Population Explosion and Control Unit 3: Human Population Population Explosion and Control

The Population Explosion In post-transition, pop. Stabilizes or declines Here, they experience economic benefits and social growth Too Many People: The Demographic Trap Demographic trap: When birth rates stay high, combined with declining death rates causing large increase in pop., threatening economic and social development. Overpopulation: Demands of growing pop. exceeds a country’s carrying capacity.

The Population Explosion Too Many People: The Demographic Trap FOOD The Green Revolution (1940s-70s) gave developing countries improved crop yields b/c of agricultural innovations and new crop varieties From 1950-2000, doubled its rice and wheat production, but eventually slowed in the 90s b/c of a lack of innovations As India’s pop. grows, its cropland per capita diminishes

The Population Explosion Too Many People: The Demographic Trap EDUCATION Edu. allows a country to experience demographic transition, but pop. explosions inhibit educating individuals EMPLOYMENT Pop. Explosions put stress on job markets and increase unemployment rates This creates a feedback loop, where agricultural econ. can’t support pop. booms, so people move to cities, but lack the edu. to work in high skilled jobs in urban centres, which in turn slows urban economy

Population Control Population control: Limitation of pop. growth through contraception, sterilization, abortion India’s Approach to Population Control Growth rate in India has remained the same since the 1950s, only recently declining. India’s pop. was stable until 1921 when sanitation, famine, and epidemic programs were taken.

Population Control India’s Approach to Population Control What Has Been the Impact of India’s Population Policies? India has gone through 6 population phases Forced vasectomies have been abolished. Female sterilization is the most common pop. control method A gender gap now exists preferring boys over girls Boys can work on farms, stay at home after marriage, and take care of their parents

Population Control India’s Approach to Population Control What Has Been the Impact of India’s Population Policies? In the mid 80s, abortion of female fetuses became more common compared to female infanticide Since 1994, awareness efforts have been made to prevent female infanticide Today, men have greater difficulties finding wives

Population Control China’s Approach to Population Control Great Leap Forward (late 50s): Plan to transform China’s agriculture from small individual farms to large communal farms, and develop heavy industry to create a modern industrialized communist state One-child policy: Designed in 1979 to reduce China’s pop. growth rate by restricting most couples to one child. Has since been abolished.

Population Control How Successful Are the Population Policies of India and China Pop. growth rates have decreased, but more so in China India will surpass China’s pop. In approx. 10 years, while China enters post-transition

Population Control China’s Approach to Population Control What Has Been the Impact of China’s Population Policies? One-child policy was successful in curbing pop. growth, but created other issues Gender gap is increasing Now, girls have become more valued as a result

The Future of Population Control International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) aims to develop policies to help countries through demographic transition, while developing their economies Provide a plan for social and econ. dev‘t leading to lower fertility rates Culture, economics, and religion make it difficult to implement policies

Chapter 6 Question How did Kerala control it’s population?