1. Changing population trends
“A baby born in the United States will damage the planet 20 to 100 times more in a lifetime than a baby born into a poor family in a less developed country. Each rich person in the United States does 1000 times more damage than a poor person in an less developed country.”
Dr. Paul Ehrlich
Section 2
Changing population trends

2. Objectives
Describe three problems caused by rapid human population growth
Compare population growth problems in more-developed countries and less-developed countries
Analyze strategies countries may use to reduce their population growth
Describe worldwide projections into the next century

3. Infrastructure
Infrastructure- the basic facilities of a country or region, such as roads, bridges, and sewers
Populations that have high growth rates create environmental problems
A rapidly growing population uses resources at an increased rate and can overwhelm the infrastructure of a community

4. Symptoms of overwhelming population growth
Suburban sprawl (suburbs extend outward; encourages more car dependency)
Overcrowded schools
Polluted rivers
Barren land
Inadequate housing

5. Symptoms of overwhelming population growth

6. Problems of Rapid Growth
People cannot live without……
Clean water
Fuel
Land for farming food

7. Problems of Rapid Growth
A rapidly growing population can use resources faster than the environment can renew them
Vegetation, water and land are the resources most affected

8. A shortage of fuelwood
In many of the poorest countries, wood is the main fuel source
When populations are STABLE, people use fallen tree limbs for fuel, which does not harm the trees
When populations grow rapidly, deadwood does not accumulate fast enough to provide enough fuel

9. A shortage of fuelwood People begin to cut down living trees
Parts of Africa, Asia, and India have been cleared of vegetation by people collecting fuelwood

10. A shortage of fuelwood
Without enough fuelwood, many people suffer from disease and malnutrition
In many parts of the world, water is taken directly from wells or public supplies and is not safe to drink because it contains waterborne parasites or other diseases
Water can be sterilized by boiling it, but fuelwood is needed to do so

11. Shortage of fuelwood
In areas that have no sewage or water treatment, people may use the same water supply for bathing, drinking, washing, and sewage disposal

12. Unsafe water
In places that lack infrastructure, water is used for many different things
In 2001, over 1 billion people world-wide lacked safe drinking water and over 3 million died of diseased spread through water
This occurs because many populations double every 15 years and water systems cannot be expanded fast enough to keep up with this growth

13. Diseases from usafe water
Dysentery
Typhoid
Cholera

14. Lima, peru 1991
More than half of the population in Lima lacked plumbing
The bacteria that cause cholera thrived in the unmanaged water sources in 1991
That was the first time in 75 years that a cholera outbreak had occurred in the Western Hemisphere

15. Impacts on land Arable land- farmland that can be used to grow crops
People prefer to live where they have access to crops
Ex. Nile River Valley in Egypt

16. Impacts on land
73 million live in this area because its good for farming
However, Egypt’s population is growing by 2% per year
They continue to build housing on farmland, which reduces the amount of arable land

17. Suburban sprawl
Urbanization- an increase in the ratio or density of people living in urban areas rather than rural areas
More people find work in the cities and move into suburbs
Housing becomes more costly and more dense because of the shorter supply

18. Suburban sprawl Leads to……. Traffic jams (more air pollution!)
Inadequate infrastructure
Reduction of farmland
Loss of wildlife habitat

19. A demographically diverse world
In recent years, the United Nations have officially identified least developed countries
Least developed country- countries showing few signs of development in terms of income, human resources, and economic diversification
These countries are given priority for aid and development programs

20. Growth rate for different parts of the world
Most of the world’s population
Stable population growth
Asia
Europe
U.S.
Canada
Russia
South Korea
Thailand
China
Japan
Australia
New Zeland
Growth rate for different parts of the world

21. Managing development and population growth
Throughout history, there has been a negative effect on population growth
Many countries (China, Thailand, India) have tried to reduce birth rates by using the following:
Public advertising
Economic incentives
Legal punishments
Family planning programs

22. Public advertising for one child

23. Growth is slowing Currently at 6 billion and growing
The human population
Fertility rates
Currently at 6 billion and growing
The growth rate peaked at 87 million per year between 1985 and 1990
Only grew by 81 million people between 1990 and 1995
Have declined since 1970 in developed and developing nations
Rates are MUCH higher in developing nations
Demographers believe most countries fertility rates will reach the replacement level by 2050
Growth is slowing

24. Projections in 2050
Most demographers predict the medium growth rate and a world population of 9 billion by 2050