Chapter 4. Chapter 4: Human Populations

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Guiding Question 4.5

What impact does our current world population have on the Earth and can it support us all?

Why You Should Care

The industrialized countries of the world now have the hindsight to realize that the road to development did not follow a very environmentally friendly course. It is difficult for developed nations to encourage ecologically responsible development in developing nations, since developing countries have and use a disproportionate share of the world’s resources. There aren’t enough resources in the world to allow everyone on the planet to consume them at the current rates of developed countries, so understanding the interplay of culture, development, and population growth is crucial to eventually finding a sustainable high standard of living for everyone.

Test Your Vocabulary

Select the correct term to match each of the following definitions:

Term	Definition
	The movement of people into a given population.
	The movement of people out of a given population.
	More people living in an area than its natural and human resources can support.
	The systematic killing of a specific gender (male or female)
	The population size that an area can support for the long term; it depends on the resource availability and the rate of per capita resource use by the population

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Infographic 4.8 Human Impact and Carrying Capacity

Question Sequence

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The graph in Infographic 4.8 is measured in hectares of land; why is land area used a measure of resource production and use?

The hectares in the graph represent a composite of the amount of farm land, oil fields, industrial plants, mines, etc. that are needed to support one person or how many resources are produced per person. They don’t represent an actual plot of land.

Short-Answer Questions

Let’s shift our focus from China to the United States. Although not the most populous nation, the U.S. is demographically exceptional in other ways. Answer the following thought questions about population growth in the U.S. To help find specific facts, you may want to consult the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook or another reputable website.

1) The total fertility rate in the US is 2.09, which is more or less equal to the replacement fertility rate of 2.1. Although this TFR is lower than most developing countries, it is higher than most of the countries of Europe. Provide an explanation for the relatively high TFR in the U.S. using the terminology you have learned about population growth.

2) The TFR and other demographic conditions in the U.S. have led some scientists to suggest that the U.S. is not quite into the 'Post-Industrialization Stage' of the demographic transition and therefore not as developed as the countries of western Europe. Explain whether or not you agree with this opinion.

3) During what time period do you think that the U.S. went through the demographic transition? Were there any historic events that precipitated the transition?

1) This is an open ended question, so your answer may vary, but the best answers will incorporate some of the language you have learned about to describe population growth and age structure in populations.

Some facts about the US that shed light on its TFR:

- The US has higher rates of teen pregnancy than most of the developed countries of Europe.

- The US is more religious than the countries of Europe, and studies show that the more religious a country is, the higher its TFR will be.

2) There are many approaches to take with this question. The U.S. has gone through the transition in that birth rate has lowered to approach death rate but there are many things one could point to as indicating that the standard of living has not improved to the same level as other developed countries.

3) Birth rates in the U.S. decreased for most of the 1800s, but the total fertility rate really dropped around 1900 and then increased during the post WWII baby boom (when the standards of living and urbanization also increased).

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Chapter 4. Chapter 4: Human Populations

What impact does our current world population have on the Earth...

Guiding Question 4.5

Test Your Vocabulary

Question Sequence

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