Part Four

Using the DemographicPerspective

Part Outline• 12 Population and the Environment• 13 Coping with Demographic

Change

Chapter 12

Population and the Environment

Chapter Outline• Economic Development—the Use

And Abuse Of Resources• How Is Population Related To

Economic Development?• The Bottom Line For The Future: Can

Billions More People Be Fed?

Chapter Outline• By-products Of Development—

Degradation Of The Environment• Sustainable Development—possibility Or

Oxymoron?

Economic Development and Resources• An increase in well-being typically

requires that we use more of the earth’s resources.

• The use of every resource leads to waste products.

• Our efficiency in reducing waste influences the extent to which we can minimize damage to the environment and sustain a larger population.

GNI: Gross National Income • Most widely used measure of economic

well-being in the world does not: Take into account the depletion of

natural resources. Make any deduction for depreciation of

manufactured assets. Measure the value of unpaid domestic

labor such. Account for regional or national

differences in purchasing power.

Big Mac Index: purchasing power parity (PPP)

• McDonald’s sells its hamburgers in nearly 120 countries.

• If the Big Mac costs $2.71 in the U.S. it should cost the same in real terms anywhere else in the world.

• If a Big Mac is 1,400 pesos in Santiago, Chile, that tells you there are 1,400/2.71 = 516.6 Chilean pesos per U.S. dollar, in terms of the “real” cost of living.

Top 10 Countries in Terms of GNI PPP ($US) 2001

CountryPer Person GNI PP

($US) 2001 Ratio to

U.S.

United States 34280 1.00

Switzerland 30970 0.90

Norway 29340 0.86

Netherlands 27390 0.80

Ireland 27170 0.79

Top 10 Countries in Terms of GNI PPP ($US) 2001

CountryPer Person GNI PP

($US) 2001 Ratio to

U.S.

Canada 26530 0.77

Austria 26380 0.77

Belgium 26150 0.76

Japan 25550 0.75

Germany 25240 0.74

Bottom 10 Countries in Terms of GNI PPP ($US) 2001

CountryPer Person GNI PP

($US) 2001 Ratio to

U.S.

Ethiopia 800 0.02

Nigeria 790 0.02

Mali 770 0.02

Zambia 750 0.02

Yemen 730 0.02

Bottom 10 Countries in Termsof GNI PPP ($US) 2001

CountryPer Person GNI PP

($US) 2001 Ratio to

U.S.

Burundi 680 0.02

Congo 680 0.02

Congo, DRC 630 0.02

Tanzania 520 0.02

Sierra Leone 460 0.01

Per-Capita Income and Population Growth

Enough Food• The United Nations estimates that more

than 800 million people in the world have inadequate access to food.

• Every minute, 11 children under the age of five will die of diseases related to malnutrition.

• Their places will be more than taken by the 264 babies who will be born during that same minute.

Land • Water covers about 71% of the earth’s

surface.• Only 11% of the world’s land surface is

readily suitable for crop production.• 26% is devoted to permanent pasture.• Forests and woodlands cover 32%.• The remaining 31% is too hot or too cold

for any of those things, or is used for other purposes (cities and highways).

Farmland• In 1860, there were an estimated

572 million hectares of land in the world cleared for agricultural use.

• There is a total of 1.5 billion hectares of farmland in the world today—nearly triple that of 1860.

• This seems to be the real limit of decent-quality farmland.

Living Things• All living organisms require :

resources (food, water, and energy)

space to live space to “dump waste”

Carrying Capacity• The carrying capacity is the number of

organisms that can be sustained indefinitely with: Resources space to live space to get rid waste products

• If the population exceeds an ecosystem’s carrying capacity we have a situation of overpopulation.

Damage to the Land Surface• Types of damage:

Soil erosion Soil degradation from excess salts and

water Desertification Deforestation Loss of biodiversity Strip mining or energy resources Dumping hazardous waste

Millennium Development Goals for World Community

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

2. Achieve universal primary education.

3. Promote gender equity and empower women.

4. Reduce childhood mortality.

Millennium Development Goals for World Community

5. Improve maternal health.6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other

diseases.7. Ensure environmental sustainability.8. Develop global partnership of

development.

Impact of Each of the Transitions1. Mortality transition

Declining mortality is associated with healthier people who consume more food.

2. Fertility transition Declining fertility encourages women

to delay marriage, improve their education, and become socially more empowered and economically more productive.

The Impact of Each of the Transitions3. Migration transition

Migration tends to move people from economically less well-off places to better-off places.

4. Urban transition Can accelerate the process of

development, which in general is a good thing for the people involved, but may not be so good in terms of its impact on the environment

The Impact of Each of the Transitions5. Age transition

A young age structure leads to a high level of dependency, which strains the economy’s ability to generate savings for the investment needed to create more jobs.

6. Family and household transition Diversity of living arrangements may

also lead to less efficient use of Resources.