Date: ____________ CRN: _________ Section: ___________
SUSTAINABILITY
The Human Population and its Impact
(Taught in week 3)
Tutorial - Student Version
General Education Program
GESU121
Teacher name: ___________________________
Student name: ___________________________
Student ID:
___________________________
Classroom:
___________________________
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
The Human Population and its Impact
Go to the website below and complete the table. What do you think happened in the world to
cause the world population to grow?
https://abbiestempopgrowth.weebly.com/history.html
World population milestones
World population reached:
Year
1 billion
1804
2 billion
Time to add 1 billion
123 years
3 billion
1960
4 billion
1974
5 billion
1987
6 billion
12 years
Source: United Nations Secretariat, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
The World At Six Billion (1999), p. 8.
Write down your answers in note form:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can you think of reasons why population growth did not change much before 1800? Write down
your answers in note form.
•
•
•
1
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Look at the words below and find the meaning of the ones you do not know:
example
vocabulary
meaning
pos
birth rate
how many babies are born each year for every 1,000 people
(n)
death rate
how many people die each year for every 1,000 people
fertility
demography
population density
industrial age
urban
rural
suburbs
2
(n)
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Go to the following website and watch a short video on world population. As you watch the video,
answer the questions below. You may wish to read them before you watch. Time markers are given for
when the answers will happen.
https://www.gapminder.org/answers/how-did-the-world-population-change/
1. What was the world population at the start of agriculture? (~5 seconds)
2. Name one of the cities that has a population of around 10 million. (~10seconds)
3. What was the world population at year zero? (~19 seconds)
4. What was the world population in the year 1800? (~26 seconds)
5. What is happening across the world? (~50seconds)?
6. What will be the population when fast population growth begins to stop? (~60seconds)?
3
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Grammar Focus: Articles – a, an, the
•
‘A’ is called an indefinite article:
‘a’ + singular, countable noun beginning with a consonant: a boy
•
Examples: boat, student, project, heart, tank
‘a’ + singular countable noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a
consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used)
Practice:
Create sentences using the following nouns:
•
Example – course – I am taking a course in Computer Science.
boat
student
university
•
‘An’ is an indefinite article:
‘an’ is used with singular, countable nouns that begin with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u,)
Practice:
Create sentences using the following nouns:
•
Example – expensive – I bought an expensive outfit. (note: the word ‘expensive’ is actually an
adjective but it modifies the noun and so we use ‘an’).
apple
octopus
old woman
4
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
•
‘The’ is called the definite article:
‘the’ is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific.
‘the’ is also used when a noun refers to something that is unique:
The White House is in Washington D.C.
The Taj Mahal is in India.
The Tower of London is a famous tourist attraction.
While travelling around Asia, I visited the Great Wall of China.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the ancient wonders of the world.
Practice:
Create sentences using the following nouns:
•
Example – pencil - The pencil on the table is mine. (note: the pencil on the table is identified
specifically)
•
Orange (as an adjective)
•
Statue of Liberty
•
Burj Khalifa
Complete the following paragraph by putting the correct article in the blank.
Population Growth Scenario
As of April 2019,
population of
world stood at 7.7 billion. According to
new report, this is
expected to rise to
peak of around 10 billion in 2050. This gives humanity
make
more sustainable planet in order to meet this projected number. If all people take
world
serious look at how they use
creating
resources and
earth’s natural capital, then we can all play
excellent future. If we do not, then we may leave
uncertain future for
children of today.
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opportunity of time to
positive role in
world depleted of all its natural
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Some rules to remember:
Do not use ‘the’ :
Before the names of countries (France, Egypt, Morocco …). The exception to the rule is for names
such as – the U.S.A., the Netherlands, the U.A.E., the U.K.
Before the names of cities, towns or states (New York, Dubai ….)
Before the names of streets (Khalifa Street, Main Street ….)
Before the names of mountains (Everest, Kilimanjaro …). However, it is okay to use ‘the’ before a
mountain range (the Andes, the Atlas, the Himalayas ….).
Before the names of continents (Asia, Africa…).
Before the names of islands (Hawaii, Easter Island …). However, you can use ‘the’ before a chain of
islands (the Aleutian Islands, the Faroe Islands …).
We can use ‘the’:
Before the names of rivers, oceans and seas (the Amazon River, the Nile River, the Pacific Ocean, the
Atlantic Ocean, the Dead Sea, the Black Sea ….).
When referring to points on the globe (the South Pole, the Middle East ...).
Practice your writing at home. Use simple, compound and complex sentence forms to use
articles. Try using proper nouns and noun modifiers:
• the town hall
• the office door
• the bathroom window
• a laptop computer
• a leather coat
• an ornate building
• and expensive car
6
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
UAE Population Crosses 9.3 Million
Published: July 10, 2018 15:25 Derek Baldwin, Chief Reporter (adapted version)
Dubai: The UAE’s population was 9,304,277 as of December 31, 2017, announced the Federal Authority
for Competitiveness and Statistics, an increase of 2 per cent from 2016.
The authority said that males accounted for 69 percent of the population, amounting to 6,415,942,
while females were 31 percent, amounting to 2,888,335.
Dubai population to double by 2027:
Dubai: As people around the planet observe
World Population Day on July 11 to mark the
challenges facing 7.6 billion people alive today,
experts say cities such as Dubai will have to work
hard for it to accommodate growth while
maintaining a quality of life and infrastructure.
On World Population Day, Dubai’s population
doubled to reach 3.086 million people
comprising one third of the national UAE
population of 9.27 million residents, according to
Dubai Statistics Centre figures on Tuesday.
In addition, by 2027, Dubai’s population is expected to jump to more than five million. This is a city
whose population has grown 1,000 percent in the last 40 years. This makes it one of the fastest growing
cities on the planet thanks to a large number of expatriates seeking work from other countries.
The latest population bulletin released by Dubai Statistics Centre in 2016 showed that Dubai’s
infrastructure is not only used by the residents living in Dubai but also by another 1.1 million people
who live outside of the emirate and commute to work in the city every day. The bulletin also showed
that roughly 70 per cent of Dubai is comprised of males and the remaining 30 per cent of the population
is made up of females.
Population growth predictions show the population of Dubai will reach over five million by 2027, which
is almost double in the current number of residents. Such a rate of population growth can lead to a
variety of issues. Most notable is the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. Housing obviously
has to be provided for an exploding population and this can prove to be challenging particularly in
already-tightly-packed cities with limited space. A tighter concentration of people, physical assets,
infrastructure and economic activities can result in challenges that can have negative impacts,
particularly over the medium-long term.”
Dr. Fayez Elessawy, UAE University (UAEU) researcher, led a study which found that Dubai’s population
has grown rapidly in the last four decades with Dubai growing from 132,371 people in 1975 to more
than 2.1 million people in 2015, a growth rate of 6.5 per cent every year supplied nearly entirely by
expatriates.
7
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
The study noted that the built-up area of Dubai grew from 54 km2 in 1975 to 977 km2 in 2015, and
this means that there has also been a great urban expansion as well.
This urban expansion has not only stopped with Dubai, but has also extended to eastern areas like
Sharjah and Ajman, with many people who work in Dubai going to live in both those cities,” he said.
Scanning skills: Answer the following. You do not need to write complete sentences.
1. Between 2016 and 2017, what was the UAE population increase percentage?
1.1 million
2. Apart from quality of life, what else does Dubai need to do to meet population growth?
tighter concentration of people, physical assets, infrastructure and
economic activities can
3. On World Population Day, what is the number of people living in Dubai?
9.27 million residents,
4. In which year will Dubai’s population surpass 5 million?
2027
5. How many people that do not live in Dubai travel to work in the city?
1.1 million people
6. In Dubai, what is the percentage of females living there?
30 per cent of the population is made up of females.
7. What type of citizens make up the majority of Dubai’s population?
a large number of expatriates seeking work from other countries.
8. In 2015, what was the size of Dubai?
grew from 54 km2 in 1975 to 977 km2
8
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Approximately 80% of the UAE’s population is from expatriates. What do you think are the
advantages of disadvantages of having a large expatriate percentage in the UAE? Discuss your
thoughts in groups of 3/4 and present your ideas to the class.
Disadvantages
Advantages
Today, we see lot of migration from one country to another country. This only increases the
population of one country and reduces that of another. Again, in your group, discuss what the
positives and negatives are of this movement of people.
Use this website to help you:
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zkg82hv/revision/5
Negatives of leaving a country
Positives of moving to another country
9
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
Population density is: the number of people living in each unit of area (such as a square
kilometer)
Go to the following Wikipedia site and find out the top ten population densities in the world.
Mark them on the map below and give the population density.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_density
7.
km2
2.
km2
1. Macau
21,339 km2
8.
km2
10.
km2
5.
km2
4.
km2
6.
km2
3.
km2
9.
km2
What problems do you think can be caused by so many people living so close to each other?
Discuss this with the class
10
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
World Population
In your own words, explain your own thoughts (positive and negative) on the increase in the
world’s population. This time, you should consider all the following factors:
•
•
•
•
•
Culture
Religion
Economy
Environment
Natural resources
Do we need solutions to
population growth? If so, what
are they?
What is meant by a negative
‘birth-rate’, and what could be
the possible effects on an
economy?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
11
Adapted from the text ‘Living in the Environment’
12