Population Explosion
http://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_mohr_builds_green.html
Questions to Think About…
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How fast has the human population
grown in the past?
What is the world population likely to
be in the future?
What factors are responsible for the
world’s human population?
Human Numbers Through Time:
2000 years ago
At the dawn of the first millennium the
world’s population was around 200 million
people
1000 years later
The population had risen by as little as 400
million. And well into the second millennium, it
grew less than 0.1 percent each year. The
numbers in Europe even fell in the 1300’s
because of the Black Plague.
But Beginning in the late 18th
Century...
The Industrial
Revolution saw major
changes occur within
agriculture,
manufacturing, and
transportation
industries, and they
had a profound effect
on society. Living
standards were raised
which in turn spurred
growth.
In the year 1800
The population climbed to 1 billion people,
with 65% of the total population living in
Asia.
In the year 1927
One hundred and twenty seven years later
the population reached approximately 2
billion people.
In the Middle of the Century
The discovery of antibiotics
played an enormous role:
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Many bacterial infections in
humans could be treated
Cattle and farm animals
could also be treated for
disease, leading to their
farming in larger groups
Life expectancies began to
increase leading to
multiple generations of
families living at the same
time
By the year 1960
Advances in medicine, agriculture and
sanitation had spread to the developing
world, increasing the population to 3
billion people.
Medical Advances 1930 - 1940
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Drug discoveries
including
antibiotics and
anti-malarial
medication
First kidney
dialysis machine
Medical Advances 1940 - 1960
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Heart-Lung Pump for
open heart surgery
developed (1953)
Jonas Salk discovered
the polio vaccine
(1955)
DNA structure was
defined by Watson
and Crick
Medical Advances 1960 - 1980
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First open heart
transplant performed
by Dr. Christian
Barnard (1967)
First CAT scanner
developed
First test tube baby
born (1978)
Medical Advances Since 1980
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Fertility treatments
Complex surgeries
involving organ
transplants
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Genetically modified
organisms
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Edible vaccines
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Cloning
The GREEN Revolution
Between the 1940’s and 1960’s, a worldwide
transformation of agriculture led to significant
increases in food production. This transformation
occurred as the result of programs of agricultural
research, extension, and infrastructural
development.
Food Production
The Green
revolution resulted
in increased food
production to meet
the demands of a
growing
population.
Food Production
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Irrigation systems that allow for successful
growth of crops
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Large scale machinery and silos for harvesting
and storing grains
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Computerized milking machines to maximize milk
collection
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Factory farming of pigs, cows and chickens
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Assembly line production and packaging facilities
for virtually all types of foods
How Factory Farming Started…
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Factory farming began with chickens in the United
States about the 1930's
Artificial incubators hatched the eggs that were taken
from the breeding hens to replenish the broilers and
egg-layers
The enormous amount of excrement produced simply
fell through the wire mesh floors of the cages the
chickens were kept in – they ate, slept and defecated
in the same small space, 24 hours a day
Farmers gave the chickens sulphur drugs to prevent
contagious diseases and fed them vitamin D to
compensate for loss of sunshine
Finally, to keep labour costs down, farmers automated
lighting, watering and feeding
Elsewhere in the World…
India is the world's second largest producer of food
next to China, and has the potential of being the
biggest with the food and agricultural sector.
The population of India has grown tremendously, in
part due to their increased food production. This was
accomplished by:
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Expanding farmland
Planting more than one crop in a season
Using genetically superior (or modified) seeds
Factory farming methods
14 Years Later…
New reproductive technologies had helped curb
the growth rate. But with so many people already
on the planet, a population "explosion" was under
way, with most growth happening in the
developing world. The four-billionth baby was
born in 1974.
13 Years Later…
In 1987 the five-billionth baby was born
12 Years Later…
In 1999, the six-billionth baby arrived. Asia is
home to the majority of Earth's inhabitants—
roughly 61 percent, or more than 3.5 billion
people.
The World’s Current Population
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Estimated at 7 billion people and
rising
Over the next half century, our
numbers will increase to
approximately nine billion people
Nearly all of this growth will take
place in developing countries
Population Growth in the
Developing World
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Canada is a front-runner in assisting
developing countries in the areas of
agriculture, medicine and infrastructure
CIDA (Canadian International
Development Agency) is Canada’s lead
agency for developmental assistance
CIDA
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CIDA’s mandate is
to support
sustainable
development in
order to reduce
poverty, and
contribute to a
more secure,
equitable and
prosperous world
CIDA : Regions and Countries
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CIDA funds projects and programs around the
world, including UN agencies
CIDA also directly supports the governments of
developing countries
Global Population in 2050…
“As you improve health in a society, population growth
goes down. …before I learned about it, I thought it
was paradoxical.”
– Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx
Human Population and Growth
Is population growth really a problem?
It has resulted in technological innovations,
improved sanitation, better medical care, increased
agricultural output, a decline in death rates and a
drop in infant mortality.
http://www.prb.org/pdf11/2011population-data-sheet_eng.pdf
Demographic Transition
Demographic transition is a theoretical model of
economic and cultural change that explains the trend
of declining death rates and birth rates that occurs
when nations become industrialized.
Demographic Transition
Pre industrial:
characterized by condition in which both death rates
and birth rates are high
Transitional stage:
death rates decline and birth rates remain high.
Industrial stage:
creates employment opportunities, particularly for
women causing birth rate to fall
Post-industrial stage:
both birth rates and death rates remain low and
populations stabilize or decline slightly.
4 stages of demographic
transition
FIGURE 6.14
Population growth is seen as a temporary
phenomenon
Future of Humans ?
Many people believe that humans will overshoot the
Earth’s carrying capacity thereby degrading the earth
and, in the long run, the carrying capacity will
decrease overall.
What do we know??
We do know that the population explosion has negatively
affected both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, resulting in
severe consequences for the future of mankind.
Human impact:
Habitat destruction – more land used for crops
Global warming – (weather extremes and melting)
Water pollution (oil spills)
The challenge is to find balance and sustainable
solutions.
The challenge is up to you!!!
Managing growth and resources
In your text pages 557-568
Summarize the sections:
• Food requirements
• Waste disposal
• Preserving Biodiversity
References
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www.classbrain.com
www.leeds.ac.uk
www.enviroblog.org
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/
www.conservationtech.com
www.faqs.org
animalscience.wordpress.com
www.leyden.co.nz
http://www.inthesetimes.com
excusetoeatvancouver.blogspot.com
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/index-e.htm