More people means more demands for resources, more pollution, and more waste. More people means more energy use, escalating global warming and energy shortages.
More land is required for agriculture, causing deforestation and soil erosion.
More homes, factories, and roads must be built, destroying habitat for other species. Population growth is particularly significant in the affluent U.S., where even the environmentally conscious have levels of consumption far exceeding the rest of the world. Every year, America paves over an area equal to the entire state of Delaware to meet the needs of more people. More than half of our original wetlands are now gone forever. And each new American uses 175 gallons of water per day and 26 barrels of oil per year.