China One Child Policy Essay

Imagine a world where one can’t just simply go to the supermarket because there is not enough food. A world where pollution is a daily reality, the air too thick to even breath and the water virtually undrinkable. A place you can no longer buy consumer goods because there isn’t enough materials to make them. This could become a reality, but preventing it has always been on the minds of the Chinese government. War and epidemics had struck China for years, but after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, sanitation and medicine improved and prompted rapid population growth. This combined with the movement created by Mao Zedong, China’s previous communist leader, led to rapid population growth that gave China’s monumental population. This monumental mistake took its toll in the food supply when Mao emphasized steel production over farming, food supply slipped behind population growth; by 1962 a massive famine had caused some 30 million deaths. After the population leveled off, the government continued the camping to reduce China’s population. In 1979 the Chinese government introduced a policy requiring couples from China’s ethnic Han majority to have only one child. Depending on where they lived parents can be fined thousand of dollars for having an extra child without a permit and can be forced to abort the child and then be sterilized. With all this in mind I not only believe that the one child policy with some adjustments can be a good solution to the overpopulation and issues related to it but also it is a necessary policy. With changes to the policy will greatly improve China’s people living environment and standards. Without this policy we can face serious issues concerning food supplies, depletion of natural resources at a rapid rate, poverty,spreading of diseases due to lack of proper medical care, overcrowded cities that can lead to heavy pollution, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy and higher death rates, educational facilities may not meet the population requirements,and finally lower employment opportunities that lead to unequal distribution of wealth. All of this could become a reality without the proper population control provided by the policy. Society a highly structured system of human organization for large-scale community living that normally furnishes protection, continuity, security, and a national identity. Some essential things that are required for the flourishment of a society are essentials such as food and water. This are non debatable requirements for cities to rise, survive and thrive. Over population can bring many obstacles and difficulties that could impede us from thriving as a society. Some include heavy pollution that is caused by factories that are needed to meet the demands of the big population. This pollution can be precipitated into the water sources can lead to the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoids. Although higher population number will produce more food the earth can only support so much. Even with genetically modified (GMC’s) the land can only be used so much before it runs put of nutrients and then become useless. The overuse of the land will lead to soil erosion from trying to meet the food demands of a huge population. Air pollution can cause the spread of diseases such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, heart disease and even diabetes. This will lead to millions of death and could potentially wipe out entire populations and cause poor living conditions. The lack of proper medical care will be one of many factors also contributing to the decline of living standards and lower living expectancies which means higher death rates. Thomas Malthus wrote theories that predicted living conditions over many centuries. He stated that over population will cause more disadvantages that will outweigh the advantages. Some might said that in his theory he didn’t take into account the advances in technology that is essential to the prosperity of a country. I don’t argue that Malthus may not have taken that into account but it still doesn’t change the fact that earth has a finite carrying capacity. No matter how technology progresses or gets better it will be limited by the resources that we can get. Resources are limited. Technology could provide ways of using this resources more efficiently but no matter what we do it will always lead to the depletion because of higher demand caused by overpopulation. Although technology can solve many of our problems it has a great limitation. That limitation is us. The overcrowding of cities may lead to educational facilities not being able to provide the proper learning environment and fail to teach the population. This will cause high levels kids falling behind and not be able to contribute and move on to high level jobs in science, math or engineering which will slow down the rate of progression in technology, and without it we won’t be able to meet the demands of a large population. Over population can cause lower employment opportunities that will leave many families in poverty. This will cause and uneven distribution of wealth that can cause the crime rate to go higher. Less jobs means the economy would be very limited or there will be a lot of jobs but minimum wage jobs. Families would be forced to sends their children to work so they can help support the family instead of sending them to school. With a smaller population more high level jobs can be given and more money means better standard of living and high life expectancy levels. Wealth can provide many things such as medical care, adequate housing,etc. All of this can be avoided with population control policies such as the one child policy. There is a lot of disadvantages that can cause a disastrous future. So we need to ask ourselves if that will be a life wen want to live in. The answer will always come down to no. The one child policy has harsh effects that are controversial. The forced sterilization and abortion of women is one of the horrid realities that the policy makes possible. But this doesn’t change the fact that the policy is a necessity. I completely agree that this must be change. New regulations can be put into place that are more passive and more widely accepted by the majority. The one child policy is a necessity that helps our society in many ways. The advantages of having this policy far outweigh the disadvantages. It keeps China’s prosperity and encourages great economic wealth and progression. So I urge you to consider all of the points made and see that the one child policy is not only a smart choice but also a great one.