

The growth of the population has a major impact on the living standards of people. That is why, despite our incredible progress in the agricultural and industrial spheres, our capita income has not risen appreciably.

Hence given below are some of the major problems which are just because of the population explosion:

Natural Resources of that particular region: Natural resources are materials from the Earth used to support life and meet people’s needs. Hence if there are many people, then there is a high requirement for Natural Resources.

Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as fewer jobs support many people. The rise in unemployment gives rise to crime, such as theft, as people want to feed their families and provide them with basic amenities of life.

High Cost of Living: As the difference between demand and supply continues to expand due to population explosion, it raises the prices of various essential commodities, including food, shelter, and healthcare. It means that people have to pay more to survive and feed their families.

Poverty: Another major issue of population explosion is the increase in poverty as people are unemployed due to a lack of job opportunities and an abundant workforce. 

Illiteracy: Because of unemployment, they cannot provide better education to the coming generation, giving us back population explosion.

Starvation: When resources are scarce, starvation, ill health, and diseases caused by diet deficiency such as rickets become eminent.

Some Major Effects of the High Population are as Follows

The rapidly growing population in India has led to the problem of food scarcity and heavy pressure on land. Even though 60% of its population is engaged in agriculture, yet people do not get even the barely necessary amount of food. 

Generating employment opportunities for such a huge population in India is very difficult. Therefore, illiteracy is growing rapidly every year. 

Development of infrastructural facilities is not able to cope up with the pace of growing population. So facilities like transportation, communication, housing, education, and healthcare are becoming inadequate to provide provision to the people.

The increasing population leads to unequal distribution of income and inequalities among the people widened.

Unmanageable population size may lead to the failure of the government to provide the basic facilities to the people. 

Economic development is slow in a country where the population is growing at a very fast rate. This also leads to low capital formation. 

Ignorance, illiteracy, unhygienic living conditions, and lack of recreation have always been the cause of population problems in India. 

Rapid growth in population is also an indication of the wastage of natural resources.

Preventive Measures

To tackle this problem, the government needs to take corrective measures. The entire development of the country depends on how effectively the population explosion is stemmed. 

The government and various NGOs should raise awareness about family planning and welfare. Hoardings with slogans like “Hum do, humare do” and “Chota Parivar, Sukhi Parivar” should be put up in hospitals and other public places. These slogans mean that a small family is a happy family and two children for two parents. The awareness about the use of contraceptive pills and family planning methods should be generated. 

The health care centres should help the poor people with the free distribution of contraceptives and encourage the control of the number of children. 

The government should come forward to empower women and improve the status of women and girls. People in rural places should be educated and modern amenities should be provided for recreation.

So we can summarise the topic by stating that population explosion is a term used to state the rapid growth of people in a particular area. It is because of lack of education, illiteracy, lack of proper knowledge of sex education, rituals, and superstition in the country’s most populated area. 

Overpopulation results in a lack of development and exploitation of resources, whereas India’s strength in the global world in various fields cannot be ignored. By raising public awareness and enlisting strict population control norms, India will be able to tackle this issue.

It doesn’t mean that will happen very quickly and without any effort. It will take time because India constitutes one of the huge countries of about 138 Crore (2020) people. Proper, effective, and steady steps will lead India to a greater good.

 It helps the country control the population explosion and also helps to provide good results in several other things like the good environment, abundant natural resources, proper employment, proper literacy rate with high growth in development, etc.

All this could be possible if we take some measures and be good citizens of this country. So that is how we can overcome this issue of population explosion.

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FAQs on Population Explosion Essay

1) What is Population Explosion?

Population Explosion refers to a rapid increase in people in a particular area. Occurring due to reasons like increased birth in the area, decreased mortality rate, and inflow of residents, population explosion may lead to shortage of resources, negatively affecting the development of the area.

2) How is the birth rate related to population explosion?

Birth rate is directly proportional to population explosion because of people’s lack of knowledge and literacy. Most common in poor families, where more children means more means of income, increased birth rate gradually results in a population explosion.

3) What are the measures to avoid population explosion?

Better education (specially for girl child), creating awareness of family planning, providing proper knowledge of Sex Education, etc. can be some solutions to tackle the issue.

4) What is the difference between death rate and infant mortality rate?

The ratio between deaths and individuals in a particular population during a particular period is the death rate, whereas the infant mortality rate refers to the number of infants below 6 months who died within the same period.

5) What are the major reasons for the population explosion?

The major factors responsible for population explosion are illiteracy, reduced mortality, increased birth rate, and life expectancy.

Population Explosion Essay

500+ words population explosion essay.

Population explosion means a sudden increase in the number of individuals in a particular species. The term is used to refer to the world’s human population. In India, the Population explosion has become a severe matter of concern because the increase in population leads to poverty and illiteracy. In this situation, it is difficult to cope with the economy of the country with the rapid growth of the population. The Government of India is now looking into the matter seriously, and many states have framed laws to tackle the problem of population explosion.

Major Causes of Population Explosion

1. increase in birth rate.

One of the major causes for the growth of the population is the high birth rate. During the 1891-1990 period, the birth rate declined from 45.8 per thousand in India, but it is still considered high. So, unfortunately, in India, the birth rate has not seen a decrease in spite of the framing laws in terms of family planning, population education, campaigns, etc.

2. Decrease in Death Rate

In recent years, the decrease in the death rate has been another factor contributing to the rapid growth of the population. In 2001, the death rate in India was about 8.5 per thousand. The death rate has seen a decrease due to advancements in the medical field. For example, chronic diseases like typhoid, chickenpox, etc., are no longer dreaded. Even the infant mortality rate has decreased because of proper sanitation facilities, cleanliness, and better prenatal and postnatal care.

3. Early Marriage

Early marriage is also an essential factor in the rapid increase in population. In India, the marriage age of a girl is 18, which is very low compared to other countries, which is about 23 to 25 years. It leads to a longer span of reproductive activity.

4. Religious and Social Reasons

In India, marriage is considered a compulsory social institution, and every person should marry. Every individual in a joint family takes equal responsibility and has access to an equivalent level of consumption. So, people don’t hesitate to increase their family size to a joint family. In India, most people think that one male child is necessary, and in the expectation of getting a male child, they increase their family size.

Another major cause of the population explosion is poverty. In most families, children become the source of income. From a very young age, children start working for their families instead of going to school, and they become a precious asset to the family. So, every individual becomes an earning member and additional income for the family.

6. Standard of Living

It is seen that people with a low standard of living wish to have additional children as it will be an asset for them rather than a liability. As we know, most of India’s population is uneducated, so they don’t understand the importance of family planning. They are unaware that they can enjoy a better quality of life with a small family.

7. Illiteracy

In India, 60% of the population is either illiterate or has minimum education, which leads to minimal employment opportunities. So, due to the high illiteracy rate and belief in social customs, child marriage and preference for a male child still prevail. As a result, there is a rapid population growth rate in India.

Effects of Population Explosion

1. the problem of unemployment.

An increase in population leads to a vast army of the labour force. But, it is difficult to employ such extensive labour working force due to a shortage of capital resources. Disguised unemployment in rural areas and open unemployment in urban areas are fundamental features of an underdeveloped country like India.

2. More Pressure on Land

Overpopulation creates more pressure on land. It adversely affects the economic development of the country. On the one hand, per capita availability of land goes on diminishing and on the other, the problem of subdivision and fragmentation of holdings increases.

3. Environmental Degradation

Extensive use of natural resources and energy production of oil, natural gas, and coal negatively impacts the planet. An increase in population also leads to deforestation, which directly affects the environment, and it also degrades the soil’s nutritional value and causes landslides and global warming.

So, at last, we can wrap up the essay by stating that overpopulation is considered one of the biggest challenges humanity faces.

Students can also get different essays by visiting BYJU’S website. We have compiled a list of crucial CBSE Essays from an exam perspective.

Frequently Asked Questions on Population Explosion Essay

How can population explosion be controlled.

Awareness campaigns on childbirth control and the gap between consecutive children should reach the common public. It is necessary to take such initiatives to keep the population of a country in control.

Which country has the highest population?

China is a country with a maximum population of about 1.448 billion citizens.

How is the younger generation affected due to this population explosion?

The resources which are meant exclusively for the younger generation get split and are divided due to the population explosion of a country.

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The Aging Population Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Challenges posed by an aging population, impacts on labour, impacts on government spending, impact of an aging population on healthcare, government measures, benefits of an aging population.

There has been a general trend of increase in the life expectancy of the population of many countries. This has been brought about by the governments taking measures to improve the quality of healthcare. Diseases which used to kill people in large numbers are now much more reduced; thus, the reduced mortality may be a factor that contributes to the increase in the proportion of the aged group.

However, there has also been reduced fertility of the people who live in most developed countries. Though in most developing countries the fertility rate is still high, these countries are expected to experience reduced fertility rates gradually until they reach a point where most of the population will comprise of mainly the aged.

Improvement in the healthcare systems of developing nations also leads to reduced mortality, thereby making the aged to comprise a sizeable population of the nations. However, increase in the aged population creates many economic and social conditions which government must be able to anticipate and devise mechanisms to help solve the issues.

The aging population poses many different challenges. Here we discuss the challenges posed by an aging population with four perspectives in mind.

  • Impacts on healthcare

The increase in the proportion of the people who are old leads to a decrease of the number of people who are within the working age. This greatly affects the labour market of the concerned countries. Generally, the working age is approximately 15-64 years; and as the ratio of the aged population increases, the number of people who are retiring increases. However, the number of people who join employment to fill the vacancy left by the retired people is less than the number of people who have left employment.

This decline is due to the low fertility rates of the population (Groshen and Kliitgaard, 2002, p 2). This leads to a reduction of the workforce which is available to for economic development. Another important dimension to the problem is the fact that since most of the workforce is occupied by the aged leads to reduced output. This reduced output of the workers ultimately leads to reduced economic growth

The aged population does not normally work for the government; they mainly depend on the social services provided by the government. These social services provided by the government are mainly the social security services and pension schemes as well as medical insurance cover targeting mainly the old population.

The pension given to the old is normally funded by the people who are in active employment; that is, the contribution that the working population makes to the scheme is used to pay the benefits of the retired people, a system known as the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG). Therefore, reduction in the number of people who join employment leads to a reduction in the funds available to cater for pension fund payments.

Given that the proportion of people who are leaving employment through retirement is expected to increase greatly especially when the population which was born during the baby boom (1946-1964) reaches the retirement age (Zaidi, 2008, p 7), the government would be forced to look for funds from alternative sources. Therefore, the increased ageing increases the number of people who depend on the government to cater for expenses.

Medical insurance provided for the old is mainly categorized into two groups; Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is specifically designed to help the provision of healthcare to people who are 65 years and above, and covers the cost of in-patient healthcare. Medicaid covers medical expenses of the poor regardless of whether they are aged or not.

It mainly covers for long-term and severe ailments of them. However, the main burden of the government due to Medicaid is the fact that most of the citizens in the middle-class do not have a sizeable saving to protect them from any health eventuality when they are old. These people will use all their assets in case of any eventuality, making them to qualify for Medicaid and leading them to be admitted into nursing homes.

However the increase in the cost of social insurance for the aged specifically medicare an medicaid has attracted so much political debate with the government being urged to curtail the increase so as to reduce the financial burden of the policies.

The aged people are usually faced with many ailments due to reduced ability of the body to fight against certain diseases. The diseases of old age are mainly due to the physiological and psychological changes which have occurred over time. These diseases include depression and certain types of cancer, among others; therefore, these people will occupy more bed space in hospitals. In addition, the aged population requires specialized care and hence more attention to be provided by the nurse or doctor.

Increase in the population of this people will therefore demand the deployment of more doctors and nurses in the hospitals; however, some of the aged people can be taken care of in nursing homes for the elderly. But due to the shortage of nursing homes, these people end up being hospitalized; leading to overstretching of the available facilities (Willis, 2008, p 26) .This increases the government spending on healthcare issues if it does not take appropriate measures.

Nevertheless, increase in the government spending in order to meet financial obligation posed by the increased aged population will lead to increased government debt if the government does not take effective measures to avert the problem.

In order to address the problem of reduced workforce due to an aging population, most governments enacted policies which encourage people to work longer. This measure will help in increasing the number of people who retire late and thereby help in reducing the government’s financial obligations towards the old (Groshen and Kliitgaard 2002 p 3). Moreover, increased dependency also makes the government to increase taxes so as to cater for its financial obligations towards the old.

The government has set up measures to ensure that the aged continue to enjoy quality lifestyles even after retirement. These measures include setting up Medicaid, Medicare, Disability, Welfare and Supplemental Security Income.

Due to the extra financial burden of meeting the cost of social security of people, the government has proposed an increase in the age that the social security fund can be fully accessed. This reduces the term that a person will receive the benefits, thereby reducing the money that the government spends on social security (Aaron and Orszag, n.d).

Most governments have devised methods to reduce the money paid to the old as social security. This may be in the form of changing the methods used to increase the social security of the old so as to protect them from the effects of inflation. Some governments have also increased the retirement age so that people work longer, hence reducing the dependency on the government’s social welfare services.

The governments have also devised methods of improving the fertility rates so as to counter the challenge of reduced labour force posed by increase in old age population. The government does so in various ways; for instance, the government may give cash bonuses to encourage people to have more children, as well as encouraging immigration. These immigrants should be young than the mean age of the current population, who will be able to enhance the existing workforce (Foot, 2008, p 3).

Despite the fact that the aging population poses real economic problems to the government, the impacts of an aging population are somehow exaggerated. The aging population may indeed be of benefit to the government if government is able to cope properly with the problems and put appropriate measures.

The older generation who are richer than the rest of the community can get involved in community voluntary activities hence helping in improving the quality of life of the society. In addition, older generation people are also more law abiding than the young people; therefore, the increase in the population will lead to reduced crime as the older generation does not get involved in crime per se (Quadagno, 2010)

Due to the fact that an older generation leads to general reduction in population, the presence of a large proportion helps to combat high population growth and hence reduce the effects of uncontrolled population growth. There will be a reduction in the problems of poor housing due to overcrowding as the aged population will be able to afford decent housing.

This will have reduced impact of the problems that overcrowding causes on the environment. Moreover the aged population is also likely to get involved in voluntary activities some of which may be of benefit to the environment (Quadagno, 2010)

Lack of enough manpower in the labour market is also likely to lead to a reduction in the levels of unemployment and hence reduces the problems associated with unemployment. These include the reduction of poverty levels and crime associated with unemployed population. The increase in the aged population may also lead to reduced government spending on education, a major expense of that the government always foots (Quadagno, 2010).

The economic recession made governments to think of ways to cut back on their spending pattern. Therefore, since increase in ageing population increases the financial burden of the government, the government must devise appropriate mechanisms to deal with the problem.

Moreover, if the government properly understands the problems, it can be able to turn around the phenomenon so that it may be of more benefit to the whole nation. This is mainly through the enactment of proper legislation to help cope with the risks posed by the problems. Moreover, the most effective way of combating the problem would be through the gradual increase in the retirement age of the workforce to cope with the problem.

Aaron, H. J. and Orszag, P. R. (N.d). The impact of an aging population. Web.

Foot, D. K. (2008). Some economic and social consequences of population ageing . Web.

Groshen, L. E. and Kliitgaard, T. (2002). Live long and prosper: challenges ahead for an aging population . Current issues in economics and finance , Vol. 8, No. 2. Web.

Quadagno, J. (2011). Aging and the life course: An introduction to social gerontology. Boston: MA: McGraw-Hill.

Willis, E. and Reynolds, L. (2008). Understanding the Australian Health Care System. NSW: Elsevier.

Zaidi, A. (2008). Features and challenges of population ageing: the European perspective. Web.

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Essay on Population Problem in India

Students are often asked to write an essay on Population Problem in India in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Population Problem in India

Introduction.

India, the second most populous country globally, faces significant challenges due to its growing population. It’s a matter of concern as it affects the nation’s development.

Reasons for Population Growth

The main reasons for population growth in India include high fertility rates, decreased mortality rates, and migration. Lack of education and awareness about family planning also contributes to population growth.

Impacts of Overpopulation

Overpopulation in India leads to poverty, unemployment, and scarcity of resources. It also puts pressure on infrastructure, leading to issues like overcrowding and inadequate healthcare.

Solutions to Population Problem

To control the population, the government should focus on improving education, promoting family planning, and implementing effective policies. Public awareness is also crucial to address this issue.

250 Words Essay on Population Problem in India

India, the second most populous country in the world, is grappling with a significant population problem. The rapid population growth, with an estimated 1.3 billion people, has become a cause for concern due to its implications on various socio-economic aspects.

The population explosion in India can be attributed to several factors. The primary reason is the high fertility rate, fueled by societal norms that value larger families. Additionally, lack of education and awareness about family planning methods, especially in rural areas, has contributed to the surge in population.

Implications

The burgeoning population has myriad implications. It exerts immense pressure on limited resources, leading to scarcity and unequal distribution. It also poses challenges to the government’s efforts in providing adequate healthcare, education, and employment opportunities, thus exacerbating poverty and inequality.

Way Forward

Addressing India’s population problem requires a multi-pronged approach. Firstly, emphasis should be placed on education, particularly women’s education, as it is directly linked to lower fertility rates. Secondly, the government should ramp up efforts to increase awareness and accessibility of family planning methods. Lastly, policies should aim at equitable distribution of resources to mitigate the adverse effects of overpopulation.

In conclusion, the population problem in India is a pressing issue that needs immediate attention. By focusing on education, family planning, and equitable resource distribution, India can effectively manage this challenge and ensure sustainable development for its citizens.

500 Words Essay on Population Problem in India

India, the second most populous country in the world, is facing a significant population problem. As per the latest census, the population of India is over 1.3 billion, accounting for almost 18% of the world’s population. This massive population has both positive and negative implications, but the negatives seem to outweigh the positives due to the strain on resources and infrastructure.

The Population Explosion and its Implications

The population explosion in India is primarily due to high fertility rates and improvements in healthcare leading to lower mortality rates. This exponential growth has resulted in numerous challenges. The most pressing issue is the strain on resources. With a burgeoning population, the demand for resources such as water, food, and energy has increased manifold. This has led to overexploitation, resulting in environmental degradation.

Moreover, the infrastructure in India, whether it’s housing, transportation, or sanitation, is not equipped to handle such a massive population. This has resulted in overcrowded cities, slums, traffic congestion, and inadequate sanitation facilities, affecting the quality of life.

Population and Economic Implications

From an economic perspective, the population problem has resulted in unemployment and underemployment. Despite being one of the fastest-growing economies, India struggles with job creation. The current job market cannot absorb the millions entering the workforce every year, leading to high unemployment rates.

Furthermore, a large population means a higher dependency ratio, with more people dependent on the working-age population. This puts pressure on the working population and can lead to lower savings and investment, hindering economic growth.

The Education and Health Conundrum

Education and health are two critical areas impacted by the population problem. Despite significant strides in improving literacy rates, the education system struggles to keep up with the population growth. Overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching resources, and poor quality of education are common issues.

Similarly, the health sector is under immense pressure. The doctor-patient ratio is far from ideal, leading to inadequate healthcare services. Moreover, the high population density facilitates the rapid spread of diseases, posing a significant public health challenge.

Conclusion: The Way Forward

Addressing the population problem in India requires a multi-pronged approach. Family planning initiatives need to be strengthened, with a focus on educating people about the benefits of small families. Efforts should be directed towards improving healthcare and education, as they play a crucial role in population control.

Moreover, economic policies should aim at job creation to absorb the growing workforce. Lastly, a sustainable approach to resource utilization is needed to prevent overexploitation and ensure future generations’ well-being.

In conclusion, while the population problem in India is a significant challenge, it is not insurmountable. With effective policies, public awareness, and sustainable practices, India can turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth and development.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Why the Pandemic Probably Started in a Lab, in 5 Key Points

write an essay on population

By Alina Chan

Dr. Chan is a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, and a co-author of “Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19.”

This article has been updated to reflect news developments.

On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci returned to the halls of Congress and testified before the House subcommittee investigating the Covid-19 pandemic. He was questioned about several topics related to the government’s handling of Covid-19, including how the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he directed until retiring in 2022, supported risky virus work at a Chinese institute whose research may have caused the pandemic.

For more than four years, reflexive partisan politics have derailed the search for the truth about a catastrophe that has touched us all. It has been estimated that at least 25 million people around the world have died because of Covid-19, with over a million of those deaths in the United States.

Although how the pandemic started has been hotly debated, a growing volume of evidence — gleaned from public records released under the Freedom of Information Act, digital sleuthing through online databases, scientific papers analyzing the virus and its spread, and leaks from within the U.S. government — suggests that the pandemic most likely occurred because a virus escaped from a research lab in Wuhan, China. If so, it would be the most costly accident in the history of science.

Here’s what we now know:

1 The SARS-like virus that caused the pandemic emerged in Wuhan, the city where the world’s foremost research lab for SARS-like viruses is located.

  • At the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a team of scientists had been hunting for SARS-like viruses for over a decade, led by Shi Zhengli.
  • Their research showed that the viruses most similar to SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that caused the pandemic, circulate in bats that live r oughly 1,000 miles away from Wuhan. Scientists from Dr. Shi’s team traveled repeatedly to Yunnan province to collect these viruses and had expanded their search to Southeast Asia. Bats in other parts of China have not been found to carry viruses that are as closely related to SARS-CoV-2.

write an essay on population

The closest known relatives to SARS-CoV-2 were found in southwestern China and in Laos.

Large cities

Mine in Yunnan province

Cave in Laos

South China Sea

write an essay on population

The closest known relatives to SARS-CoV-2

were found in southwestern China and in Laos.

philippines

write an essay on population

The closest known relatives to SARS-CoV-2 were found

in southwestern China and Laos.

Sources: Sarah Temmam et al., Nature; SimpleMaps

Note: Cities shown have a population of at least 200,000.

write an essay on population

There are hundreds of large cities in China and Southeast Asia.

write an essay on population

There are hundreds of large cities in China

and Southeast Asia.

write an essay on population

The pandemic started roughly 1,000 miles away, in Wuhan, home to the world’s foremost SARS-like virus research lab.

write an essay on population

The pandemic started roughly 1,000 miles away,

in Wuhan, home to the world’s foremost SARS-like virus research lab.

write an essay on population

The pandemic started roughly 1,000 miles away, in Wuhan,

home to the world’s foremost SARS-like virus research lab.

  • Even at hot spots where these viruses exist naturally near the cave bats of southwestern China and Southeast Asia, the scientists argued, as recently as 2019 , that bat coronavirus spillover into humans is rare .
  • When the Covid-19 outbreak was detected, Dr. Shi initially wondered if the novel coronavirus had come from her laboratory , saying she had never expected such an outbreak to occur in Wuhan.
  • The SARS‑CoV‑2 virus is exceptionally contagious and can jump from species to species like wildfire . Yet it left no known trace of infection at its source or anywhere along what would have been a thousand-mile journey before emerging in Wuhan.

2 The year before the outbreak, the Wuhan institute, working with U.S. partners, had proposed creating viruses with SARS‑CoV‑2’s defining feature.

  • Dr. Shi’s group was fascinated by how coronaviruses jump from species to species. To find viruses, they took samples from bats and other animals , as well as from sick people living near animals carrying these viruses or associated with the wildlife trade. Much of this work was conducted in partnership with the EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S.-based scientific organization that, since 2002, has been awarded over $80 million in federal funding to research the risks of emerging infectious diseases.
  • The laboratory pursued risky research that resulted in viruses becoming more infectious : Coronaviruses were grown from samples from infected animals and genetically reconstructed and recombined to create new viruses unknown in nature. These new viruses were passed through cells from bats, pigs, primates and humans and were used to infect civets and humanized mice (mice modified with human genes). In essence, this process forced these viruses to adapt to new host species, and the viruses with mutations that allowed them to thrive emerged as victors.
  • By 2019, Dr. Shi’s group had published a database describing more than 22,000 collected wildlife samples. But external access was shut off in the fall of 2019, and the database was not shared with American collaborators even after the pandemic started , when such a rich virus collection would have been most useful in tracking the origin of SARS‑CoV‑2. It remains unclear whether the Wuhan institute possessed a precursor of the pandemic virus.
  • In 2021, The Intercept published a leaked 2018 grant proposal for a research project named Defuse , which had been written as a collaboration between EcoHealth, the Wuhan institute and Ralph Baric at the University of North Carolina, who had been on the cutting edge of coronavirus research for years. The proposal described plans to create viruses strikingly similar to SARS‑CoV‑2.
  • Coronaviruses bear their name because their surface is studded with protein spikes, like a spiky crown, which they use to enter animal cells. T he Defuse project proposed to search for and create SARS-like viruses carrying spikes with a unique feature: a furin cleavage site — the same feature that enhances SARS‑CoV‑2’s infectiousness in humans, making it capable of causing a pandemic. Defuse was never funded by the United States . However, in his testimony on Monday, Dr. Fauci explained that the Wuhan institute would not need to rely on U.S. funding to pursue research independently.

write an essay on population

The Wuhan lab ran risky experiments to learn about how SARS-like viruses might infect humans.

1. Collect SARS-like viruses from bats and other wild animals, as well as from people exposed to them.

write an essay on population

2. Identify high-risk viruses by screening for spike proteins that facilitate infection of human cells.

write an essay on population

2. Identify high-risk viruses by screening for spike proteins that facilitate infection of

human cells.

write an essay on population

In Defuse, the scientists proposed to add a furin cleavage site to the spike protein.

3. Create new coronaviruses by inserting spike proteins or other features that could make the viruses more infectious in humans.

write an essay on population

4. Infect human cells, civets and humanized mice with the new coronaviruses, to determine how dangerous they might be.

write an essay on population

  • While it’s possible that the furin cleavage site could have evolved naturally (as seen in some distantly related coronaviruses), out of the hundreds of SARS-like viruses cataloged by scientists, SARS‑CoV‑2 is the only one known to possess a furin cleavage site in its spike. And the genetic data suggest that the virus had only recently gained the furin cleavage site before it started the pandemic.
  • Ultimately, a never-before-seen SARS-like virus with a newly introduced furin cleavage site, matching the description in the Wuhan institute’s Defuse proposal, caused an outbreak in Wuhan less than two years after the proposal was drafted.
  • When the Wuhan scientists published their seminal paper about Covid-19 as the pandemic roared to life in 2020, they did not mention the virus’s furin cleavage site — a feature they should have been on the lookout for, according to their own grant proposal, and a feature quickly recognized by other scientists.
  • Worse still, as the pandemic raged, their American collaborators failed to publicly reveal the existence of the Defuse proposal. The president of EcoHealth, Peter Daszak, recently admitted to Congress that he doesn’t know about virus samples collected by the Wuhan institute after 2015 and never asked the lab’s scientists if they had started the work described in Defuse. In May, citing failures in EcoHealth’s monitoring of risky experiments conducted at the Wuhan lab, the Biden administration suspended all federal funding for the organization and Dr. Daszak, and initiated proceedings to bar them from receiving future grants. In his testimony on Monday, Dr. Fauci said that he supported the decision to suspend and bar EcoHealth.
  • Separately, Dr. Baric described the competitive dynamic between his research group and the institute when he told Congress that the Wuhan scientists would probably not have shared their most interesting newly discovered viruses with him . Documents and email correspondence between the institute and Dr. Baric are still being withheld from the public while their release is fiercely contested in litigation.
  • In the end, American partners very likely knew of only a fraction of the research done in Wuhan. According to U.S. intelligence sources, some of the institute’s virus research was classified or conducted with or on behalf of the Chinese military . In the congressional hearing on Monday, Dr. Fauci repeatedly acknowledged the lack of visibility into experiments conducted at the Wuhan institute, saying, “None of us can know everything that’s going on in China, or in Wuhan, or what have you. And that’s the reason why — I say today, and I’ve said at the T.I.,” referring to his transcribed interview with the subcommittee, “I keep an open mind as to what the origin is.”

3 The Wuhan lab pursued this type of work under low biosafety conditions that could not have contained an airborne virus as infectious as SARS‑CoV‑2.

  • Labs working with live viruses generally operate at one of four biosafety levels (known in ascending order of stringency as BSL-1, 2, 3 and 4) that describe the work practices that are considered sufficiently safe depending on the characteristics of each pathogen. The Wuhan institute’s scientists worked with SARS-like viruses under inappropriately low biosafety conditions .

write an essay on population

In the United States, virologists generally use stricter Biosafety Level 3 protocols when working with SARS-like viruses.

Biosafety cabinets prevent

viral particles from escaping.

Viral particles

Personal respirators provide

a second layer of defense against breathing in the virus.

DIRECT CONTACT

Gloves prevent skin contact.

Disposable wraparound

gowns cover much of the rest of the body.

write an essay on population

Personal respirators provide a second layer of defense against breathing in the virus.

Disposable wraparound gowns

cover much of the rest of the body.

Note: ​​Biosafety levels are not internationally standardized, and some countries use more permissive protocols than others.

write an essay on population

The Wuhan lab had been regularly working with SARS-like viruses under Biosafety Level 2 conditions, which could not prevent a highly infectious virus like SARS-CoV-2 from escaping.

Some work is done in the open air, and masks are not required.

Less protective equipment provides more opportunities

for contamination.

write an essay on population

Some work is done in the open air,

and masks are not required.

Less protective equipment provides more opportunities for contamination.

  • In one experiment, Dr. Shi’s group genetically engineered an unexpectedly deadly SARS-like virus (not closely related to SARS‑CoV‑2) that exhibited a 10,000-fold increase in the quantity of virus in the lungs and brains of humanized mice . Wuhan institute scientists handled these live viruses at low biosafet y levels , including BSL-2.
  • Even the much more stringent containment at BSL-3 cannot fully prevent SARS‑CoV‑2 from escaping . Two years into the pandemic, the virus infected a scientist in a BSL-3 laboratory in Taiwan, which was, at the time, a zero-Covid country. The scientist had been vaccinated and was tested only after losing the sense of smell. By then, more than 100 close contacts had been exposed. Human error is a source of exposure even at the highest biosafety levels , and the risks are much greater for scientists working with infectious pathogens at low biosafety.
  • An early draft of the Defuse proposal stated that the Wuhan lab would do their virus work at BSL-2 to make it “highly cost-effective.” Dr. Baric added a note to the draft highlighting the importance of using BSL-3 to contain SARS-like viruses that could infect human cells, writing that “U.S. researchers will likely freak out.” Years later, after SARS‑CoV‑2 had killed millions, Dr. Baric wrote to Dr. Daszak : “I have no doubt that they followed state determined rules and did the work under BSL-2. Yes China has the right to set their own policy. You believe this was appropriate containment if you want but don’t expect me to believe it. Moreover, don’t insult my intelligence by trying to feed me this load of BS.”
  • SARS‑CoV‑2 is a stealthy virus that transmits effectively through the air, causes a range of symptoms similar to those of other common respiratory diseases and can be spread by infected people before symptoms even appear. If the virus had escaped from a BSL-2 laboratory in 2019, the leak most likely would have gone undetected until too late.
  • One alarming detail — leaked to The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by current and former U.S. government officials — is that scientists on Dr. Shi’s team fell ill with Covid-like symptoms in the fall of 2019 . One of the scientists had been named in the Defuse proposal as the person in charge of virus discovery work. The scientists denied having been sick .

4 The hypothesis that Covid-19 came from an animal at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan is not supported by strong evidence.

  • In December 2019, Chinese investigators assumed the outbreak had started at a centrally located market frequented by thousands of visitors daily. This bias in their search for early cases meant that cases unlinked to or located far away from the market would very likely have been missed. To make things worse, the Chinese authorities blocked the reporting of early cases not linked to the market and, claiming biosafety precautions, ordered the destruction of patient samples on January 3, 2020, making it nearly impossible to see the complete picture of the earliest Covid-19 cases. Information about dozens of early cases from November and December 2019 remains inaccessible.
  • A pair of papers published in Science in 2022 made the best case for SARS‑CoV‑2 having emerged naturally from human-animal contact at the Wuhan market by focusing on a map of the early cases and asserting that the virus had jumped from animals into humans twice at the market in 2019. More recently, the two papers have been countered by other virologists and scientists who convincingly demonstrate that the available market evidence does not distinguish between a human superspreader event and a natural spillover at the market.
  • Furthermore, the existing genetic and early case data show that all known Covid-19 cases probably stem from a single introduction of SARS‑CoV‑2 into people, and the outbreak at the Wuhan market probably happened after the virus had already been circulating in humans.

write an essay on population

An analysis of SARS-CoV-2’s evolutionary tree shows how the virus evolved as it started to spread through humans.

SARS-COV-2 Viruses closest

to bat coronaviruses

more mutations

write an essay on population

Source: Lv et al., Virus Evolution (2024) , as reproduced by Jesse Bloom

write an essay on population

The viruses that infected people linked to the market were most likely not the earliest form of the virus that started the pandemic.

write an essay on population

  • Not a single infected animal has ever been confirmed at the market or in its supply chain. Without good evidence that the pandemic started at the Huanan Seafood Market, the fact that the virus emerged in Wuhan points squarely at its unique SARS-like virus laboratory.

5 Key evidence that would be expected if the virus had emerged from the wildlife trade is still missing.

write an essay on population

In previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, scientists were able to demonstrate natural origin by collecting multiple pieces of evidence linking infected humans to infected animals.

Infected animals

Earliest known

cases exposed to

live animals

Antibody evidence

of animals and

animal traders having

been infected

Ancestral variants

of the virus found in

Documented trade

of host animals

between the area

where bats carry

closely related viruses

and the outbreak site

write an essay on population

Infected animals found

Earliest known cases exposed to live animals

Antibody evidence of animals and animal

traders having been infected

Ancestral variants of the virus found in animals

Documented trade of host animals

between the area where bats carry closely

related viruses and the outbreak site

write an essay on population

For SARS-CoV-2, these same key pieces of evidence are still missing , more than four years after the virus emerged.

write an essay on population

For SARS-CoV-2, these same key pieces of evidence are still missing ,

more than four years after the virus emerged.

  • Despite the intense search trained on the animal trade and people linked to the market, investigators have not reported finding any animals infected with SARS‑CoV‑2 that had not been infected by humans. Yet, infected animal sources and other connective pieces of evidence were found for the earlier SARS and MERS outbreaks as quickly as within a few days, despite the less advanced viral forensic technologies of two decades ago.
  • Even though Wuhan is the home base of virus hunters with world-leading expertise in tracking novel SARS-like viruses, investigators have either failed to collect or report key evidence that would be expected if Covid-19 emerged from the wildlife trade . For example, investigators have not determined that the earliest known cases had exposure to intermediate host animals before falling ill. No antibody evidence shows that animal traders in Wuhan are regularly exposed to SARS-like viruses, as would be expected in such situations.
  • With today’s technology, scientists can detect how respiratory viruses — including SARS, MERS and the flu — circulate in animals while making repeated attempts to jump across species . Thankfully, these variants usually fail to transmit well after crossing over to a new species and tend to die off after a small number of infections. In contrast, virologists and other scientists agree that SARS‑CoV‑2 required little to no adaptation to spread rapidly in humans and other animals . The virus appears to have succeeded in causing a pandemic upon its only detected jump into humans.

The pandemic could have been caused by any of hundreds of virus species, at any of tens of thousands of wildlife markets, in any of thousands of cities, and in any year. But it was a SARS-like coronavirus with a unique furin cleavage site that emerged in Wuhan, less than two years after scientists, sometimes working under inadequate biosafety conditions, proposed collecting and creating viruses of that same design.

While several natural spillover scenarios remain plausible, and we still don’t know enough about the full extent of virus research conducted at the Wuhan institute by Dr. Shi’s team and other researchers, a laboratory accident is the most parsimonious explanation of how the pandemic began.

Given what we now know, investigators should follow their strongest leads and subpoena all exchanges between the Wuhan scientists and their international partners, including unpublished research proposals, manuscripts, data and commercial orders. In particular, exchanges from 2018 and 2019 — the critical two years before the emergence of Covid-19 — are very likely to be illuminating (and require no cooperation from the Chinese government to acquire), yet they remain beyond the public’s view more than four years after the pandemic began.

Whether the pandemic started on a lab bench or in a market stall, it is undeniable that U.S. federal funding helped to build an unprecedented collection of SARS-like viruses at the Wuhan institute, as well as contributing to research that enhanced them . Advocates and funders of the institute’s research, including Dr. Fauci, should cooperate with the investigation to help identify and close the loopholes that allowed such dangerous work to occur. The world must not continue to bear the intolerable risks of research with the potential to cause pandemics .

A successful investigation of the pandemic’s root cause would have the power to break a decades-long scientific impasse on pathogen research safety, determining how governments will spend billions of dollars to prevent future pandemics. A credible investigation would also deter future acts of negligence and deceit by demonstrating that it is indeed possible to be held accountable for causing a viral pandemic. Last but not least, people of all nations need to see their leaders — and especially, their scientists — heading the charge to find out what caused this world-shaking event. Restoring public trust in science and government leadership requires it.

A thorough investigation by the U.S. government could unearth more evidence while spurring whistleblowers to find their courage and seek their moment of opportunity. It would also show the world that U.S. leaders and scientists are not afraid of what the truth behind the pandemic may be.

More on how the pandemic may have started

write an essay on population

Where Did the Coronavirus Come From? What We Already Know Is Troubling.

Even if the coronavirus did not emerge from a lab, the groundwork for a potential disaster had been laid for years, and learning its lessons is essential to preventing others.

By Zeynep Tufekci

write an essay on population

Why Does Bad Science on Covid’s Origin Get Hyped?

If the raccoon dog was a smoking gun, it fired blanks.

By David Wallace-Wells

write an essay on population

A Plea for Making Virus Research Safer

A way forward for lab safety.

By Jesse Bloom

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Alina Chan ( @ayjchan ) is a molecular biologist at the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, and a co-author of “ Viral : The Search for the Origin of Covid-19.” She was a member of the Pathogens Project , which the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists organized to generate new thinking on responsible, high-risk pathogen research.

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NIH Announces Winners of 2023-2024 High School Mental Health Essay Contest

May 31, 2024 • Institute Update

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pleased to announce the winners of the  2024 Speaking Up About Mental Health    essay contest. Out of more than 370 submissions across 33 states, NIH awarded 24 youth (ages 16-18) finalists with gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention prizes.

Supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the  Eunice Kennedy Shriver  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the essay contest invited youth to address mental health and reduce mental health stigma that young people may face when seeking mental health treatment.

The winning essays addressed complicated topics such as stigma, trauma, resilience, equity, anxiety, and more. Teens also wrote about specific ideas for improving well-being, such as broader access to leisure sports, reducing time spent on social media, and normalizing mental health treatment and care.

NIH awarded a total of $15,000 in cash prizes to gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention recipients. Read the winning essays at  nimhd.nih.gov/EssayContest   .

Gold winners

  • Max, California - Tenacity Through Tumultuousness
  • Michaela, Maryland - Exposing the Impact of Social Media on Teenage Mental Health: A Journey of Self-Discovery
  • Raphael, Hawaii  - Let's CHAT: Mental Health Impact on Teens Living with Speech Challenges

Silver winners

  • Aditi, California – Embracing Authenticity
  • Anna, New York - Change Our Approach: How Sports Can Play a Role in Mental Health
  • Ciniyah, Illinois - The Roots Affect the Fruit: A Personal Journey of Trauma to Triumph
  • Kathleen, Maryland - Behind A Perfect Life
  • Paige, Texas - Learn to Live and Accept Your Journey
  • Rylie, Maryland - Drowning in Plain Sight

Bronze winners

  • Argiro, Pennsylvania - Out in the Open: A Conversation about Mental Health
  • Dresden, Maryland - Normalize the Care to Destigmatize the Conditions
  • Gabriel, New Jersey - Keeping My Head Up: My Experience with Dad's Brain Cancer
  • Hailey, Arkansas - Access for Adolescent Athletes
  • Jordan, New Jersey - A Weighted Wait
  • Kathryne, North Carolina - Embracing Openness: Unveiling Silent Struggles Surrounding Mental Health
  • Maya, Maryland - Speaking up for Change
  • Rachel, California - Embracing the Journey Towards Mental Health Acceptance
  • Savannah, New Jersey - Taking a Step Today, for a Better Tomorrow

Honorable mentions

  • Agaana, Maryland – Accountability for Authority: The Responsibilities of Schools
  • Gisele, Pennsylvania - Breaking the Silence
  • Jillian, Illinois - Navigating Mental Illness in Teens
  • Kyle, North Carolina - How the Neglect of Mental Health Within Black Communities Causes Underlying Issues
  • Mason, Maryland - Social Media as a Possible Method to Reduce Mental Health Stigma
  • Minsung, Georgia - Hope to Bridge the Gap

If you are in crisis and need immediate help, call or text the  988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline     at  988  (para ayuda en español, llame al 988) to connect with a trained crisis counselor. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline using their preferred relay service or by dialing 711 and then 988.

Essay on Urbanization for Students and Children

500 words essay on urbanization.

Urbanization refers to the movement of the population from rural areas to urban areas. It is essentially the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas. Furthermore, urbanization is quite a popular trend in the contemporary world. Moreover, people mostly undertake urbanization due to more work opportunities and a better standard of living. According to the expert prediction, by 2050, 64% of the developing world and 86% of the developed world will be urbanized.

Essay on Urbanization

Causes of Urbanization

First of all, political causes play a big role in urbanization. Many people get forced to leave rural areas for urban areas due to political unrest. Therefore, many families go to urban areas in search of food, shelter, and employment .

Another important cause of urbanization is an economic cause. Furthermore, poverty is a widespread phenomenon in rural areas. Moreover, farmers are finding it very hard to earn enough money and make a living. Consequently, rural people move to urban areas in search of better job opportunities.

Education is a strong cause of urbanization. Urban areas offer opportunities for seeking high-quality education. Moreover, urbanization offers opportunities for studying at universities and technical colleges. Such handsome education opportunities attract many young people in rural areas to move to urban areas.

Environmental degradation also plays a part in contributing to urbanization. Deforestation destroys the natural habitat of many farming families. Furthermore, mining and industrial expansion also harm the natural habitat of farming families.

The social cause is another notable reason for urbanization. Many young rural people migrate to urban areas in order to seek a better lifestyle. Moreover, many young people want to escape the conservative culture of rural areas. Most noteworthy, urban areas offer a more easy-going liberal lifestyle. Furthermore, cities have clubs to attract youth.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of Urbanization

First of all, urban areas are much more efficient in providing resources than rural areas. Important and basic amenities like housing, clean water, and electricity are easily available in urban areas.

People in urban areas find it quite easy to access to various important services. Most noteworthy, these services are high-quality education, expert health care, convenient transportation, entertainment, etc. Furthermore, some or all of the services are unavailable in rural areas.

Urban areas offer better employment opportunities. Furthermore, these employment opportunities are the result of industrialization and commercialization.

Urban areas play a critical role as creators and disseminators of knowledge. This is because of the highly connected urbanized world. Most noteworthy, the geographical proximity of people in urban areas helps in the propagation of ideas.

Urban areas enjoy the benefits of technological development. Furthermore, many types of technologies get implemented in urban areas. Moreover, urban people quickly get in touch with the latest technology. In contrast, many rural individuals remain ignorant of many types of technologies.

To sum it up, urbanization is a process which is on a continuous rise. Furthermore, urbanization ensures the transformation of rural culture into urban culture. Moreover, the government must be vigilant to the rapidly increasing urbanization. A fully urbanized world looks like the ultimate destiny of our world.

FAQs on Urbanization

Q1 State any two causes for urbanization?

A1 Any two causes for urbanization are high-quality education and good job opportunities in urban areas.

Q2 Why urban areas offer better employment opportunities?

A2 Urban areas offer better employment opportunities due to high industrialization and commercialization.

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Hamas is using people of Gaza as human shields. You can't avoid that fact. | Letters

I have two issues with the op-ed in the Ideas Lab of May 19 (“ Student protesters won’t be silent about genocide unfolding in Gaza ”).

For starters, I should state that I believe there should be an immediate cease fire in Gaza and that the continued loss of civilian life only harms the long-term efforts for peace and stability. I also support the right to peaceful protest , but if protests turn into racist confrontations, it is counterproductive. Violence and inflammatory rhetoric are never the answers.

However, the first issue is that she wrote that Israel is populated by “European ‘settlers.’” But nearly a million Jews fled or were expelled by Muslim countries and settled in Israel. There are also Muslim and Christian citizens of Israel.

The second is she avoids dealing with Hamas, which started this current conflict and is using the population of Gaza as human shields. Having traveled to the Middle East, I believe there is much to make amends for. I do believe that Israel as a nation should have done more to try to find lasting solutions, but Islamic terrorist groups have made that more difficult.

Both sides in this conflict need to come together and create a state for the Palestinians and use the resources being used for war to bring some measure of social justice.

Joseph Geck, Waukesha

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Write: Letters to the editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail:  [email protected]  or submit using the form that can be found on the  bottom of this page .

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  28. Palestinian supporter missed key points in essay on war in Gaza

    Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: [email protected] or submit using the form that can be found on the bottom of this page. Opinion: You cannot have a discussion about peace in Gaza and avoid mentioning ...