Human Population Grows Up
Author/Source: Joel E. CohenMain Ideas:
Authors Main Point:
The author's main point, is to inform us about how much people there are, and the big population there is in Earth. The Earth's population is increasing each year! More and more people are being born than ever before! The author wants to inform everyone so that they can make the right decisions. The best and only way to stop so many people from having too much babies, is by informing them. The key to solving this population problem, is education! education is the key to everyone. 2000, young people always outnumbered old people. From 2000 forward, old people will outnumber young people. Until approximately 2007, rural people will have always outnumbered urban people. From approximately 2007 forward, urban people will outnumber rural people. From 2003 on, the median woman worldwide had, and will continue to have, too few or just enough children during her lifetime to replace herself and the father in the following generation.
My Own Thoughts On The Topic:
This article was very interesting from the start. I like that the article starts off talking about the human population, rapid growth and then eventually tying it in with the environment. I think it is true that the Earth has a carrying capacity. I think it could be really low if we are overusing the biosphere's resources. I think that the carrying capacity can be real high if we know how to sustain our resources and know how to use them wisely. I think it is true that with this knowledge, we can improve our lifestyles and the way we use our resources to increase carrying capacity.
So what?
Rapid population growth spurs the question of how much population the Earth can holdSays who?
Joel E. CohenWhat if...?
The carrying capacity of the earth was found? Birth rates could decrease but also increaseWhat does this remind me of?
Author/Source: Joel E. CohenMain Ideas:
- Before 2000, young people outnumbered old people. From 2000 onward, old people will outnumber young people.
- Until 2007 rural people outnumbered urban people. After 207, urban people will outnumber rural people.
- From 2003 on, the median woman worldwide will have too few or just enough children during her lifetime to replace herself and the father the following generation.
- No person who died before 1930 lived through a doubling of human population, nor is any person born in 2050 or later likely to live through a doubling.
- Everyone 45 or older has seen more than a doubling of human numbers from 3 billion to 6.5 billion from 1960 to 2005.
- Peak population growth rate reached 2.1% a year, occurred between 1965 and 1970.
- Population never grew with such speed before 20th century and is never again likely to grow with such speed.
- Descendants will look back on to late 1960s as most significant demographic event in history.
- Dramatic fall since 1970 of global population growth rate to 1.1 or 1.2% a year today resulted primarily from choices by billions of couples around the world.
- Growth rates have risen and fallen numerous times.
- The next half a century will see an enormous shift in the demographic balance between more developed and less developed regions. By 2050 the ration between less developed populations vs. more is 6 to 1.
- Social Security reforms in the U.S fail to recognize the fundamental population aging.
- The article will focus on four major trends expected to dominate changes in human population.
- Current levels of growth are still greater than any experienced prior to WWII
- First absolute increase in population by one billion took from beginning of time until 19th century.
- By 2050, the world's population is projected to reach 9.1 billion plus or minus 2 billion people, depending on birth and death rates.
- Anticipated increase (2.6 billion) exceeds total population of world in 1950 which was 2.5 billion.
- Rapid population growth hasn't ended. Human numbers increase by 74 million to 76 million annually= adding another U.S every 4 years
- Between 2005 and 2050, population will triple in the poorest countries on Earth.
- All population growth in the next 45 years is expected to happen in today's economically less developed regions.
- Poor countries population grows faster because of the higher birth rate.
- Poor-2.9 children, rich-1.6 children
- Half the global increase is from nine nations, U.S and China being 2 of them.
- In contrast, 51 countries will lose population between now and 2050.
- Slowing population growth means that the 20th century was probably the last in human history which young people outnumbered older ones.
- Children aged 4 years and younger peaked in 1955 at 14.5% and declined to 9.5% in 2005. Older increased from 8.1 percent to 10.4 percent from 1960 to 2005.
- Crossover in proportions of young and old reflects both improved survival and reduced fertility. Average life span grew from 30 years at beginning of 20th century to more than 65 years at beginning of 21st century.
- If trends continue as projected in 2050, all of the world's population growth will be in urban areas. Poor countries will have to build equivalent of a city of more than one million people each week for next 45 years.
- Demographic projections to 2050 are vulnerable to unpredictable changes in institutions and technology and to shifts in the dominance of regions and economic sectors.
- The planet can provide room and food at least at a subsistence level for 50% more people than are alive now.
- Question is whether 2050's billions of people can live with freedom of choice and material prosperity, however freedom and prosperity may be defined by those alive in 2050.
- Whether their children and their children's offspring will be able to continue to live with freedom and prosperity.
- Major cities were est. in regions of exceptional agricultural productivity. If the urban population doubles in the next half a century from 3 billion to 6 billion, while the world's rural population remains roughly constant at three billion, and if many cities expand in area rather than in density, agricultural lands could be removed.
- Most densely settled half of the planet's population lives on 2 to 3 percent of all ice-free land. If cities double in area as well as population by 2050, urban areas could grow to occupy 6 percent of land.
- Each rural person on average will have to shift from feeding him or herself and one city dweller today to feeding herself and two urbanites in less than half a century
- If intensity of rural agricultural production increases, demand for food, along with tech supplied by growing cities to the rural regions may lift the agrarian population from poverty.No one knows the path to sustainability because no one knows the destination, if there is one. But we do know much that we could do today to make tomorrow better than it would be if we do not put our knowledge to work.
Authors Main Point:
The author's main point, is to inform us about how much people there are, and the big population there is in Earth. The Earth's population is increasing each year! More and more people are being born than ever before! The author wants to inform everyone so that they can make the right decisions. The best and only way to stop so many people from having too much babies, is by informing them. The key to solving this population problem, is education! education is the key to everyone. 2000, young people always outnumbered old people. From 2000 forward, old people will outnumber young people. Until approximately 2007, rural people will have always outnumbered urban people. From approximately 2007 forward, urban people will outnumber rural people. From 2003 on, the median woman worldwide had, and will continue to have, too few or just enough children during her lifetime to replace herself and the father in the following generation.
My Own Thoughts On The Topic:
This article was very interesting from the start. I like that the article starts off talking about the human population, rapid growth and then eventually tying it in with the environment. I think it is true that the Earth has a carrying capacity. I think it could be really low if we are overusing the biosphere's resources. I think that the carrying capacity can be real high if we know how to sustain our resources and know how to use them wisely. I think it is true that with this knowledge, we can improve our lifestyles and the way we use our resources to increase carrying capacity.
So what?
Rapid population growth spurs the question of how much population the Earth can holdSays who?
Joel E. CohenWhat if...?
The carrying capacity of the earth was found? Birth rates could decrease but also increaseWhat does this remind me of?