Economic Effects of Hiv and Aids on Southern Africa

2751 Words12 Pages
Pressure from population growth impacts negatively on the Earth’s fragile environment. The Earth needs to sustain the quality of life of all people through the provision of water,food,shelter,and economic and social activities. High population numbers demand that resources are strained to meet demands. This essay set to show the relationship of population and environmental issues between two countries namely South Africa and Zambia. The need to develop by these countries has left the environment at a critical state. South Africa is located on the southern tip of Africa, it is one of largest African countries with a population of approximately 52 million people. The population of South Africa has grown for a number of reasons. Natural increase is one reason for its growth however it should be noted that infant mortality is high as it is estimated at 41,7 per 1000 live births, the population of South Africa took a knock from the ravaging HIV and Aids pandemic as the overall HIV prevalence is approximately 10%. Life expectancy at birth is estimated at 57 years for males and 61,4 years for females The population has also grown as a result of immigration from neighboring countries. Millions of people have migrated from various SADC countries. According to Statistic South Africa about 29,2% of the population is aged younger than 15 years and approximately 7,8% is 60 years or older. The rapid growth of South African population has led to a severe shortage of housing in major cities and it has put tremendous pressure on the environment. The current state of the environment is highly influenced by the economic activities taking place in South Africa some even claim that resource use is strongly influenced by capitalist economics at the moment. Degradation and depletion of resources due to human needs has forced South African government to focus more on conservation of
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