 Do you think the world is overpopulated or underpopulated?  What might be some problems associated with each situation?

MALTHUSIAN AND NEO-MALTHUSIAN THEORIES

Thomas Malthus ( ) lived in England during the British Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions: The British Agricultural Revolution ( ):  Period of tremendous increase in agricultural productivity and net output, supported by advances in science, engineering and elementary botany..  As the revolution in industry progressed, machines became available that increased food production with ever fewer laborers. Population Increase: the population of England and Wales, which had remained steady at 6 million from 1700 to 1740, rose dramatically after The population of England had more than doubled from 8.3 million in 1801 to 16.8 million in 1851 and, by 1901, had nearly doubled again to 30.5 million. British Industrial Revolution: The agricultural revolution supported unprecedented population growth, freeing up a significant percentage of the workforce, and thereby helped drive the Industrial Revolution.

 Today: 1 person, 1 unit of food  25 years from now:2 persons, 2 units of food  50 years from now:4 persons, 3 units of food  75 years from now:8 persons, 4 units of food  100 years from now:16 persons, 5 units of food Malthus’s reasoning: food production grows by ADDITION of more acreage into cultivation, whereas population grows by MULTIPLICATION of human beings. Malthus’s idea of geometric population growth is now commonly referred to as EXPONTENTIAL GROWTH. HOW CAN HIS THEORY BE REPRESENTED ON A GRAPH?

 What ended up happening instead?

1. Although Malthus foresaw the development of new agricultural technologies, he did not realize to what degree new technologies would increase food production. What factors increased food production and why?

 Draining marshlands to grow arable crops.  Replacing low-yield crops, such as rye, with higher-yielding crops like wheat or barley.  Clearing woodland to create pasture  Growing turnips and clover for fodder, which helped to produce arable farms.  Growing turnips was important in reducing the area of fallow land (can grow turnips and weed at the same time).  Increasing the NITROGEN in soil by growing legumes, especially clover, increased nitrogen fixation in the soil.

2. Malthus assumed that humans have no control over their reproductive behavior. He did not foresee that population growth would slow down because of  EFFECIVE CONTRACEPTION  THE CHANGING ROLES OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY  INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE’S REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS.

In spite of 40 years of efforts to promote family planning, Pakistan’s population growth rate is still one of the highest in the world. Reasons for not using contraception: desire for more children concerns about health (including side effects) opposition of husband or mother-in-law socioeconomic or cultural factors lack of knowledge or availability

 He did not recognize that famine is usually related not to a lack of food, but to the unequal distribution of food.

 Even though Malthus’s assumptions were incorrect, some theorists (“Neo- Malthusians”) warn that a Malthusian catastrophe could still occur, resulting in a world-wide shortage of food.  Neo-Malthusians make three important points…

#1 SUSTAINABILITY: When the population reaches 10 billion, there may be problems keeping up with food demand. Soil erosion Soil nutrient loss Depletion of irrigation sources (water) Soil salinization (salt accumulation)

#2 INCREASING Per Capita DEMAND FOR FOOD: Globally, the amount of food consumed per person is rising. Why?

The average First World citizen consumes around eight times the amount of food and resources that a person in the Third World does.

#3 Natural Resource Depletion: Natural resources that are being depleted include: Timber Minerals Energy Other non-renewables

 Based off the two articles from yesterday, which argument do you agree with, and why?

 -Briefly describe how the Black Plague impact on population changed European society  Make sure you have the following for your note book:  Do Now 8/24  Migration Notes  Do Now 8/25: Mexican-US immigration Case Study  Do Now 8/26  8/26 Thomas Malthus Notes  Do Now 8/27  8/27: Black Plague Sheet  8/28 Do Now