"One of the major problems facing the world in this the 21st century will not be overpopulation but over consumption" How far do you agree with this statement?

The first 200 words of this essay...

"One of the major problems facing the world in this the 21st century will not be overpopulation but over consumption" How far do you agree with this statement?

Introduction

Over consumption = The use of resources at a rate that exceeds the ability of natural processes to replace them1.

Over population = Excessive population of an area to the point of overcrowding, depletion of natural resources, or environmental deterioration2.

Over the last 100 years or so there has been over population, but it is not as grave a threat as over consumption is. The world can support a population of up to 10 billion people, the current being about 6 billion people. So over population is not such a big problem. However, the human population is using up the world's resources much faster than they can be replenished. This has caused severe depletion in many sectors, the most important being oil. Every country wants to develop so they have to find cheap modes of gaining lots of profit, which brings into play crude oil. Crude oil is an extremely cheap way of fuelling a country's economy. However the issue of over consumption is mostly