mocks cramming - topic 8 - Human Systems and Resource Use Flashcards
CBR - what is it and formula
CBR = number of births/total population ×
1000
For example, Afghanistan:
Population = 32,564,342
Number of births = 1,256,006
CBR = (1,256,006/32,564,342) × 1000
CBR = 38.57 births/1000/year
TFR - what is it and critical value
Total fertility rate is the average number of births per woman of child-bearing age.
critical value - 2.2 – this is known as the replacement rate. A TFR of 2.2 means that the population will remain stable, less than that and the population will decline and more means it will increase
What factors affect birth rates and
fertility rates?
Role of children in the labour force or education:
- incentivises children in LEDCs, opposite in MEDCs
Rates of urban living:
urban areas have lower fertility rates due to:
- less space
- access to family planning (contraceptives) is better
- access to education is better so more children stay in school rather than joining workforce
Women status:
- where women have less education fertility rates are much higher
Life style choices and cultural norms
The infant mortality rate (IMR) and pensions:
- ppl need children to look after them in old age
CDR - what is it / formula
Crude death rate = deaths/1000/year
Factors that affect death rates
- Income
- Literacy/education
- Access to food
- Availability of health care
- Water supply and sanitation
- Access to shelter
- Lifestyle
NIR - what is it and formula
natural increase rate
NIR = CBR - CDR / 10
For example:
World CBR: 18.70
World CDR: 7.89
NIR = (18.70 – 7.89)/10
= 1.08%
DT - what is it and formula
how long it will take a country’s population to double
DT = 70/NIR
A country w a NIR of 1% has a doubling time of 70 years
DTM stages
Stage 1: High stationary (Pre-industrial societies) - Characterized by high birth rates due to lack of birth control, high infant mortality, and cultural factors favoring large families. High death rates due to disease, famine, poor hygiene, and limited medical care.
Stage 2: Early expanding (Less economically developed countries - LEDCs) - Death rates decline with improvements in sanitation and food supply, leading to increased life expectancy. Birth rates remain high, causing rapid population growth, but child mortality decreases due to better healthcare.
Stage 3: Late expanding (Wealthier LEDCs) - Birth rates decrease as countries develop, thanks to increased access to contraception, better healthcare, education, and women’s empowerment. Population growth slows as people opt for smaller families and pursue material wealth.
Stage 4: Low stationary (More economically developed countries - MEDCs) - Both birth and death rates are low in industrialized nations, resulting in stable population sizes.
Stage 5: Declining (MEDCs) - Birth rates fall below replacement level, leading to population decline. Aging workforce becomes a concern.
attempt at reducing population growth rate - china
- one child policy
- 1980-2016
- controversial bc of stronger measures: forced abortions/sterilisation
consequences: - more males
- not as many children to look after elderly
Implications for Earth’s systems of the continued growth of the human population.
we exploit our surroundings for resources
- more fossil fuel burning
- sewage released into rivers
agriculture:
- deforestation - habitat destruction, reduction in soil fertility
- desertification
- grazing - affects biodiversity
- pesticides
pro natalist
a policy paradigm or personal value that promotes the reproduction of human life as an important objective of humanity and therefore advocates high birthrate
pro-natalist policy example
hungary
- paying families to have, or pledge to have, children
- families w 3+ children have especially generous tax breaks & subsidised mortgages
renewable natural capital
can be generated and/or replaced as fast as it is being used.
- eg sustainably harvested timber / fish
non-renewable natural capital
either irreplaceable or can only be replaced over geological timescales
- eg. fossil fuels, soil and minerals.
example of unsustainably managed renewable natural capital
deforestation of Amazon rainforest
- soil erosion
- eutrophication
- leaching of nutrients
- GHGs emitted in transport
- reduction of biodiversity
how the consumption of a renewable natural capital can be unsustainable
impacts of extraction, transport and processing
potential categories of value humans place on organisms/ecosystems
- intrinsic value
- economic value
- ecological value
- aesthetic value
dynamic natural capital
- value of resources changes over time
- measured either quantatively or qualitatively
- eg. lithium batteries developed relatively recently, used widely now
- value of lithium as a resource has increased dramatically
SDW
Solid domestic waste
- a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public
four broad categories of waste
- organic (eg. food, yard trimmings)
- toxic (old medicines, batteries)
- recycleable (paper, glass)
- soiled (hospital waste eg cloth soiled with blood)
non-biodegradable waste
- cannot be broken down by micro-organisms, air, moisture, etc in a reasonable amount of time
- environmental concern
linear economy
- take
- make
- dispose
used by most manufacturers for years
- produces large volumes of waste
- puts pressure on resources as new raw materials must be used
circular economy
- make
- use
- recycle
reduces waste to a minimum
- products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting
waste disposal options
- landfill
- incineration
- recycling
- composting
landfills
- most popular method of waste disposal
- focuses attention on burying the waste in the land.
incineration
- municipal solid wastes are burned at high temperatures so as as to convert them into residue and gaseous products.
- it can reduce the volume of solid waste to 20 to 30 percent of the original volume, decreases the space they take up and reduce the stress on landfills.
recovery and recycling
- discarded items processed to extract or recover materials and resources
- or convert them to energy in the form of useable heat, electricity or fuel.
composting
- natural bio-degradation process
- takes organic wastes and turns into nutrient rich fertiliser for plants.
Pollution management strategies - cause
- Reduce - Reduce packaging
- Reuse - Choose second hand materials or reusable containers
- Recycle - Choose materials that can be recycled
- Composting - Organic can be composted at source. Choose biodegradable materials
Ester Boserup
- theory of agricultural intensification,
- population change drives the intensity of agricultural production.
- Her position countered the Malthusian theory that agricultural methods determine population via limits on food supply.
why is estimating human carrying capacity difficult
- large range of resources
- humans show great ingenuity in substituting one limiting resource for another.
- Resource requirements vary according to very variable lifestyles
- Technological developments continually change resources required/availiable
ecological footprint
- the area of land and water required to support a defined human population at a given standard of living.
- takes into account the area required to provide all the resources needed by the population, and the assimilation of all wastes.
Ecological footprints can be increased by
- greater reliance on fossil fuels
- increased use of technology and energy (but technology can also reduce the footprint)
- high levels of imported resources
- large per capita consumption of food
- a meat-rich diet
Ecological footprint advantages
- useful snapshot of sustainability
- means for individuals/governments to measure their impact
- symbol for raising awareness of environmental issues
Ecological footprint disadvantages
- simplification, lacks precision
- does not show types of resource used - only total resources
how does EF indicate unsustainability
when it’s greater than land area availiable
