Chapter 6: Population and Its Impact PDF

The Human Population and Its Impact Chapter 6 Core Case Study: Are There Too Many of Us? (1)  Estimated 9.8 billion more people by 2050  Are there too many people already?  Will technological advances overcome environmental resistance that populations face?  Should population...

The Human Population and Its Impact Chapter 6 Core Case Study: Are There Too Many of Us? (1)  Estimated 9.8 billion more people by 2050  Are there too many people already?  Will technological advances overcome environmental resistance that populations face?  Should populations be controlled? Core Case Study: Are There Too Many of Us? (2)  Will growing populations cause increased environmental stresses? Infectious diseases Biodiversity losses Water shortages Traffic congestion Pollution of the seas Climate change Crowded Street in China Human Population Growth Continues but It Is Unevenly Distributed (1)  Reasons for human population increase Movement into new habitats and climate zones Early and modern agriculture methods Control of infectious diseases through Sanitation systems Antibiotics Vaccines Human Population Growth Continues but It Is Unevenly Distributed (2)  Population growth in developing countries is increasing 15 times faster than developed countries  By 2050, 97% of growth will be in developing countries  Should the optimum sustainable population be based on cultural carrying capacity?  The optimum population means the number of people an area can support sustainably.  It balances the needs of society and the environment. The population is high enough to enable economic growth yet low enough to avoid overusing resources.  Cultural carrying capacity refers to the number of people who can live in reasonable freedom and comfort without decreasing the ability of the earth to sustain future generation. Global Connections: UN World Population Projections by 2050 Science Focus: How Long Can the Human Population Keep Growing?  Thomas Malthus and population growth: 1798  Humans have altered 83% of the earth’s land surface  Can the human population grow indefinitely? Natural Capital Degradation: Altering Nature to Meet Our Needs The Human Population Can Grow, Decline, or Remain Fairly Stable  Population change Births: fertility Deaths: mortality Migration  Population change = (births + immigration) – (deaths + emigration)  Crude birth rate  Crude death rate Global Connections: The World’s 10 Most Populous Countries in 2008 TFR Rates for the U.S. between 1917 and 2008 Birth Rates in the U.S. from 1910 to 2008 Some Major Changes That Took Place in the U.S. between 1900 and 2000 Several Factors Affect Birth Rates and Fertility Rates (1) Several Factors Affect Birth Rates and Fertility Rates (1)  Children as part of the labor force  Cost of raising and educating children  Availability of private and public pension  Urbanization  Educational and employment opportunities for women Several Factors Affect Birth Rates and Fertility Rates (1)  Children as part of the labor force  Cost of raising and educating children  Availability of private and public pension  Urbanization  Educational and employment opportunities for women Several Factors Affect Birth Rates and Fertility Rates (2)  Infant mortality rate  Average age of a woman at birth of first child  Availability of legal abortions  Availability of reliable birth control methods  Religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural norms Several Factors Affect Death Rates (1)  Life expectancy  Infant mortality rate  Why are people living longer and fewer infants dying? Increased food supply and distribution Better nutrition Medical advances Improved sanitation Several Factors Affect Death Rates (2)  U.S. infant mortality rate high due to Inadequate health care for poor women during pregnancy and their infants Drug addiction among pregnant women High birth rate among teenagers Migration Affects an Area’s Population Size  Economic improvement  Religious freedom  Political freedom  Wars  Environmental refugees Case Study: The United States: A Nation of Immigrants  Historical role of immigration in the U.S.  Legal immigration  Illegal immigration Legal Immigration to the U.S. between 1820 and 2003 Populations Made Up Mostly of Young People Can Grow Rapidly  Age structure categories Prereproductive ages Reproductive ages Postreproductive ages Generalized Population Age Structure Diagrams Population Structure by Age and Sex in Developing and Developed Countries We Can Use Age-Structure Information to Make Population and Economic Projections  Baby boomers  Job market when they retire Tracking the Baby-Boom Generation in the United States Some Problems with Rapid Population Decline Populations Can Decline from a Rising Death Rate: The AIDS Tragedy  Millions were killed  Many young adults die: loss of most productive workers  Sharp drop in life expectancy  International community called upon to Reduce the spread of HIV through education and health care Financial assistance and volunteers As Countries Develop, Their Populations Tend to Grow More Slowly  Demographic transition stages Preindustrial Transitional May lead to a demographic trap Industrial Postindustrial Four Stages of the Demographic Transition Planning for Babies Works  Family Planning Responsible for a 55% drop in TFRs In developing countries Expansion of program Include teenagers, sexually active unmarried women, and men  Slow and stabilize population growth Invest in family planning Reduce poverty Elevate the social and economic status of women Empowering Women Can Slow Population Growth  Education  Paying jobs  Human rights without suppression  Women do almost all of the world’s domestic work and child care Women from a Village in Burkina Faso Returning with Fuelwood Case Study: Slowing Population Growth in China: the One-Child Policy  Encourages fewer children  Gender imbalance  Fast-growing economy  Face serious resource and environmental problems Case Study: Slowing Population Growth in India  Population control  Poverty  Malnutrition  Environmental problems