2. Where do 7 Billion People Live?
Population Growth and Change

3. Population Distribution
Population distribution: refers to the way people are spread over the earth surface; the pattern where people live in an area.
Ecumene: is use to describe permanently inhabited/populated places.

4. Did you know? About 30% of the land is not good for human settlement.
Over half of the world’s population lives on only 5% of the land, and 90% of people live on 20% of the land.
Two-thirds of people live within 500km of the ocean.

5. Population Density
Population density: describes the number of people in a given area.
This figure is calculated by dividing the total population of a region by the area of the region.

6. 2007

11. What is our world population distribution dependant on?

12. World Population Distribution
Dependent on the GEOGRAPHY!
The most densely populated areas are north of the equator:
Europe + Asia

13. World Population Distribution
Relationship to Landforms:
Lowland areas - are the most heavily populated (coastlines and river valleys in, for example, India, China, and Egypt).
Highland areas - sparsely populated, rugged and cold, exceptions being in Switzerland, Japan, Java and the Philippines.

14. World Population Distribution
Relationship to Climate:
Very low populations in extremely cold and dry regions, some exceptions being Israel (irrigation) and Kuwait (oil wealth).

15. Crude Densities
Crude densities: shows how much one area can accommodate in terms of population.

16. Crude Densities
Population density = the population of an area is not always accurate.
Example: Canada  most of the population lives in a small area  not a lot of population live in large areas  population concentrated in cities.

17. Nutritional Densities
Nutritional densities: how much nutrition (in calories) can be produced from the land.
Areas with good soil, adequate temperature, and rain for plants to grow have a higher nutritional density.
In the developing world, nutritional density is low.

18. Which cities are among the largest in the world in terms of population?

19. Largest Cities, Worldwide
Millions
The largest cities in the world are growing rapidly in size and they are shifting from the more developed regions to the less developed regions. In 1950 the three largest cities were in more developed countries; by 2000, only Tokyo remained in the top three.
In 1950, New York was the largest city in the world, with a population of about 12 million. By 2015, the largest city worldwide is projected to be Tokyo, with triple this population size: 36 million.
Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision (medium scenario), 2004.

20. Projected Population Change by Country
Percent Population Change,
Women worldwide are having fewer children in their lifetimes, from an average of five children born per woman in the 1950s to below three in 2000.
All of the most recent projections put forth by the UN assume that levels of childbearing will continue to decline in the next century.
Source: Population Reference Bureau, 2005 World Population Data Sheet.

21. Overpopulation: The More the Merrier?

22. Can the population of the world be fed?
To Ponder
Can the population of the world be fed?

23. The Theories
There are two main schools of thought (views/theories) on global population growth:

24. The Theories
Pessimistic (Malthusian): there are not enough resources for such a large and growing population.
Optimistic (Cornucopian): we will find ways to solve the world’s population growth problems.
Many theorists base their views on the carrying capacity of our planet.

25. Carrying Capacity Carrying capacity of the world means:
The maximum number of people our world can possibility support based on resources such as food and water.

26. Can the earth support more than 12 billion people?
To Ponder
Do you think the capacity of the earth be changed or is it fixed (unalterable)?
Can the earth support more than 12 billion people?
Why or why not?

28. Thomas Malthus’ View: Population Growth
In An Essay on the Principals of Population (1798), Thomas Malthus (a Malthusian) argued that the world’s population will continue to increase until there is no longer enough food to support more people.

29. Thomas Malthus
Once that happens, future population growth will be curtailed by famine and starvation = death.

30. Thomas Malthus
Malthus’s view suggests that the Earth has a fixed carrying capacity = only so much food can be grown and the maximum world population cannot change.

31. Malthus agreed that humanity was capable of increasing its productivity, but believed that population growth would necessarily outpace this increase.

32. To Ponder
Is Malthus a Pessimist or an Optimist when it comes to population growth?

33. Boserup’s View: Population Growth
In The Conditions of Agricultural Growth (1965), Danish economist Esther Boserup (a Cornucopian) argued that population growth leads to new innovations in agriculture, which in turn allow more food to be grown.

34. Boserup’s View
When more food is grown, the maximum population that can be supported increases.
Her theory can be summed up as: “Necessity is the mother of invention."

35. Boserup’s View
Boserup, is not naïve to think that population growth can go on forever; but, unlike Malthus, she does believe the carrying capacity of our planet can be increased = innovations make it sustainable for a growing population.

36. This graph shows how the rate of food supply may vary but never reaches its carrying capacity because every time it is getting near, there is an invention or development that causes the food supply to increase.

37. To Ponder
Is Boserup a Pessimist or an Optimist when it comes to population growth?

38. To Ponder
Both of these theories show that there is always going to be population growth but the questions is how will it be kept in check?
How will the production of resources keep up and how will technology cope?

39. David Suzuki’s Take on It
Spend a minute in a Test Tube with David Suzuki (a Realist):

40. To Ponder
What is Suzuki saying about humans and the planet; about population growth?
Is he a Pessimist or Optimist or something else/something in-between or outside of these categories?

41. David Suzuki
Suzuki is saying that humans, our population growth, and our relationship with the planet is not balanced.
That all we think about is growing without understanding how many resources we have or do not have; that science will save all of us.

42. We can use our ingenuity but it has to respect the environment.
David Suzuki
Suzuki is saying that the earth’s carry capacity is fixed and finite and that there are no other earth’s (that we know of) to move to so we better learn how to live in connection/in a relationship with/respect our environment or goodbye humans.
We can use our ingenuity but it has to respect the environment.

43. David Suzuki He is neither a Pessimist or Optimist.
He is a bit of both = a Realist.

45. Aboriginal Views on Humans + The Planet
Aboriginal world views/perspectives of the land and the earth as a whole also emphasize balance and respect.
A deep and genuine relationship with the Earth has long been a central tenet of First Nations worldviews and philosophy.

46. Aboriginal Views on Humans + The Planet
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people truly connected with the Earth as their Mother = the natural world is considered home, and the rightful stance to take upon her is a respectful, interconnected one of stewardship, sustainability and gratitude.

47. Aboriginal Views on Humans + The Planet
Earth gives birth to, nurtures and sustains all life = it provides us with our food and clean water sources and bestows us with materials for our homes, clothes and tools.

48. Aboriginal Views Humans + The Planet
Earth provides all life with raw materials for our industry, ingenuity and progress.
It is the basis of who we are as “real human beings” and we have to be caretakers of the Earth and realize and respect its gifts of water, air and fire.

49. What do you think now about population growth? Explain.
To Ponder
What do you think now about population growth? Explain.
How will we (or will we) be able to live from now on? That is, what changes should we or do we have to make?