Human Population Dynamics

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and facts from the lecture on human population dynamics, growth patterns, environmental impacts, and demographic tools.

Exponential population growth

A rapid, accelerating increase in population size over time, shown historically in the global human population curve since the 1700s.

Environmental resistance

Natural factors—such as disease, predation, and limited resources—that slow or stop population growth; reduced levels of these factors have allowed recent human population surges.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size that an environment can sustainably support; improvements in technology and agriculture have raised this limit for humans.

More Developed Countries (MDCs)

Nations with slow population growth and high standards of living, typically contributing more per-capita to resource use and pollution.

Less Developed Countries (LDCs)

Nations with rapid population growth and lower standards of living, generally contributing less per-capita to environmental impact.

Ecological footprint

The total area of land and water required to supply the resources a person or population consumes and to absorb their wastes.

Per capita CO₂ emissions

The average amount of carbon dioxide released by each person in a given country or region, often used to compare environmental impact across nations.

Richest 1% carbon emissions

The wealthiest one percent of the global population produced 16 % of total CO₂ in 2019—roughly equal to the emissions of the poorest two-thirds of humanity.

Population pyramid

A bar graph displaying a nation’s population by age on the y-axis and number of males and females on the x-axis, revealing growth trends and dependency ratios.

Age structure

The distribution of a population’s individuals among different age groups; shapes population pyramids and influences future growth potential.

Current world population (2024 approx.)

About 8.2 billion people live on Earth today.

Annual population increase

The world adds roughly 132 million people each year.

World population milestones

Key global counts: 600 million (1700), 1 billion (1803), 2 billion (1928), 2.5 billion (1960), 5 billion (1987), 7.7 billion (2019), projected 9.7 billion (2060) and 10.9 billion (2100).

Declining growth rate

Although the population is still rising, the percentage rate of increase has fallen from 2.1 % in 1968 to well below 1 % today.

Predictive population models

Demographic projections that indicate global population may level off or even decline later this century due to changing fertility and mortality trends.

Carbon inequality

The disproportionate contribution to greenhouse-gas emissions by wealthy individuals or nations compared to poorer counterparts.

Heat-related excess deaths

An estimated 1.3 million additional deaths expected between 2020 and 2030 due to warming driven largely by emissions from the richest 1 %.

Economic dependents

Population segments (typically under 15 and over 65) supported by the working-age group; visible as bulges at pyramid top or base.

MDC vs. LDC ecological impact

MDCs have lower birth rates but far higher ecological footprints per person, whereas LDCs grow faster but use fewer resources per capita.

Oxfam 2023 ‘planet-heating pollution’ report

Study highlighting that taxing the super-rich could reduce both climate change impacts and global inequality by curbing their outsized emissions.