Challenges & Solutions GLOBAL POPULATION Challenges & Solutions

GLOBAL POPULATION Currently over 7 Billion (Oct 31 2011) China – 1.35 Billion 19% of Global Pop India – 1.2 Billion 17% of Global Pop Increasing by 220,000 people per day Estimated to reach 9 Billion by 2050

WHY THE BIG DEAL? Global Population threatens to exceed the CARRYING CAPACITY of the planet (earth’s ability to sustain life) particularly in two areas: FOOD SUPPLY: How do you feed 7-9 Billion people? ENVIRONMENT: People are consuming so many resources it is changing the geography of the planet (deforestation, climate change, urban sprawl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAIv15fWfHg

Birth rates exceeds death rates = population increase GROWTH RATE   Past 50 years there has been a huge population increase (3 Billion in 1960) WHY? Post WWII saw a huge decline in global death rates due to modern medicines controlling deadly diseases. Birth rates continued to remain high Birth rates exceeds death rates = population increase As birth rates began to decrease, so did the rate of population growth Presently birth (fertility rates) are decreasing in most parts of the world (except the poorest countries)

Declining Growth Rates

GLOBAL FERTILITY RATES

SOLUTIONS Some solutions to Population Growth include: 1. Decrease in the Global Fertility Rate (birth rate) 2. Increase the Carrying Capacity of the Earth 3. Decrease Consumption in Developed Countries

GLOBAL FERTILITY RATE Decreasing the Global Fertility Rate can be done several ways: FAMILY PLANNING: Encourage families to have smaller families….give them access to birth control….educate girls GOVERNMENT POLICIES: China’s One Child Policy…..Uzbekistan’s forced sterilization ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Developed countries tend to have fewer children http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-_06DyfRoo

Increase Earth’s capacity to feed a growing population by: CARRYING CAPACITY Increase Earth’s capacity to feed a growing population by: GREEN REVOLUTION (1960s) The development of petroleum-based products like fertilizers and pesticides led to a huge increase in food production GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD (GMO) (1996) Changes made to the DNA of food to help increase food production Global Food production will have to increase by 70% to feed 9 Billion by 2050 (Economist Oct 2011)

CONSUMPTION RATES Although most population increase is in Developing countries….most consumption of resources are in the developed countries: UNITED STATES: 5% of global pop, consumes 25% of world’s resources Top 12% (N. America, Europe) consume 60% Bottom 33% (Asia, Africa) consume 3.2% CARRYING CAPACITY of the Earth = 1.9 ha of land/person US is 9.7 ha/person MOZAMBIQUE is 0.46 ha/peson

HOW CAN YOU REDUCE YOUR CONSUMPTION?