Lec 5: Demographic Pressure + CS 1

Question 1

What is the current world population?

Answer 1

8 billion

Question 2

Why is the demographic transition dangerous in a way?

Answer 2

As people become more prosperous, female education increases, and access to contraception increases, birth rates decline. If birth rates fall below replacement levels, this could have grave economic, social, and environmental consequences. Not enough people to sustain the economic system!

Question 3

Why do we study Aswan High Dam? Why is it highly cited?

Answer 3

Because it illustrates the need for EIA

Question 4

Why is the traditional socio-ecosystem of the river Nile not meeting current needs?
Which motto does this result in?

Answer 4

Because the carrying capacity of traditional land use has been reached.

This results in “better living through modern chemistry”, ie using pesticides to increase the carrying capacity

Question 5

Distinguish ecological carrying capacity from physiological carrying capacity.

Answer 5

ecological cc or physiological density: # of people per unit of arable land.

net cc: # of people per unit area of a country