ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE PART III

The Human Population and the Environment

Maria Fatima Parro

INSTRUCTOR I

Directly obtained from: Botkin, D. & Keller, E. Environmental

Science: Earth as a Living Planet. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• Ultimately, there can be no long-term solutions to environmental problems unless the human
population stops increasing;
• Two major questions about the human population are (1) what controls its rate of growth and
(2) how many people Earth can sustain;
• Modern medical practices and improvements in sanitation, control of disease-spreading
organisms, and supplies of human necessities have lowered death rates and accelerated the
net rate of human population growth;
• Although the death rate has declined, so more people live longer, the rapid increase in the
human population has occurred with little or no change in the maximum lifetime of an
individual, which is still less than 120 years;
• In general, countries with a high standard of living have moved more quickly to a lower birth
rate than have countries with a low standard of living;
• Although we cannot predict with absolute certainty what the future human carrying capacity
of Earth will be, an understanding of human population dynamics can help us make useful
forecasts;
Definition of Terms:
Definition of Terms:
Basic Concepts of Population
Dynamics
One of the most important properties of living things is that
their abundances change over time and space. This is as true for
our own species as it is for all others, including those that
directly or indirectly affect our lives—for example, by providing
our food, or materials for our shelter, or causing diseases and
other problems— and those that we just like having around us
or knowing that they exist.
● Since the early 1800s, the
human population on Earth has
been growing exponentially.
● Current world population
estimate is:

http://www.worldometers.inf
o/world-population/
 Human Population History

Note the stability/gradual increase until recent times.

● In 1850, the human population reached its first billion.
● By 1930, it was 2 billion.
● By 1960, the human population reached 3 billion.
● Then in 1975, 4 billion, and so on…
● The human population is
now growing at a rate of
about 3 people/second or
● 260 thousand/day or
● 1.8 million per week or
● 93 million/year
● Each dot represents
1 million people
 Population Growth
●The overall rate of population increase depends on the number of births and
deaths, but also on the length of generations -- the age at which women have
their first baby.
●For example, if all women had three kids with a 15-year average generation
time, the rate of population growth would be 2.7%. If the average spacing were
30 years, the growth would drop in half -- to 1.35%.
●In educated, industrial countries, women have children later in life.
 Population Growth
● Birth/Death Rates
● When a substantial proportion of
a country's population is young,
high population growth rates in a
country are to be expected, even
if the average total fertility rate is
modest. The reason is that so
many females are of childbearing
age, that even a modest average
total fertility rate results in a
large number of births.
 Fertility Rates
● Total fertility rate (TFR) - estimate of the average number
of children a woman will have during childbearing years
● In 1995, the TFR was 3.1 children per woman; still far
above replacement level (1.6 in MDCs & 3.5 in LDCs)

●This map shows the average

number of children born to a
woman during her lifetime.
●The darker the color, the
greater the number of children.
●Childbearing years are
usually considered to be the
ages of 15-49.
 Fertility Rates
● At or below replacement level (2.1) since about
1972 because:
● widespread use of birth control
● availability of legal abortion Fertility Rates in the US peaked in
● social attitudes favoring small families 1957 at 3.7 children/woman
● increasing cost of raising a child to age 18
($177,000 for low-income family, $231,000 for
middle-income & $335,000 for upper-income)
● increase in average age of marriage between 1958
& 1992 (from 20 to 24.4 for women, and from 23 to
26.5 for men)
● More women working outside home (child-bearing
rate of "working" women 1/3 that of women not in
paid labor force)
● delayed reproduction
 Mortality Rates
● Personal hygiene
and improved
methods of
sanitation have
played a major role
and preceded the
impact of modern
medicine and, in
particular, the
development of
antibiotics capable
of reducing death
due to infection. Figure 5: Death Rates per 1000 over Time
The combination of decreasing death rate due to the march of progress
in sanitation and medicine, coupled with the decrease in birth rate due
to changes in the economies, has led to a profound change in the
population growth curve in the developed world. This change is called
the Demographic Transition.
Earth's Carrying Capacity
● Carrying capacity- the maximum population that
can be supported by the available resources.
● Biological Carrying Capacity about 50 Billion
● We strive for a modified population at which a
maximum population can be maintained at an
acceptable standard of living- Cultural Carrying
Capacity.
 Carrying Capacity

● According to the latest

United Nations
projections, the most
likely scenario for
population in 2050 will
be around 8.9 billion, and
will peak out slightly
above 10 billion after
2200.
 Carrying Capacity
Impacts of continued growth in human populations include:
The population of sub-Saharan
Africa provides a clear example
of a region suffering from over
population. their population is
increasing by 3% yearly, while
their food supply is only
annually growing by 1%. This
has led their and several other
economically low countries'
environments to such extreme
conditions as desertification.
 Effects of Overpopulation
● As population grows, consumption of valuable
resources and pollution increases, which threatens
to overwhelm the Earth’s ability to provide for the
human race and other life forms.
● Overpopulation creates low living
standards, outbreaks of civil wars, not enough
jobs, poor food supplies, and reduced education
standards.
Effects of Overpopulation
● As a result of this rapid growth:
● Approximately 1.3 billion of the world's people are impoverished, living
on the equivalent of less than 1 dollar a day. And as population steadily
increases, the gap between rich and poor is widening.
● Some 60% of the 4.8 billion people in developing countries lack basic
sanitation, and almost one-third have no access to clean water.
● Nearly 1 billion people in the world are illiterate, two-thirds of them
women.
● To resolve the problem of overpopulation, it will take a combined
effort of the developed and developing countries to better the
conditions of the whole planet, not just specific countries.
 Effect of HIV/AIDs
● Global fertility rates have declined more rapidly than expected, as health care,
including reproductive health, has improved faster than anticipated, and men and
women have chosen to have smaller families. About one-third of the reduction in
long-range population projections, however, is due to increasing mortality rates in
sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Indian subcontinent. The most important
factor is HIV/AIDS, which is spreading much faster that previously anticipated.
 Possible Solutions
1) Train and educate the people of developing countries
so that they can pursue industrialization. As they progress,
they will be less dependent on other countries for assistance.
2) Educate the people in how to manage their existing
natural resources sustainable.
3) Demonstrate to the people how their natural resources
can be used to generate income (example: ecotourism and
its associated benefits).
4) Consider means of financing industrialization
efforts. This an be in the shape of loans, outright
gifts, etc. from countries which are already developed.
 Possible Solutions
5) Educate the developing countries about
agriculture. Help them discover which crops can be
successfully grown in their climates and teach them how to
grow these crops so that they will be less dependent on
outside aid for food.
6) Educate the people about the effects of overpopulation on
their own nation.
7) Provide information on birth control methods and finance
projects to provide this technology to the people.
8) Assist the countries in offering their own incentives to
their citizens to reduce the birth rate (example: tax cuts
for families which voluntarily have less children).
•The current population of Philippines in 2022
is 115,559,009, a 1.47% increase from 2021.
•The population of Philippines in 2021
was 113,880,328, a 1.51% increase from
2020.
•The population of Philippines in 2020
was 112,190,977, a 1.64% increase from
2019.
•The population of Philippines in 2019
was 110,380,804, a 1.67% increase from
2018.
The Human Population as an
Exponential Growth Curve
It is common to say that human
populations grow at an EXPONENTIAL
RATE, which means that the annual
growth rate is a constant percentage of
the population. The annual growth rate
has changed over time, increasing in the
early years, in part because of large
immigration.
Effects of various factors
of human populations on
Environment
It has been seen that different factors
plays a vital role of human populations
on Environment. It is mandatory to study
the each factor and related effects for in
depth understanding the effects and
which may help to overcome the
hazardous effects.
Effects of various factors of human
populations on Environment
Population Growth and Its Variation:
The issue of overpopulation is fading in importance throughout most endeavors and sectors of society. For example,
overpopulation, despite being directly or indirectly linked to the Deterioration of ecological system and a key factor for the success
of conserving species and ecosystems has been rarely considered and in fact “Trivialized or ignored” by much of the conservation
biology community (For example, it is often argued that increasing greenhouse gas emissions are caused by combination of
excessive consumption and increasing population. In fact, projections on human population suggest that the net production of
greenhouse gases could be equivalent between developed and developing countries due to the large consumption of the former
and the large population growth of the later. Yet the most authoritative report on climate change makes little to no Reference to
the issue of population growth or family planning, or any related matter. Similarly, one could argue that food security will depend
not only on our capability to produce more food button how much food our population will continue to demand; yet some of the
most seminal recent reports on food security lacked any reference to the role of or need to address population growth in ensuring
current and future food security .
Effects of various factors of human
populations on Environment
Population Growth and Its Variation:
Finally, overpopulation is known to affect key aspects of human welfare (reviewed in Window of opportunity for tackling
overpopulation: Welfare, However, the topics of overpopulation and family planning are rarely considered by leaders in
different endeavors as mitigation solutions to improve the health of impoverished people, and population growth is
“marginalized” in key recent reports about improving human welfare. It is very likely that population growth as a missing
scientific agenda accounts in part for the reduced public knowledge and interest in this issue. Meffe introduced the concept
of “missing awareness” to explain a current lack of understanding of the magnitude of our population even among portions
of our society with higher education. In the United States, public opinion on population growth as a pressing problem declined
from 68% in 1992 to 8% in 2000 and does not appear in recent opinion polls Despite the significance of the recent milestone
that our global population reached seven billion people, the press coverage faded quickly, particularly when compared to
more trivial news at the time (e.g., the possible love affairs of Herman Cain, which lasted for weeks). Unfortunately, the limited
public consideration of the issue translates into limited policy action. As an example, the share of international funding on family
planning has dropped to 5% in 2007 from 55% in 1995. This collision between lack of interest in the topic of population growth
(by scientists and the public) and the declining support for family planning programs and addressing population growth
among developed countries generates a worrisome situation for the spontaneous stabilization of the world’s human
population
Effects of various factors of human
populations on Environment
Population and Explosion:-
• It can lead to depletion of resources
• Severe competition for food and space
• Increase in psychological stress and strain
• Rapid pollution of environment
• Large scale unemployment
• forests are cut, oceans are exploited and the entire natural
equilibrium gets disturbed
• A growth human population first faces the problem of
food, shelter and socioeconomic problems
• It is the very great and continuing increase in human
population in modern times
Effects of various factors of human
populations on Environment
Effects of POPULATION POVERTY RELATIONSHIP:
The understanding of population, poverty, demonstrated that the framework of
population, poverty, and environment RELATIONSHIPS can be applied to asses the Vicious
Cycle Model (VCM). Our understanding of these relationships has progressed greatly from
the original Malthusian roots, yet still today few generalizations can be made
unambiguously. Research has demonstrated across multiple scales that population
environment poverty synergies tend to be non-linear, ecosystem specific, and involve
multiple pathways among population and environmental change, population and poverty,
and poverty and environmental change. Furthermore, in most cases population growth’s
relation to poverty and the environment is mediated by various types of capital available to
households and institutions, culture, and social relations. Human tropical forest system
to illustrate some aspects of the vicious cycle model.. Human population is finite and it
needs to deep study and research on its control and to control impacts of human
population on earth.
ACTIVITY TIME!
Directions: Answer each question by placing your
answers on the chatbox.
Questions:

1. What is population dynamics?

2. What is the definition of a population?
3. What is the definition of a species?
4. What is demography?
5. What are the 3 key properties of a population?
6. What are the 3 rates that are usually expressed in a population?
Definition of Terms:
Definition of Terms: