Transcript Sustainability:

Sustainability:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_maps/world_rel_803005AI_2003.jpg
Global Population – History, Changes, Areas
of Crisis, Causes, and the Future
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Global
population is
exponentially
increasing:
Global Population:
It takes fewer
and fewer
years for the
population to
grow by the
same amount.
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econosystemics.com
How can we have such drastic changes over
such a short period of time?
History of Population Growth:
1. Sanitation Improvements:
- In the early 1800s, soap
use greatly increased.
- By the mid to late 1800s,
municipal sanitation systems
were much more common.
- Improved sanitation results
For example, in
in fewer people
dying from
the 1860s,
infectious diseases.
London built an
http://www.knowitall.org/techteam/teams/marion/websites
/cherry/Images/soap.jpg
extensive sewer
system.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/lo
ndon/i/man_made/sewer302.jpg
What are some of the reasons that the world’s
population has increased rapidly since the 1800s?
Changes in population continued…
2. Medical Improvements:
- Improving sanitation
practices in the medical
community
- New medicines –
particularly antibiotics
and vaccinations
- These improvements
have resulted in fewer
infant and children
deaths as well as a
longer average lifespan
around most of the world.
Before improvements in
sanitary conditions in
hospitals, people were very
likely to die from other
infectious diseases
transmitted there.
Before antibiotics, minor
infections could easily
kill people.
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3. Agricultural Changes: Increased use
- Greatly increased crop
production per acre from
the mid 1940s to early
1980s.
- Crop production is no
longer increasing
-–Overall, many more
people are fed on smaller
pieces of farmland
compared to 100 years
ago.
of pesticides
Large-scale
and fertilizers
monoculture
as well as new
puts plants at
equipment
great risk from
allowed
for and
diseases
greaterpests.
crop
density
For example, today the
Manyof
fertilizers are
average acre
agriculture in themade
U.S. from
is
and so
producing 5-6 petroleum
times more
not really
food than it did are
in 1940.
sustainable and are
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increasing in cost.
http://agronomyday.cropsci.uiuc.edu/2003/liquid_
manure/robert-fig-1.gif
http://www.tox.ncsu.edu/photos/spray_groundrig_resize.jpg
http://www.precisiongps.com/images/Manure%20Pics/c
orn%20field.jpg
Changes in population continued…
Changes in population continued…
•Worldwide – child mortality is much lower
and life expectancy is much greater than in
the past.
• However, not all parts
of the world have low
mortality or long life
expectancy.
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Population Concerns—Developing
Countries
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http://www.fi.edu/guide/hughes/images/pop-1a.jpg
Total Fertility Rate
Developing countries are experiencing
considerably faster population increases
compared to developed countries.
Developing
Countries
have a
greater
fertility rate
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mapsofworld.com
Female education and TFR
Female literacy
and school
enrollment are
correlated with
total fertility
rate:
More-educated
women have
fewer children.
http://drugline.org/medic/term/rate-maternal-mortality/
Maternal Mortality
More than 500,000
women die every
year from pregnancy
or childbirth:
- Primarily in
developing countries
- Often associated
with poor health and
very little time
between pregnancies
- Women (and
couples) in developing
countries often have
no access to birth
control even when
they want it
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Birth
Control
Methods
Vastly differing access to
family planning and birth
control options in the
developing world.
(political, social, religious
factors)
The concern of increasing population…
High population does
not mean high
consumption:
Projected Coal Plants:
• The majority of the
World’s population
lives in developing
countries.
• However, the majority
of the World’s
resources are
consumed in
developed countries.
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http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0506/images/0506feature_diagram2.jpg
Challenges w/ Population growth—
Developed Countries
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geostuff.net
Challenges w/ Population growth—
Developed Countries
• Developed countries have a fairly stable
population growth rate and some countries
are actually decreasing in population
• However, each person in a developed
country uses FAR more resources
• Ecological Footprints
– United States – 8-10 hectares/person
– Developing nations - 0.5 hectare/person
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Possessions…
The richest 20% of
the world’s people
consumes 86% of
its resources, and
has >80 times the
income of the
poorest 20%.
Ecological footprints
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http://www.worldwater.org/drinkwat.gif
Social costs of increasing human pop?
Poverty: 3 billion people worldwide live
in extreme poverty (on less than $2/day).
• Sanitation: More than 1 billion people
do not have access to clean (and safe)
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drinking water.
Social costs of increasing human pop?
Shortage of
fuel wood:
Can be a
matter of
life &
death.
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Social costs of increasing human pop?
Hunger and malnourishment:
Thousands of children die everyday
from lack of food and poor nutrition.
• War: Many conflicts worldwide
are directly or indirectly caused by
too many people wanting a limited
number of local resources. Millions
of people are forced to become
refuges every year.
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http://www.unicef.org/sowc05/english/map3.html
Economic costs of increasing human
pop?
Host countries
overwhelmed:
provide
education,
health care &
jobs.
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Environmental costs of increasing human
pop?
Pollution of soil,
water and air:
• Few environmental
protection plans exist
in developing
countries.
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_03_img0425.jpg
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Environmental costs of increasing
human pop?
Soil infertility
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