discussion CH 9

What are some general ideas about world population in terms of growth? Where it is rapidly increasing and the lifestyles of those areas? 81% of the world lives in less developed countries. As our numbers continue to increase, environmental degradation, hunger, persistent poverty, economic stagnation, urban Deterioration and health issues will continue to challenge us Developing countries have the largest rates of population increase and often have the fewest resources to support growing #’s Must have agricultural land or enough natural resources to provide buying power to purchase food.

What are some general ideas about world population in terms of growth? Where it is rapidly increasing and the lifestyles of those areas? CARRYING CAPACITY issues throughout less developed countries ( Ex: Sub-Saharan Africa) –Population will stabilize or crash b/c of an dec. in BR or a inc. in DR or combination of both –To estimate CC, we must make assumptions about QUALITY of life- should everyone have the same standards as the US or the barest minimum of food, clothing and shelter needed for survival –We do not know future technological advancements that might be made to increase our CC.

How does human population size relate to the following: HUNGER World Hunger: FOOD PROBLEMS ARE EXACERBATED BY POPULATION PRESSURES 86 countries are considered low income/food-deficient even though agriculture produces enough food if evenly distributed –Schools of thought on this Population growth is the root cause of the world’s food problem- establish world pop quotas & a country that exceeded its assigned pop size would not be eligible for relief in times of shortage Promote economic dev. of countries that are unable to produce adequate food- Provide appropriate technology for people in countries to increase food production; also as dev. inc, fertility usually dec. Neither controlling pop growth or enhancing economic dev will solve world food problems- principle cause is inequitable distribution and the principle cause is people are unable to afford food.

How does human population size relate to the following: ECONOMICS Economics: POPULATION GROWTH AFFECTS ECONOMIC GROWTH & E.GROWTH AFFECTS POPULATION GROWTH Two Views: 1. Population growth stimulates economic development & technological innovation 2. Rapidly expanding populations hamper development efforts. CONCLUSION: A study determined that economic development would profit from slower population growth Population stabilization would not guarantee higher living standards, but would probably promote eco. dev. which would in turn raise the standard of living Country Debt: it has become difficult for many developing countries to continue to raise their standards of living because of the tremendous debts they have accumulated while funding past development preclude future loans As of 2000, developing nations owe more than 2.5 trillion to highly dev. nations, foreign banks and multilateral institutions

How does human population size relate to the following: NATURAL RESOURCES / ENVIRONMENT Resources & the Environment: Poverty is tied to the effects of population pressures on natural resources & the environment 1. Resources essential to survival are small & a rapidly inc. # of people tends to overwhelm and deplete soil, forests & resources 2. In highly dev. countries, individual resource demands are large to satisfy their DESIRES rather than basic needs Types of resources: 1. Non-Renewable: present in limited supplies and are depleted by use (minerals, fossil fuels). NOT REPLENISHABLE! - exhausted if not cared for; Developed countries tend to consume most of the word’s non renewable resources 2. Renewable: Nature replaces resources fairly rapidly (days  decades), (trees,soil, water). MUST BE USED SUSTAINABLY!! - can be used forever if not over exploited in the short term; rapid population growth can lead to overexploitation. Economic growth of developing countries is often tied to the exploitation of their natural resources for economic gain (Ex: HAITI)

What is consumption? Consumption: the human use of materials and energy –Economic & social act (sense of identity as well as status among peers); Dev. countries promote consumption; extravagant & wasteful consumers –A child in the US causes greater impact on the env. and on resource depletion than a dozen or more in a developing country- the US and –other dev. countries affect resources and the env as much as or more than the pop. explosion in the dev. world. People overpopulation: too many people in an area- pollution, env. degradation, resource dep. even though each person consumes few resources. Consumption overpopulation: individuals in a pop consume many resources resulting in pollution, env. degradation and resource depletion. (Highly dev. nations account for: 86% of Al, 76% of timber, 68% of energy, 61% of meat eaten, 42% of fresh water & 75% of the pol. & waste)

What is meant by the term “ecological footprint”? Ecological Footprint: The average amount of land and ocean needed to supply an individual with food, energy, water, housing, transportation etc. –India & Nigeria is about 1 hectars or 2.5 acres per person ; US is about 9.6 hectars or 23.7 acres per person –If all 6.2B people had the same lifestyle/level of consumption as the average American (no tech changes), we would need 4 Earth’s –As developing countries increase their economic growth and improve standards, their EF will increase causing more problems

The relationships between TFR and cultural, societal, governmental and economic factors are intricate. Dispersal used to be a solution for overpopulation, but we have expanded our range throughout Earth & have few habitable areas left. The way to control our expanding population is by reducing the number of births. CULTURE: Values and norms of a society (right, important & expected of a person). Different areas have different cultures. Culture defines the roles of men and women in society (ex. latin America women do not do agriculture but in Africa women do most of the agr. work) A couple is expected to have children based on their traditions of their society. High TFRs are traditional in many cultures –There is a high infant and child mortality rate. Infant mortality has dec, but it will take longer for culturally imbedded fertility levels to decline. Parents must have confidence their children will survive to stop having babies. –Important economic and societal roles of children: FARMING LABOR & provide support to aging parents –Value males over females- women that bear many males are held in high status (social pressure to have males keeps TFR high) –Religious values may not permit control of population by artificial means

The relationships between TFR and cultural, societal, governmental and economic factors are intricate. Status of Women: Women do not have the same rights, opportunities or privileges as men. Sons are more valued so girls are not given the opportunity of an education. Progress has been made recently, but women are generally not valued as highly as men in most cultures. –This might be the most important factor affecting high TFR! 1. Marriage: correlation between marriage age and TFR; Societal custom of early marriage  high TFR 2. Education: women with more education marry later and have fewer children. Education increases the probability that women will know how to control their fertility and improve the health of their family (dec. mortality). Education also opens doors to careers that give status rather than having babies.

The relationships between TFR and cultural, societal, governmental and economic factors are intricate. Family Planning: Educating people about basic maternal and child health care. Prenatal care & proper birth spacing as well as limit # of births. Most effective if designed with sensitivity to local social & cultural beliefs. Do not try to force people to limit their families, but convince people that small families are acceptable and desirable. 90% of the decrease in fertility in 31 nations was direct result to the increased knowledge and availability of contraceptives.