7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications The world can be divided into two segments based on economic development. More-developed countries typically have per capita income exceeding $10,000. Europe, Canada, the U.S., Japan, Australia, New Zealand Combined population of 1.2 billion Relatively stable populations Expected to grow 3% by 2050

7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications Less-developed countries typically have a per capita income less than $5,000. All other remaining countries of the world Combined population of 5.3 billion Nearly 3 billion live on less than $2 per day High population growth rates Expected to grow 52% by 2050 (8 billion people, or 86% of the world’s population)

7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications Population growth and economic development

7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications Human population growth is tied to economic development It is a contributing factor to nearly all environmental problems. The degree of technological development and affluence is also significant People in highly developed countries consume huge amounts of resources.

7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications Technology: The technology used is an important contributor to environmental impact. Firewood for heat can lead to deforestation. Coal-fired power plants contribute to pollution. Wind and solar energy lower environmental impact.

7.8 Human Population Characteristics and Implications The ecological footprint is a measure of the land area required to provide the resources and absorb the wastes of a population. Most of the more-developed countries of the world have a much larger ecological footprint than is represented by their land area. Japan is highly developed but has few resources; its ecological footprint is 5 times larger than its locally available resources. The ecological footprint of the U.S. is 1.5 times locally available resources.