Chapter - 4

Two Long-Term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees

Moti Nissani

Summary of the essay

The essay, “Two Long-Term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees” is written by Moti Nissani. The essay shows the twin problem of overpopulation and deforestation, especially in Nepal’s context.

Scientists are worried about the environment of the world because it is becoming much polluted. The air and water are becoming poisonous and many types of plants and animals are disappearing. The world population is increasing rapidly due to nutrition, sanitation, and modern medicine. The population of the world is going up because people are living longer than in the past and too many children are being born. The population of Nepal has increased from 9 million to 23 million in less than 50 years. This increase in population is causing forests to disappear. The land, water, and the air are becoming polluted. Deforestation will cause landslides, desertification, flooding, soil erosion, droughts, etc. The environment has been completely destroyed due to over-population and deforestation. Now people are suffering from cancer, asthma and other fatal diseases. Many people lose their hearing power before they are old because of noise population. The rivers, lakes, and seas are all polluted. Some species of animals and birds are going to disappear and some have already vanished. The world’s resources are being used up and problems caused by pollution like diseases and changes in the world’s climate are getting worse.

It is possible to stop the growth in population. This has happened in Sweden and Germany. Education, especially for women and information about how to avoid having babies (family planning) help to reduce population growth. As the population of Nepal grows, forests are being cut down to turn the land into farmland. The demand of rich people in the west for beef is also causing forests land to be changed into grassland for cattle farming. Rich people’s demand for wood and paper products is also causing the destruction of the forest. When forests are chopped down, the soil is destroyed and this can lead to disastrous flooding.

Deforestation can be reduced if the increase in the number of people is controlled. Education, family planning and changes in the way we use wood are also important. For example, in Nepal, the use of smokeless stoves can reduce the amount of firewood needed. We must use our knowledge to bring the changes in our action.