Human population Issues



Human population Issues

• Population Trends and Implications

– Biological Factors

– Social Factors

– Political Factors

• Population Growth - Standard of Living

• Population and Poverty

– Hunger and Food

• Demographic Transition

• United States Population Picture

• Immigration

World Population Characteristics

• The world can be divided into two segments based on economic development.

– More-developed countries typically have per capita income exceeding $10,000.

• Expected to grow 4% by 2050.

– Less-developed countries typically have a per capita income less than $5,000.

• Expected to grow 55% by 2050.

• Increase to 8 billion.

Human population Trends and implications

• Largest population increase expected in poor, underdeveloped countries.

– Population density relates the size of the population to available resources.

• Countries with abundant resources can sustain higher population densities than resource-poor countries.

• Generally believed the quality of life for many people in the world would improve if the population grew at a slower rate.

• Several factors determine the impact of a society on natural resources.

– Natural Resource Availability

– Size of Population

– Land Area Occupied

– Degree of Technological Development

• Affluence affects resource use.

Factors that influence Population Growth

• Biological Factors

– Demography - Study of populations and their characteristics.

❖ Birth rate usually exceeds death rate.

➢ Size of population must increase.

❖ More-developed countries typically have low infant mortality rates, while less-developed countries have higher mortality rates.

Biological Factors

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) - Number of children a woman has during her lifetime.

• Replacement Level Fertility - Number of children needed to replace everyone in the population.

– Varies between regions (2.1).

• Zero Population Growth - Birth rate equals death rate.

• Age Distribution - Number of people of each age in the population.

Social Factors

• Reducing fertility rates would be advantageous, especially in LDC’s.

– Not everyone agrees.

• Major social factor determining family size is the role of women in society.

– In male dominated cultures, traditional role of women is to marry and raise children.

• Lack of education opportunities for women reduces their options.

– When level of education increases, fertility rates fall.

• Financial independence leads to marriage later in life.

• Increased use of birth control.

• Early marriages foster high fertility rates.

– In Africa, 17% of births are to women in the 15-19 year-old range.

• Total Fertility Rate of 5.3%

• Breast Feeding

– During the months a woman is breast feeding, she is less likely to become pregnant again.

• Some cultures (women) desire large families:

– Future Pension

– Young children can bring in income.

• Underdeveloped world - children are an economic gain.

• Developed world - children are an economic drain.

Political Factors

• Governments can either reward or punish high fertility rates.

– Several European countries are concerned about low birth rates.

❖ Polices to encourage children.

➢ Funded Maternity Leave

➢ Childcare Facilities

➢ Child Tax Deductions

• Most developing countries are concerned that population growth is too rapid.

– Programs to limit growth:

❖ Family Planning

❖ Delay Age of First Marriage

❖ One-Child Policy

• Immigration Policies

– Birthrates are so low in some countries, that immigration is encouraged to offset a potential decline in the number of working-age citizens.

– Developed countries are under intense pressure to accept immigrants.

❖ Standard of Living

Population Growth and Standard of Living

• Appears to be an inverse relationship between a country’s growth rate and its average standard of living.

• Standard of living difficult to quantify since various cultures have different desires.

– Economic Well-Being

– Health Conditions

– Social Status and Mobility

• Gross National Income (GNI) - Index measuring total goods and services generated by citizens of a country.

– Gross National Income Purchasing Power Parity (GNIPPP) used to account for varying prices of goods and services between countries.

Population and Poverty - A Viscous Cycle

• Poor People:

– Cannot afford birth control.

– Need multiple avenues to obtain money.

– Have little access to health care.

• Women in poor countries are usually poorly educated and are monetarily dependent on husbands.

– High infant mortality rates spur desire for large numbers of offspring.

• Potential solutions to breaking the cycle:

– Economic well-being is tied to solving population problem.

• Rich countries must reduce consumption rates.

– Educational status of women must be promoted.

– Increased access to birth control and heath care.

Hunger, Food Production and Environmental Degradation

• As human population grows so does the demand for food.

– Most people in developed countries must purchase their own food.

– Most people in less-developed countries must grow their own food.

• Human populations can only increase in size if other plant and animal populations decrease in size.

• People in less-developed countries generally feed at lower trophic levels than those in developed world.

– Long-term environmental health may be sacrificed for short-term population needs.

• Many people in more-developed countries suffer from overnutrition.

– 55% of North Americans are overweight, and 25% are obese.

Population and Trophic Levels[pic]

Hunger, Food Production and Environmental Degradation

• Humanitarian Food Aid

– Temporary relief of symptoms.

– Works against self-reliance.

– Emphasis must be on self-sufficiency.

Demographic Transition

• Demographic Transition - Model of population growth based on historical, social, and economic development, of Europe and N. America.

– Stable Pop. (high birth and death rates)

– Death Rate Falls - Population Grows

– Industrialization - Birth Rate Falls

– Death Rates and Birth Rates Equilibrate

[pic]

• Comfortable - This is a comfortable model, because it suggests industrialization will naturally lead to population stabilization.

– Problem - Can a model developed in Europe and N. America be applied to less-developed countries ?

• Resources are no longer abundant.

• Human population is growing much faster than before.

United States Population Picture

• United States population had a post-war baby boom period, significantly affecting population trends.

– 1947 - 1961

❖ Created population bulge.

➢ As members of this group have raised families, they have had a significant influence on U.S. population growth and trends.

Changing Age Distribution of U.S. Population

[pic]

Baby Boomers

• Baby Boomers encouraged growth of industries needed by young families.

– Today these babies are having babies of their own.

• People are now living longer.

– Growing need now for services for the elderly.

Immigration

• U.S. population is still growing 1.1% per year.

– 0.6% natural increase

– 0.5% immigration

❖ Immigration projected to be 50% of population growth by 2050.

• Immigration policy sends mixed signals:

– Strong measures used to reduce illegal immigration across southern borders.

– Illegal immigrants add to state education and health care costs.

– Some segments of U.S. economy heavily use immigrant workers.

– U.S. policy allows reuniting families of U.S. residents.

Likely Consequences of Continued Population Growth

• Differences in standard of living between developed and less-developed countries will remain significant.

– Largest population increase will be in less-developed countries.

• Developed countries may have to choose:

– Helping developing nations.

– Allowing increased immigration from less-developed nations.

– Isolation from problems of developing nations.

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