chapter 7Review
Throughout this chapter, we have examined the ways in which the human population changes in response to natural biological factors and in response to other factors that are specifically human in nature. Together, these factors determine the carrying capacity of Earth, the total number of human beings that the world can support. People in the developed world are currently exhibiting very different behavior from those in the developing world. In the developed world, population growth has almost stopped while consumption of resources is still quite high. In the developing world, growth rates, while slowing, are still high, and consumption of resources is still rather low. As the world becomes more urban, and the impacts of development and consumption from larger numbers of people increase, the challenge is to achieve sustainable growth while also promoting the improvement of living conditions in the developing world.
Demography Demographer Immigration Emigration Crude birth rate (CBR) Crude death rate (CDR) Doubling time Total fertility rate (TFR) Replacement-level fertility Developed country Developing country Life expectancy Infant mortality Child mortality Net migration rate Age structure diagram Population pyramid Population momentum Theory of demographic transition Family planning Affluence IPAT equation Gross domestic product (GDP) Urban area | The study of human populations and population trends. The practice of regulating the number or spacing of offspring through the use of birth control. The average number of years that an infant born in a particular year in a particular country can be expected to live, given the current average life span and death rate in that country. A scientist in the field of demography. The number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year. Continued population growth after growth reduction measures have been implemented. A country with relatively low levels of industrialization and income. The number of deaths of children under age 5 per 1,000 live births. An age structure diagram that is widest at the bottom and smallest at the top, typical of developing countries. The movement of people into a country or region, from another country or region. An equation used to estimate the impact of the human lifestyle on the environment: Impact = population × affluence × technology. The difference between immigration and emigration in a given year per 1,000 people in a country. A measure of the value of all products and services produced in one year in one country. A country with relatively high levels of industrialization and income. The state of having plentiful wealth including the possession of money, goods, or property. The total fertility rate required to offset the average number of deaths in a population in order to maintain the current population size. The theory that as a country moves from a subsistence economy to industrialization and increased affluence it undergoes a predictable shift in population growth. An estimate of the average number of children that each woman in a population will bear throughout her childbearing years. An area that contains more than 386 people per square kilometer (1,000 people per square mile). A visual representation of the number of individuals within specific age groups for a country, typically expressed for males and females. The movement of people out of a country or region. The number of deaths of children under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births. The number of births per 1,000 individuals per year. The number of years it takes a population to double. |
Module 22 Human Population Numbers
Explain factors that may potentially limit the carrying capacity of humans on Earth.
Scientists disagree about the size of Earth’s carrying capacity for humans. Some scientists believe we have already exceeded that carrying capacity. Others believe that innovative approaches and new technologies will allow the human population to continue to grow beyond the environmental limits currently imposed by factors such as the supply of food, water, and natural resources.
Describe the drivers of human population growth.
The human population is currently 7.2 billion people, and it is growing at a rate of about a million people every 5 days. If we think of the human population—
Read and interpret an age structure diagram
Age structure diagrams are visual representations of age structures for males and females. Each horizontal bar in the diagram represents an age group. The total area of all the bars in the diagram represents the size of the whole population. A country with more younger people than older people has an age structure diagram that is widest at the bottom and narrowest at the top. This is often called a population pyramid and is typical of developing countries. Developed countries tend to have closer to an even age distribution and their age structure diagrams are more vertical or column-
Module 23 Economic Development, Consumption, and Sustainability
Describe how demographic transition follows economic development.
A number of countries have undergone a demographic transition as their economies have modernized. Economic development generally leads to increased affluence, increased education, less need for children to help their families generate subsistence income, and increased family planning. These factors have reduced the average size of families in developed countries, which leads to slower population growth. Eventually, population size may even decline.
Explain how relationships among population size, economic development, and resource consumption influence the environment.
Most population growth today is occurring in developing countries. Only one-
Explain why sustainable development is a common but elusive goal.
Sustainable development attempts to raise standards of living without increasing environmental impact. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is a blueprint for sustainable development.