Why Might the World Face an Overpopulation Problem?

*POPULATION:

*MALTHUS ON OVERPOPULATION

*Thomas Malthus claimed the population was growing faster than the food supply

*Malthus wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population

*MALTHUS ON OVERPOPULATION

*Contemporary geographers believe Malthus’ theory is more frightening than first suspected.

*More countries have entered Stage 2 of demographic transition – high birth rates

*There has not been an increase in wealth in these countries making some countries worse off today

*Growing population will put a strain on other resources beyond food.

*What problems could arise from resource scarcity?

*MALTHUS’S CRITICS

*New technology can offset scarcity of minerals and land by increasing efficiency

*A larger population could stimulate economic growth and therefore production of more food

*Marxists believe that population growth is not the root of poverty, hunger and social welfare problems, economic inequality is

* REASONS FOR DECLINING BIRTH RATES

*Economic development – women who are able to attend school and remain in school longer are more likely to gain economic control over their lives

*Distribution of contraceptives

*WORLD HEALTH THREATS

*Epidemiological transistion

*Epidemiology – branch of medical science concerned with the incidence, distribution and control of diseases that affect large numbers of people

* EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TANSISTION – STAGES 1 & 2

*Stage 1 – infiectious and parasitic diseases were the principal causes of deaths

*Also called the stage of pestilence and famine

*The Black Plague

*Stage 2 – improved sanitation, nutrition and medicine spread during the Industrial Revolution and reduced the spread of infectious disease

*Also called the stage of receding pandemics

*Cholera

* EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRANSITION – STAGES 3 & 4

*Stage 3 – characterized by a decrease in deaths from infectious disease, but an increase in chronic disorders

*Known as the stage of degenerative and human created diseases

*Cardiovascular disease and certain forms of cancer

*Stage 4 – characterized by people living longer with degenerative diseases due to medical advancements

*Known as the stage of delayed degenerative diseases

* EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRANSISTION – STAGE 5 (?)

*Reemergence of infectious and parasitic disease

*This can be attributed to three possible factors

*Evolution of disease microbes

*Malaria

*Poverty

*Tuberculosis

*Improved travel

*Avian flu