GEOL0840_S23_R12_HumanPopulationGrowth
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
GEOL 0840: Introduction to Environmental Science
Spring 2023
Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Names:
Learning Goals:
The purpose of this week’s recitation exercise is to give you the opportunity to critically think about (1) why age structure is important to understanding population growth, (2) what factors have led to trends in the human population growth rate, and (3) what impact(s) on earth’s resources are likely due to an increasing human population.
Instructions
Remember you may work in groups on the assignment, but you must write out and turn in your
own work on Canvas before the next recitation. Instructions for accessing the U.S. Census Bureau Database For the first part of the exercise we will be using the U.S. Census Bureau database on world population at the address below to answer questions on the United States of America, Niger and New Zealand: https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/idb/#/country?YR_ANIM=2021
A)
Navigate to the webpage which looks like this: Page | 1
GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
A)
Select the current year (use 2020
because that is the most recent complete year)
B)
Select the Country of Interest (for the example I am using Algeria).
C)
Click Submit
Page | 2
GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
D)
The Dashboard report will give you the total fertility rate (births per woman), the birth rate per 1000 people, the life expectancy at birth (in years), the infant mortality rate (deaths per 1000 births), and the deaths per 1000 people (crude death rate) and looks like this:
E)
The Patterns and Trends
report shows the rate of natural increase (percent) and the growth rate (percent) and looks like this: Page | 3
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
F)
The Population Pyramid Graph will show you the population pyramid graph for the country of interest. You can go back to change the year on the search screen to get pyramid graphs for different years. Recall from the videos that the pyramid graph looks something like this:
Part 1: Age Structure 1.
For the United States, analyzing the different data reports, obtain the demographic data and fill in below for the year 2020
Population Growth Rate (percent) ____0.7%______
Total fertility rate (births per woman) ____1.84______
Life expectancy at birth (years) ____80.3______
Infant (under 5) mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 births) ____6.4_____
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
2.
Describe the present (2020) population pyramid graph for the United States in words, and account for its shape by giving reasons from the videos. The graph had a shape of a trapezium, the shape is due to the population aging steadily and shrinking from the stage of expansive youth population.
3.
In 2020, is there a significant difference between the populations of men and women? _______ No
If there is, what might be a reason for the difference? The population sex ratio depends on three factors: the sex ratio at birth, differential mortality rates between the sexes at different ages, and losses and gains through migration.
4.
Compare the shape of the 2020 U.S. population pyramid to the shape of the 2050 U.S. population pyramid. The 2050 shape is the 2020 shape expanded but the middle region will be the widest.
5.
Compare the Components of Population Growth
for 2020 and 2050 for the United States. What significant changes are projected for 2050?
The middle age and elders grow significantly while the youth population grow by a little
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
Go back to the IDP page and choose the second country, Niger
6.
Look at the Demographic Indicators for Niger and answer the following questions for the
year 2020
Population Growth Rate (percent) ____3.6%______
Total fertility rate (births per woman) ____7______
Life expectancy at birth (years) ___59.3_______
Infant (under 5) mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 births) ____109.3_____
7.
Explain the reasons for the differences between your responses to question 1 (for the U.S.) and question 6 (for Niger). Give at least three reasons.
The social structure, religious beliefs, economic prosperity and urbanisation within each country are likely to affect birth rates as well as abortion rates, Developed countries tend to have a lower fertility rate due to lifestyle choices associated with economic affluence where mortality rates are low, birth control is easily accessible and children often can become an economic drain caused by housing, education cost and other cost involved in bringing up children. Higher education and professional careers often mean that women have children late in life. 8.
Describe the shape of the 2020 population pyramid for Niger and compare it to that of the United States.
Its a pyramid shape showing rapid growing youth population. The expansive (young and growing) shape.
9.
How does the shape of the 2050 population pyramid for Niger compare to the 2020 population pyramid for Niger?
The shape of the pyramid expands outwards like a scaled enlargement. The shape does not change overall where as the US pyramid shows growth in the elderly and middle aged more than other sectors.
Page | 6
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
10. Compare the Components of Population Growth
for 2020 and 2050 for the country Niger. What significant changes are projected for 2050?
The most significant change is the young population and the birth population grows dramatically compared to the 2020 pyramid
Go back to the IDP page and choose the third country, Japan
11. For Japan obtain the demographic data and fill in below for the year 2020
Population Growth Rate (percent) ___-0.3%_______
Total fertility rate (births per woman) ____1.37______
Life expectancy at birth (years) ___84.5_______
Infant (under 5) mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 births) ____2.6_____
12. Compare the shapes of the 2020 and 2050 population pyramids for Japan.
The 2020 pyramid is an aging population and the 2050 pyramid is an aged population with the shape of a temple shifting into a kite without the tip at bottom.
13. What are some social problems that might result because of demographic changes in Japan over the next 30 years? With a low birthrate and aging population, Japan's social security system is under strain and is suffering from labor shortages. The aging and shrinking population will strain Japan's public finances, as age-related spending—such as on healthcare and pensions—rises while the tax base shrinks
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
Go back to the IDP page and choose the fourth country, New Zealand
14. Before looking at the data for New Zealand, would you expect New Zealand to be more like the United States, Niger, or Japan? __United States_____ Why? Less social problems, developed country and lots of well being social security
15. Look at the Demographic Indicators and answer the following questions for New Zealand for
the year 2020.
Population Growth Rate (percent) ___1.4%______
Total fertility rate (births per woman) ___1.87_______
Life expectancy at birth (years) ____82.1______
Infant (under 5) mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 births) __4.3_______
16. Compare the shapes of the 2020 population pyramid for New Zealand to those of the United States, Niger, and Japan. It is similar to the United states and have a pattern of aging population
Part 2: Factors that impact the human population growth rate (recommend discussing in groups)
The world population reached seven (7) billion in 2011. This last billion was added quickly (12-
13 years) as was the billion before it, making it the most rapid growth period in history for humanity. As of 5/15/2021 the global population was estimated at 7.7-7.9 billion depending on the source. This appears counterintuitive since fertility rates have been steadily decreasing, specifically, ~40% of the world’s population lives in countries where the birth rates are below replacement.
17. How has the human population changed over time? What factors account for this change; specifically, what factors have led the steadily decreasing fertility rate? Low fertility is common in developed countries due to lifestyle choices associated with economic prosperity. Other reasons include: Access to contraception and family planning - Women can decide when and if they will have a baby. Women can avoid unwanted births. With the Page | 8
GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
improvements in science and technology, life becomes better and better for human beings. In the past, when there were no discoveries for curing diseases, the human population declined because of the spread of various diseases and famine conditions.
But as the developments in the scientific world are made, it has been easier to cure diseases and other problems. As a result, the population size of the human goes on increasing.
18. Population growth is expected to be highest in less developed countries. What is the role of economically- developed and developing countries in handling this?
increased birth rates and decreased death rates. It is also caused by industrialization and the availability of food, water, energy, and reliable medical care. Children are required in developing countries as a labor force and to care for their elderly parents. Fertility rates are more significant in these nations due to a shortage of contraception and comparatively low education levels.
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GEOL 0840 Recitation 12: Human Population Growth
Spring 2023
Part 3: Describing how Human Populations impact the Earth’s Resources
In a well-known essay from 1798, Thomas Malthus proposed that the human population would grow more rapidly than our ability to grow food, and that eventually we would starve. Today, along with the rapid growth in human population, our presence has been marked by a dramatic
increase in human activity. Researchers use the IPAT model to estimate the size of a population’s ecological footprint or our rising impact. We also discussed this back at the beginning of the semester.
19. What is the IPAT model (hint describe the IPAT equation that you learned about in the pre-recitation video and what each of the letters mean)? an equation that expresses the idea that environmental impact (I) is the product of three factors: population (P), affluence (A) and technology (T).
20. List and
explain at least two (2) major impacts that the increasing human population has on earth’s resources. How are these impacts similar or different in
economically- developed and developing countries?
Erosion of farmland, overuse of both surface and groundwater, dwindling supplies of finite fossil fuels, and escalating extinction of plant and animal species imperil the ability of the earth's resources to meet the needs of such enormous numbers of humans.Regions with high population pressure face scarcity of arable land, which leads to shortened/removed fallow period, declining soil fertility and farm income due to farm subdivision.More people in a country can lead to a larger workforce and easier access to labor. More labor will lead to more products being produced which will then cause economic growth. Population growth allows for the expansion of labor and products which then grows the economy.
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