Human Population-final

Human Population Overview

  • Course: WMAN 150

Current Population

  • Global Population: 8.1 billion

  • Individual Perspective: You are 1 of 8.1 billion

Reasons for Limited Discussion on Population

  • Reproduction and Birth Control: Sensitive topics often avoided in public discourse.

  • Immigration: Complex issues surrounding borders and population movement.

  • Capitalist Economic Theory: Influences on population growth and resource allocation.

  • Resource Use: The relationship between population and resource consumption.

  • Religion: Various beliefs affecting views on population growth.

  • Politics: Policies that influence discussions surrounding population policies.

  • One Child Policy: A historical example of governmental population control.

Changes in Human Population Growth

  • Historical Trends:

    • Slow growth until the past 300 years.

    • Reached 1 billion in 1850, projected to be 8.2 billion by 2025.

  • Growth Rate: Approximately 0.85% per year.

  • High birth rates in developing countries, declining mortality rates, and slowed growth in industrialized nations.

Human Population’s Environmental Impact

  • Impact Equation: I = PAT

    • P = Number of people

    • A = Average income per person

    • T = Level of technology used

  • Ecological Footprint: Measures the effect of the human population on the environment and resource use worldwide.

Historical Demography

  • Robert Malthus: Wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).

    • Proposed that population growth is geometric while resource availability increases linearly.

Simon-Ehrlich Wager

  • Paul Ehrlich (1968): Author of "The Population Bomb".

  • Julian Simon: Economist who challenged Ehrlich.

  • The Wager: Focus on metal prices (chromium, copper, nickel, tin, tungsten) over a 10-year period (1980-1990).

    • Ehrlich's Prediction: Prices will increase due to scarcity.

    • Simon's Prediction: Prices will decrease due to availability.

Correlations with Human Density

  • Correlation Types:

    • Positive: As human density increases, biodiversity also increases.

    • Negative: As human density decreases, biodiversity increases.

    • No correlation: Areas without any direct relationship.

Potential Collapse of Global Civilization

  • Current population levels demand the resources of 1.5 planets to sustain.

  • Risks include:

    • Famine

    • Epidemics

    • Resource shortages

    • Conflicts over limited resources

Demographic Transition Model

  • Stages:

    1. High Birth Rates, High Death Rates

    2. Explosive Growth: High Birth Rates, Low Death Rates

    3. Slowdown: Low Birth Rates, Low Death Rates

    4. Stable Population

Can Anything be Done?

  • Discussion surrounding population management strategies and resource allocation.

Case Study: China’s 1-Child Policy

  • Introduction:

    • Enacted in 1979, primarily for urban residents and government employees.

  • Target Population: Aimed for 1.2 billion by 2000.

  • Actual Population in 2025: Projected at 1.4 billion.

  • Consequences after 25 Years:

    • Skewed sex ratios

    • No care for aging parents

    • Avoidance of medical care

  • Policy Change: In 2016, transitioned to a 2-child policy.

Additional Population Data

  • India: 1.42 billion

  • China: 1.41 billion

  • United States: 342 million