This is a rate that for a human population can be sustained only by immigration. Human population size, growth, density and migration are underlying causes of biodiversity loss. Introduce the lectures with some facts about the importance of population growth. The editorinchief is dr elizabeth fussell, 1 associate professor of population studies and environment and society at brown university. In a remote pocket of the island of indonesian borneo, a small organization is working with the local community to link the issues of human health and protecting a fragile environment in an effort to build a. All life on earth obtains its food and other necessities from this environment. Population growth and earths human carrying capacity. The rapid increase in population growth over the past few centuries has led to an increasing interest in, and a growing concern for population growth as one of the key threats to the environment. Aug 03, 2011 a brief discussion about the connection between human population growth and the natural environment. Notes human population and the environment notes edurev. We need to have, report and act upon, accurate information about the relationship of our economic activity to the environment. Changes in a population s age composition will have severe consequences on the global economy, environment, and society bongaarts, 2009. Many people worry that population growth will eventually cause an environmental catastrophe. Population growth drives depletion of natural resources.
Pdf the rapid increase of human population is putting an incredible strain on our environment. In the last 200 years the population of our planet has grown exponentially, at a rate of 1. A threat to the environment can be in many different forms, such as soil erosion, climate change, deforestation, wastes, and. The interaction between population and environment has a long history. Neoclassical theory of population growth stated that increased human activities would. Since populations can grow exponentially, resource depletion can occur rapidly, leading to specific environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestation and decreasing biodiversity. Population and the environment the impact of population growth on economic development is a complex issue. Rising population numbers clearly there is a relationship between population growth and environmental stress, but very little empirical evidence exists to prove or disprove the effects of population on the environment.
Students explore population growth, discuss potential issues associated with the worlds growing population, evaluate public policy in the area of population growth, and create population pyramids. Human population has seen exponential growth over the past few. It is a fact that the growth of human population is more stable in the developed countries, i. Human population growth and wildlife extinction in ugalla ecosystem, western tanzania article pdf available in international journal of sustainable development 52. If it continued at this rate, with the population doubling every 40 years, by 2600 we would all be standing literally shoulder to shoulder. These faster growing populations can add pressure to local environments. The complexity of the interrelationships between population growth and environmental concerns is often obscured when the global picture is presented.
Human population and the environment linkedin slideshare. Pdf population growth and environmental degradation. However, the problem is bigger and more complex than just counting bodies. Impact of a growing population on natural resources. Therefore this paper will discuss these two theories for population growth and their effect on the resources and environment of the earth. One of the factors responsible for environment degradation is population growth or population density.
The united states is experiencing rapid population growth at a rate higher than almost any other developed country along with increased food production, criss said. Page 1 1 human population and the environment how to use this syllabus students. With all these linkages between population growth and the environment. Human carrying capacity is therefore dynamic and uncertain. One of the largest environmental effects of human population growth is the problem of global warming. Human population growth rate is even worse in the developing world. By suzanne york, amazing things can happen when local voices are heard. Human population and environmental problems environmental. In fact, the global population has more than doubled just since 1950, when there were between 2. Population growth, resource consumption, and the environment. Management and monitoring of the environment, and developing technologies to prevent acid rain and all pollutions is far more important than focusing on pie the in sky schemes of controlling population numbers in a democracy, maybe we should all return to a dictatorship it the only way you will truly be able to control population numbers, i am. Weeks introduction human beings have been around for a long time, perhaps a million or more years, 1 but for most of that time the imprint of humans on the planet was scarcely noticeable. Describe the historical pattern of growth of the worldwide human population since our origin.
Is human population growth a threat environmental sciences. There is a deep relationship between population, health and environment. Pdf human population growth and wildlife extinction in. In particular, population density plays the most important role in shaping the socioeconomic environment. Aug 16, 2008 population growth and environmental degradation. Although the global rate of human population growth peaked around 1963, the number of people living on earth and sharing finite resources like water and food has grown by more than twothirds since then, topping out at over seven and a half billion today, and human population is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050. By focusing on population growth, what were doing is focusing on one aspect over which we dont really have personal control but nevertheless is already improving while ignoring all the other things we could be doing at a local or national level that actually do improve sustainability. The essay can include information gath ered from many sources including classroom teachers, lectures by guest speakers, libraries, par ents, from the web site, or this syllabus. The consequences of today, for tomorrows world part ii population growth human rights, the economy, and the environment on the consequences of today, for tomorrows world part i solutions for saving elephants on world elephant day population growth human rights, the economy, and the environment on earth overshoot and ending our. Describe how wealth and poverty, the status of women, and family planning programs affect population growth characterize the dimensions of the hivaids epidemic analyze relationships among changes in population size, economic development, and resource consumption at global and local scales. Our growing population also adds to the enormous amount of waste.
They not only limit population growth, but often drive existing populations well below their previous level. As might be imagined population growth has positive and negative effects on development. Different factors which plays a vital role are been discussed in detail. The effects on biodiversity 3 replies the massive growth in the human population through the 20th century has had more impact on biodiversity than any other single factor. Things to be learned population growth, variations among nations population explosion family welfare program environment and human health human rights value education women and child welfare role of information technology in environment case studies mr. Human population growth environmental science socratic.
Environmentalists considered that stance to be shortsighted because support for family planning is the most effective way to check population growth and relieve pressure on the planets environment, and as a result, the global gag rule was rescinded in 2009 by president obama but put back in. Global population growth creates environmental problems. Human population as a dynamic factor in environmental degradation. World population growth and environmental degradation. Population growth and earths human carrying capacity joel e. Civil war began, the population increased more than 30% per year. Impacts of population growth the 20th century was an unprecedented era of population growth. Population growth global population growth year population in billions 1700 0. A threat to the environment can be in many different forms, such as soil erosion, climate change, deforestation, wastes, and pollution. Ppt human population growth and the environment powerpoint. Human population growth and the environment an overview human population growth and the environment human population an explosive growth human needs limited resources our natural environment under attack roles of technology and engineering an uncertain future humans are recent arrivals earth 5 billion years multicell biota 600 million years.
A brief discussion about the connection between human population growth and the natural environment. Human population growth and the environment human population an explosive growth human needs limited resources our natural environment under attack a free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. The formula for exponential population growth is nn 0 e rt where n 0 is the starting population, e is a logarithmic constant 2. Introduction to population growth population genetics and. Oct 25, 2015 page 1 1 human population and the environment how to use this syllabus students. Population is an important source of development, yet it is a major source of environmental degradation when it exceeds the threshold limits of the support systems.
Malthusian theory 1798 and 1803, republished 1960 stresses that the growth of human populations always tends to outstrip. Human population is currently growing exponentially. Immigration, population growth, and the environment. Population growth is one of the major concerns of the present world as the human population is not a static factor. It is not the census figures alone that need to be stressed, but an appreciation of the impact on natural resources of the rapid escalation in the. Population and the environment the link between population growth and environmental impact seems obvious at first glance. Unlimited population growth leads to overcrowding, has adverse environmental implications, especially in urban areas it tends to reduce food, water, fuel, land and other natural resources. Unfortunately, while the human population grows exponentially, food production can only increase linearly. In the process we have caused a lot of stress to the environment that we might end destroying ourselves. Human behavior and environmental sustainability rug. Sir david king, science advisor to the uk government.
Human population growth ecology and the environment. Understanding human population growth lesson planet. Start the discussion today with the notion of sustainability. This fact does not mean that human beings are plague on the land. It seems that modern humans appeared around 1,50,000 years bp before present and established in several parts of the world around 50,000 bp. The effect of population growth on environmental quality.
Checks on population growth densityindependent checks on population growth the vagaries of the physical environment, for example, drought, freezes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, often check population growth. The variety and complexity of populationenvironment associations varies with spatial aggregation. Assess and explain human activities that influence and modify the environment such as global warming, population growth, pesticide use, and water and power consumption. Human population growth and its effect environmental. National academy of sciences, national academy of engineering, and institute of medicine. Human population growth and its effect environmental sciences.
Human population and the environment population growth the origin of modern humans homo sapiens sapiens is still shrouded in controversy. Global population is projected to grow to anywhere between 8 billion and 11 billion by the middle of the century, with much of the growth expected to take place in the humid tropics whose ecosystems harbor the planets richest forms of biodiversity. Describe how the ecological footprint of an average american differs from that of a person living in a developing nation. Describe the causes of the changes in human population in the last 2000 years and remember to discuss all the negative consequences that have resulted from that increase. In studying the population and land use relationship, it is essential to consider both numbers of people and their behavior. Projecting global population human population continues to increase r has declined over last few decades 1960 r 2. Unless the relationship between the multiplying population and the life support system can be stabilized, development programs, howsoever, innovative are not likely to yield.
Population growth influences land use patterns in combination with consumption behaviors and productive activities of the worlds peoples. Students will analyze the impacts of human population growth and how the environment is impacted by human activities through reading and writing. Interaction between population and environmental degradation core. At the root of all our environmental problems is population growth, and section 4. The population growth is determined mainly by birth rate, death rate, and migration patterns immigration and emigration. Population growth and environmental degradation population is an important source of development, yet it is a major source of environmental degradation when it exceeds the threshold limits of the support systems. Compare and contrast define the term ecological footprint. Environmentalists have long recognized the impact of human population growth on the environment. These transformations are not automatic and their extent is influenced by social institutions. Some scientists fear that global warming will lead to rising sea levels and extreme weather. Pdf human response to population growth and environmental.
In spite of the increasing world population, the resources of the earth remain constant. More on population growth, ecological footprint, equity. It is also essential to consider countries or regions in broader international. Human geography effects of population on the environment. Land transformations induced by the spatial expansion of agriculture are probably the major route by which population growth has affected features of the natural environment. Environmental effects of human population growth emerge from interactions between national economic development and. This paper summarizes research on the effect of population growth on environmental quality. What are environmental problems due to population growth. Pdf on jan 1, 2004, tara singh and others published human response to population growth and environmental challenges find, read and cite all the. Population growth rates degree of industrialization relative prosperity gni ppp. Historic population chart students examine the changes. Population, health, and the environment citation needed phe is an approach to human development that integrates family planning and health with conservation efforts to seek synergistic successes for greater conservation and human welfare outcomes than single sector approaches.
Population growth archives population growth human rights. Population growth and ecological footprint its about. The challenge for environmental management david pimentel, x. In many areas, especially the west, the practice of mining ground water to irrigate arid or semiarid land, which wont work in the long run, is becoming commonplace. Pdf human population growth and the demographic transition. Changes in a populations age composition will have severe consequences on the global economy, environment, and society bongaarts, 2009. It is not the census figures alone that need to be stressed, but an appreciation of the impact on natural resources of the rapid escalation in the rate of increase of human population in the recent past.
Population growth is the increase in the number of people living in a particular area. Its effects are felt on the natural environment also. It is the belief of many, however, that zero population growth will be reached earlier by a catastrophic increase in the number of deathsmost probably from starvation. The interactions between human population dynamics and the environment have often. Nov 04, 2014 environmental impacts of population growth big societies consume more resources compared to small ones, patterns of consumption and choices of technology may result in more environmental impacts compared to the number of people. Thus, the ability to maintain sustainable development is becoming a major challenge to mankind. Assuming there is a carrying capacity for humans, how would you suggest that the population slow its growth and stabilize it at a sustainable number. Human population and the environment 215 3 to 4 billion, in 14 years. Heading toward zero population growth zpg the case of sweden sweden demographic transition completed births almost equal to deaths novery little poverty one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world heavily involved in international development aid and family planning natural increase approximately 0. Include in this historic overview the changes that have happened technologically, medically, culturally and nutritionally to result in. Populations in developed countries trend toward using substantially. Population in statistics, according to the oxford english dictionary is a totality of objects or individuals under consideration, of which the statistical attributes may be estimated by the study of a sample or samples drawn from it. Pimentel introduction a h e a l t h y and prudently managed environment is a major benefit to humans and other species. If you plot this equation, you see a curve arching upward over time as the population increases exponentially, assuming no change in the rate.
Review describe how the human population has grown over time. Explain why do environmental scientists consider limitless human population growth a problem. Both common sense and a large body of research make clear that the number of people living in a given land area has significant implications for the environment. Furthermore, degradation of land, water, energy, and. How does the human population affect the environment. Downtrend of population size 9% between 20059% between. Environmental impacts of population growth big societies consume more resources compared to small ones, patterns of consumption and choices of technology may result in more environmental impacts compared to the number of people. Population summit of the worlds scientific academies.