You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Most of the world’s problems are caused by overpopulation.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experiences.
You should write at least 250 words.
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IELTS Task 2 Band 9 Sample Essay
There is a tendency nowadays to blame overpopulation for the majority of the world's issues. However, I strongly disagree with this oversimplification of the intricate and numerous problems that the world community is grappling with. I feel that blaming the world's issues only on overpopulation ignores important elements like social and economic injustice, political instability, and environmental damage.
First off, it's important to understand that population expansion by itself does not cause environmental concerns. How resources are allocated and used is the problem. Because of its greater levels of consumption and industrialisation, the United States, which has a considerably smaller population than either India or China, has a significantly larger carbon footprint, whereas several nations with dense populations, like Singapore and Japan, have successfully adopted sustainable measures to lessen their environmental effect. This implies that the cause of environmental issues is not population growth but rather our patterns of resource use and management.
Second, it is critical to understand that population growth may benefit society, contributing to increased creativity and economic expansion. A larger labour force can encourage economic growth and technical breakthroughs by increasing population. A greater population can also result in more variety and cross-cultural interaction, which can foster intellectual and social development. Thus, it's important to keep in mind that population expansion itself is not a problem; the issue is how it is controlled and utilized.
In conclusion, it is crucial to recognize that, although population growth may be a contributing cause to some of the world's troubles, the fundamental concerns are how resources are allocated and used, as well as social, economic, and political inequality. We run the danger of ignoring other crucial elements that contribute to our global difficulties if we only concentrate on population increase.
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IELTS Task 2 Band 8.5 Sample Essay
It is widely believed that the current world is experiencing unprecedented problems due to exponential growth of population. I strongly agree with this statement as it is causing serious impacts on the environment by releasing harmful chemical compounds and cutting tress recklessly, which are eventually leading to the extinction of different species.
A steep growth of population is the root cause of the environmental degradation. We are constantly introducing such chemicals which are contaminating our air, soil and seas. Air pollutants include carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, water and soil pollutants are heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead along with pesticide and herbicide compounds. Factories are discharging these chemical wastes to the waterways and contaminating it which is affecting the marine creatures. Moreover, by releasing carbon dioxide and other dangerous gases, they are causing the rise of global warming which results in melting the north and south glaciers.
A constant deforestation leading to animal extinction is another major consequence of population boom. People are cutting trees and destroying rainforests to build their houses. By doing these, they are not only hindering a smooth oxygen circulation in the environment, but also causing a serious animal extinction, because all these factors - harmful chemical waste and deforestation - work in synergy with each other and they interfere with the metabolism of animals. As a result, the animals are unable to cope up and fall into a fast extinction. Large-bodied animals and rare species are even more prone to this human made disaster. In fact, this deforestation disrupts the ecological processes like pollination and seed distribution, which results in a collapse of the food chain that can cause even more destructions. This is how overpopulation is ravaging both flora and fauna.
To conclude, this essay reasserts that excessive growth of population is causing serious world problems like the environmental degradation and a massive deforestation, which are eventually leading up to animals’ extinction.
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IELTS Task 2 Band 8 Sample Essay (1)
It is argued that overpopulation is the primary reason for most of the problems all over the world. However, though excessive population is widely blamed for the economic and environmental challenges, I contend that such problems stem from a complex interplay of multiple factors, rather than merely from overpopulation.
Overpopulation is not the root cause of many problems, rather it a proven blessing for many nations. China's population growth and economic development over the past several decades is an ideal example to demonstrate this issue. In the 1980s, China implemented the "one-child policy" in an attempt to curb population growth. However, as China's economy began to boom in the following decades, some economists argue that the large population provided a significant advantage in terms of labour force and consumer demand, which helped to drive economic growth. China's rise as a technological and manufacturing powerhouse is often attributed, in part, to its large population and the resulting availability of skilled workers. Despite the challenges posed by rapid population growth, China's experience illustrates the potential positive impacts that a larger population can have on society when managed effectively.
Presently, climate change stands as the paramount ecological challenge, encompassing all inhabitants of our planet. If the issue were solely attributable to overpopulation, then countries with lesser populations like Iceland and Sweden would remain unaffected. However, nearly all nations have committed to the net-zero agenda, pledging to undertake considerable efforts towards rectifying the problem. More importantly, none of the proposed remedial measures such as decarbonization and adoption of sustainable energy are contingent on population size.
In conclusion, overpopulation might exacerbate some critical problems we are facing but it is never the main cause of any of the problems. We can neither diminish poverty economically nor stop climate change environmentally by cutting down the population. People are all we have, and they are the key to solve the problems rather than the cause to these problems.
IELTS Task 2 Band 8 Sample Essay (2)
There is no denying that overpopulation has always been a topic of interest. A school of thought holds that overpopulation is one of the main culprits of many issues around the world. Though this thinking is justifiable to some extent, this essay is going to establish that there are many effective ways to mitigate the problems of overpopulation, and even it can be turned into an incredible advantage.
It is understandable why some subscribe to the view that overpopulation does more harm than good. Arguably, the areas with high population density can spawn other issues, especially unemployment. As more and more people in these areas seek for jobs in tandem with a highly competitive the job market, a higher unemployment rate might not be avoidable. This is even exacerbated by a rising number of hungers in poor but overpopulated nations. For example, in case of India, where despite being unable to afford minimum living standard, many parents give birth too many children, which eventually leads to higher and higher hunger rates in this country.
However, I am convinced that the aforementioned drawbacks could be addressed, as overpopulation also offers scores of benefits. In terms of dealing with unemployment issues, governments can channel into regional areas where there is low population density along with more job opportunities. The implication of this is that, not only job seekers would move to those areas for jobs, but also the overpopulation burden of the big cities will be shared. Moreover, nations can inherit the benefits from overpopulated areas such as cheap labour, economic growth and so on. China portraits itself starkly in this point. As this country has the highest number of population in the world, the nation can offer cheap labour to many global companies and organizations, which create jobs for thousands of citizens and eventually increase their living standard.
In conclusion, while overpopulation can trigger many other issues in the world such as, unemployment and hunger, this essay has strongly argued that proper governmental initiatives can manage its impacts and even turn it into a blessing, which is evidently presented by China.
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