Which environmental challenge is closely linked with overpopulation?

The environmental challenge that is closely linked with overpopulation is resource depletion. Overpopulation leads to an increased demand for natural resources, such as water, fossil fuels, and arable land. As the population grows, the consumption of these resources accelerates, often at a rate that exceeds their natural replenishment. This not only results in the over-extraction of water from rivers and aquifers but also leads to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and the depletion of non-renewable resources like minerals and fossil fuels.

Moreover, as more people inhabit an area, the pressure on agricultural land increases, which can result in practices that degrade the soil and reduce agricultural productivity over time. Resource depletion poses significant challenges not just to the environment but to social stability and economic development as communities struggle to manage and allocate finite resources.

In contrast, while biodiversity preservation, urban stabilization, and climate resilience are important issues related to environmental sustainability, they do not directly stem from population growth in the same immediate and clear-cut manner as resource depletion does.