Urbanization occurs when more people move from rural areas into cities. This increase in population density leads to poor air and water quality, insufficient water availability, waste-disposal issues, and high energy consumption. 

A large boom in urbanization in the United States occurred during the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. Factories increased in productivity and the development of more efficient tools for farming led to an influx of people moving from farms and towns to cities.

Even though there are benefits to urbanization, such as increased quality of medical care, family planning, education, and social services, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. 

Urbanization has significant effects on human health – the consumption of low quality food can result in diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and obesity. Additionally, the condensed nature of cities promotes the spread of deadly diseases and viruses such as the coronavirus. 

Poverty, another product of urbanization, can lead to mental health issues such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychological distress, and suicide. 

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and by 2050, 70% of the world population is expected to live in urban areas. 

There is a lot of work we must do in order to reverse, fix, and heal our planet. We don’t have a spare planet lying around like in the TV show Futurama: earth is one-of-a-kind.

It could prove to be difficult, because people are small minded and might be too selfish. Some people will be hard to convince and we will plan a lot. 

We can reverse the effects of urbanization by building environmentally friendly cities and passing environmentally conscious laws. We can combat poverty by promoting economic development and job creation, and we can reduce air pollution by upgrading energy use alternative transport systems. We can also pick up trash off the highway and boycott products that hurt the environment. 

We are greater together. We can save our planet and preserve it for future generations. It’s not just you-it’s the future we’re fighting for. Together, we can make a world better for you, your neighbor, the city of Lancaster, the state of Pennsylvania, the United States, and the world at large. 

Scientists have done all the research, and it is our turn to do something about it.