Understanding Population Growth
Assignments
Environmental Science - Things to know
· Thailand as an example of solving population growth problems
o How Thailand decreased population growth
o What specific things Thailand did to decrease population growth
· Population growth
o Two types of population growth
§ Linear
§ Exponential - data and graph
Human Populations - graph
o Gross National Product
o Differences in population patterns - graph
§ MDCs – More developed countries
§ LDCs – Less developed countries
· History of resource use and conservation
o Cultural changes
§ Nomadic hunter-gatherers
§ Fairly limited and localized environmental impact
§ Change to agricultural society
§ Increased energy use per person
§ Increased population
§ Increased size of farms and irrigation
§ Increased material goods
§ Increased farm output
§ Urbanization
§ Conflicts between societies – resource ownership disputes
§ Competition for resources
§ Nature didn’t matter
§ Change to industrial society
§ High production and consumption of goods
§ Dependency on nonrenewable resources
§ Shift from natural materials to synthetic (toxic)
§ Increased energy use / person
o Results of these changes
· Factors affecting human population size
o Birth rates and death rates - pic
§ When birth rate exceeds death rate
§ When death rate exceeds birth rate
§ When birth rate equals death rate
§ Annual rate of natural population change
o Fertility rates - pic
§ Replacement level fertility
§ Total fertility rate (TFR)
o Factors that affect birth rates and fertility rates
o Factors that affect death rate
o Measuring the overall health of a country
§ Life expectancy
§ Infant mortality rate
o Migration
· Age structure / age distribution of a population
o 3 age categories for population age structure diagrams - diagrams
§ Pre-reproductive - chart
§ Reproductive
§ Post-reproductive
o Rates of growth in different countries and examples of age structure diagrams - diagrams
§ Rapid growth
§ Slow growth
§ Zero growth
§ Negative growth
o Age structure diagrams - United States
§ Baby boom generation - data and diagram
· Influencing population change
o Controlling migration
o Influencing death rate
§ Unethical
o Influencing birth rate
§ Economic development and the demographic transition model - graph
§ 4 distinct phases of transition (Birth and Death Rates)
§ Pre-industrial stage
§ Transition stage
§ Industrial stage
§ Post-industrial stage
§ Reasons why countries cannot make transition
§ Family planning
§ Contraceptive use and fertility - graph
§ Education and fertility - graph
§ Socioeconomic changes
§ Economic rewards and penalties
§ Examples of rewards and penalties
§ Effectiveness of rewards and penalties