8.0 human population dynamics

solid domestic waste

discarded materials generated by households

circular economy

• be restorative to the environment

• use renewable energy source

• eliminate or reduce toxic wastes

strategize to minimize waste

1. reduce

2. reuse

3. recycle

strategize for waste disposal

1. landfills

   + cheap, away from populated areas

   - methane use to generate electricity, issues with leaking gas, health problems

2. incinerators

   + ash can be used for roads, space taken up is less than land fills

   - air pollution, expensive, needs lots of waste to happen

3. anaerobic digestion: biodegradable matter broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen

   + renewable, methane used as fuel, waste used as fertilizer

   - high set up cost, feasible for large farms

carrying capacity

the maximum number of species or load that can be sustainably supported by a given area

difficulties in measuring human carrying capacity

• greater range of resource use

• substitution of resources

• resource use varies from person to person

ecological footprint

area of land and water required to support a defined human population at a given standard of living

renewable natural capital

can be generated as fast as it is being used (groundwater, ozone layer)

non-renewable natural capital

either irreplaceable or only replace over geological timescales (fossils, minerals)

artic resource use

• minerals riches surrounding artic ocean (hydrocarbons)

• climate change causing it to warm up

• countries fight for ownership of the regions frozen seas

antartica resource use

• 98% covered in ice and snow

• humans exploit it through tourism, fishing and whaling

• nobody owns it

valuing natural capital

1. use valuation - natural capital we can put prices on

   • economic price of marketable goods

   • recreational functions (tourism)

2. non-use valuation - natural capital it is impossible to put a price on

   • it has intrinsic value (right to exist)

   • if it has future uses we aren't aware of

   • if it has existential value (Amazon rainforest)

demographics

study of population changes

crude birth rate

(# of births/pop) x 1000

crude death rate

(# of births/pop) x 1000

natural increase rate

rate of human growth ((CBR-CDR)/10)

doubling time

time it takes in a year for population to double in size

total fertility rate

average # of children per woman per lifetime

doubling time calculation

70/NIR

human development index

a measure of wellbeing in a country

MEDC

• Europe, North America, Japan

• industrialized nations

• rich population

• little to no poverty/starivng

• low population growth

• high resource use

• high ecological footprint

LEDC

• Asian, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa

• less industrialized nations

• high poverty/starivng

• high population growth

• low standards of living

• low ecological footprints

why are we more flexible than other species?

1. carrying capacity

   • import food

   • adaptation/mitigation

   • adopt to food choices

reducing family size

• education

• health

• resource management

• enhance income

reasons for large families

• high infant mortality rate

• security in old age

• economic assests: agriculture

• status of women

• lack of contraceptives

demographic transition model: stage 1

high stationary

• high birth rate (no contraception)

• high infant mortality rate

• large families (cultural factors)

• high death rates (famine, little medicine)

demographic transition model: stage 2

early expanding

• death rates drops

• disease reduces

• lifespan increases

• birth rate still high

• child mortality falls

demographic transition model: stage 3

late expanding

• birth rates fall (contraception)

• education

• empowerment

• population levels off

• smaller families

• low infant death rate

demographic transition model: stage 4

low stationary

• low birth rates

• low death rates

• industrialised countries

• stable populations

• USA, UK, Europe

demographic transition model: stage 5

declining

• fertility rate low

• problems of ageing workforce

• Sweden, Japan, Korea

demographic transition model: limitations

• initial model didn't have 5th stage

• fall in death rate hasn't been as steep

• death from AIDS-related diseases can affect this

• fall in birth rates assumes availability of contraceptives and allowances from religious practices

• assumes increasing education and literacy for women