Population and the Environment Flashcards
When has exponential growth occurred since?
1950
What are the 2 key patterns of population change?
Population is growing in most countries in the world except from a couple in Eastern Europe
Population growth in Africa is significantly greater than elsewhere
How fast is population growth in Africa?
Over 2% a year
What is the rough growth of population globally?
Between 0.5%-1.5%
Which country is the poorest on the planet?
Niger
Which country has the highest fertility rate in the world, what is the value?
Niger- nearly 7 births per woman
What are the reasons for such a high birth rate in Niger?
Increasing droughts in the past 50 years ( 200mm a year)
Underdeveloped infrastructure
High dependence on subsistence farming
Cultural norms
How many people globally are undernourished? Where are they located?
1 in 9 people are chronically undernourished
2/3 of those are in Asia
Which continents have enough farmland to provide the food they need?
Europe, North America, Australasia
Which Millennium Development Goal links to food?
By 2015 they aimed to halve the proportion of people living in hunger. They nearly met it by 2015.
What proportion of global food is wasted?
1/3 of all food produced is wasted
What two reasons are the major causes of an increase in levels of obesity?
Increase in intake of energy-dense foods, with lots high in salt, fat and sugar
Increase in sedentary lifestyle due to work and lesuire activities changing
What 4 things are trying to be done to reduce levels of obesity in the UK?
Reduce the non-saturated fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods
Ensure that healthy and nutritious options are available to all
Restricting marketing of non-nutritional foods
Support regular physical activities in the workspace
How many people are employed in food production?
2 billion of the global population, directly or indirectly
What are the inputs of an agricultural system?
Climate Relief Soil fertility Drainage Labour Machinery Energy
What are the 2 major processes of an agricultural system?
Growing crops
Rearing livestock
What are the 3 major outputs of an agricultural system?
Crops
Livestock
Livestock products
Give 3 feedbacks in an agricultural system
Profit for reinvestment
Manure for fertiliser
Hay and silage for fodder
How does temperature impact agriculture?
Temperature dictates the length of the growing season, ie. temperate environments a growing season exceeding 3 months is required
How does precipitation impact agriculture?
Matters on a seasonal distribution level. Impacts growth rate of plants. Is the most vital factor.
How does wind impact agriculture?
High winds and increased storm frequency reduce cultivation of grain crops.
How does soil impact agriculture?
Soil influence crop supply by their supply or deficit of soil moisture and type/availability of nutrients.
What is arable farming?
The farming of cereal and root crops, on flatter land where soil quality is better
What is pastoral farming?
The farming of livestock, which can be subsistence or commercial based
Give an example of commercial and subsistence pastoral farming
Commercial- sustainable beef ranching on South American Pampas
Subsistence- nomadic pastoralism in West Africa
What is mixed farming?
The production of both arable crops and livestock on the same farm
What is the most common form of agriculture in the UK?
Mixed Farming
What is intensive farming?
High investment in labour and capital such as machinery, glasshouses and irrigation. Produces high yields per hectare.
What is commercial farming?
Farms and agribusiness specialising in single crops or raising one animal along with investment of high cost equipment
What is extensive farming?
The use of low inputs of labour, machinery and capital but involving large areas of land.
What is subsistence farming?
The direct production of sufficient food to feed the family or community involved. Excess is sold or bartered.
Why do latosols have a constant supply of humus?
Humus comes from the rapid nutrient recycling. The year round growing season means that trees can drop their leaves at any time and this creates a constant supply of leaf litter. This decomposes rapidly via bacteria into humus.
What happens to the latosol nutrient content if trees are cleared?
The new humus isn’t produce due to lack of leaf litter
Latosol becomes quickly exhausted of stored nutrients
Excessive leaching of nutrients
Eroded soil due to rain and little protection
What are 4 major reasons for deforestation in the rainforest?
Land for settlement and infrastructure
Land for ranching, cash-cropping and plantations
Hardwood timbers
Access for mineral exploitation
What are the 3 main categories of soil?
Zonal
Intrazonal
Azonal
What are zonal soils?
Mature soils reflecting the climatic conditions and associated vegetation
What are intrazonal soils?
A soil that reflects the dominance of other factors such as the characteristics of parent rock
What are azonal soils?
Soils that are generally immature and skeletal with poorly developed profiles
Why are latosols red?
Build up of iron and aluminium oxides
What is the statistic regarding soil depletion?
Soil is being lost between 10 and 40 times faster than it is naturally being replenished
What 4 physical factors can increase the rate of erosion?
Over grazing
Over cultivating
Reduced fallow periods
Deforestation
When does waterlogging occur?
Water table rises to the point of soil saturation and insufficient oxygen in the pore spaced for plant roots to respire adequately
What happens if plants are waterlogged?
Anaerobic environment causes root tissue to decompose, which means crops often die
What 6 physical factors cause water logging?
Rainfall exceeding the rate soils can absorb water
Gentle relief restricts throughflow
Relief basins encourage accumulation of water
Seepage from rivers infiltrating soil
Soils including impermeable clay
Excessive irrigation
How does an area become salinised?
Salts leach out of soil by infiltration and percolation
Waterlogging brings dissolved salts to the surface
Crust of concentrated salt on surface which alters pH
What two factors provide the best long term solution to soil erosion?
Afforestation
Reforestation
What 9 measures are typical soil management techniques?
Terracing Contour ploughing Crop rotation and cover crops Strip cropping Direct drilling Selective afforestation Controlled grazing Improved drainage Careful management of irrigation
What does it mean for someone to be food secure?
‘Have availability and adequate access at all time to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle’
What are the 3 things that are looked at when measuring food security?
Food availability
Food access
Food utilisation
In 2014-2016 how many people were undernourished?
1 in 9
What are 3 ways to ensure food security?
Improved agricultural productivity
Economic Growth
Expansion of social protection
What is a way that HIC’s attempted to boost agricultural productivity?
EU Common Agricultural Policy which encouraged farmers to increase food production by offering grants, subsidies and guaranteed prices.
Explain one major success story of the ‘Green Revolution’
IR8 rice in the Philippines
6 fold increase in crop production
Explain disadvantages of the Green Revolution
Economic and social costs associated were only available to richer farmers which lead to increased unemployment and rural depletion
Production of agrochemicals is dangerous
What revolution has occurred after the green revolution?
The gene revolution
What has occurred in the gene revolution?
Taking genetic DNA from one plant and introducing it into another to make it more resistant to drought or other diseases.
What are the issues that have arisen from genetic modification?
Unknown implications on health
Implications on the environment
Where is a major user of genetically modified crops? What are these crops?
USA- soy, cotton and maize
Define ‘health’
Physical, social and mental well-being with the absence of disease
What does ‘mortality’ refer to?
Death
What does ‘morbidity’ refer to?
Illness or poor health of population
Define ‘prevalence rate’
The total number of cases of a disease in a population at a given time divided by the total population
Define ‘incidence rate’
The rate or time at which persons become ill. Measured in terms of numbers of new cases
What is an epidemic?
The spread of disease within a community
What is a pandemic?
The spread of disease across a whole country, countries and continents
What does endemic mean?
A disease native to a certain place
Give 4 factors that affect health and morbidity
Poverty
Occupation
Lifestyle
Accessibility to health care services
What is the greatest cause of mortality in HIC’s?
Lifestyle related illnesses
How does wealth impact health in HICs?
Healthier foods are significantly more expensive than foods high in carbohydrates and fat.
Those most deprived eat cheaper food hence rise in takeaways etc
How does age impact health in HICs?
Different age groups perceive health differently
Older people: have plans in place for future, informed of preventative health strategies and have routine health checks
How does gender impact health?
Women are more likely to make ‘healthy decisions’
Women attend GP more regularly and make better lifestyle choices
How does environment impact health?
Climate- UK more prone to pneumonia, influenza and the common cold due to cooler climate
Water availability- areas with more aluminium in the water are at more risk of having Alzheimer’s
Urban stress- Urban areas at more risk of depression and schizophrenia
How does poor education impact health in Sub- Saharan Africa?
Women have limited access to education
Do not understand the correct nutritional balance
Meals contain an imbalance in minerals and vitamins
Impacts health
What does the cycle of misery show?
Low Productivity leads to low income
Low income leads to inadequate diet
Inadequate diet leads to ill health
Ill health leads to inability to work hard
Inability to work hard leads to low productivity
Low income also leads to little chance of saving
Little chance of saving leads to lack of money for capital investment
What does the epidemiological transition show?
The way that populations shift from being defined by high infant mortality rates due to infectious diseases and famine to a state in which average life expectancy is much higher and the degenerative, man made diseases are more likely to be the cause of death.
What is the fastest growing age group in Sub-Saharan Africa?
80 year olds
What is a blue zone community?
An area where people live longest
Give 3 examples of blue zone communities
Okinawa a small Japanese Island
Nicoya in Costa Rica
Sardinia
What is a common feature of blue zone communities?
They are all geographically isolated
What is the factor that is most attributed to the ‘Glasgow Effect’?
Deindustrialisation Lead to high rates of unemployment Lost sense of pride, identity and 'togetherness' Drugs and alcohol filled gap Health declined
What are 60% Glasgow’s deaths triggered by?
Drugs
Alcohol
Suicide
Violence
What are the 4 scales of urban environmental health problems?
Within the house ( indoor air pollution)
Neighbourhood health hazards (polluted water supplies)
City wide problems(air pollution from traffic)
Extra urban impacts( loss of green spaces)
How has Sri Lanka increased life expectancy?
Female Empowerment Widespread Vaccination Health education programmes Investment in public health units Investment in specialist equipment and doctors
What is the next step in Sri Lanka’s health journey?
Reducing deaths from non-communicable diseases as they contribute to 70% deaths
Address consequences of ageing population
Develop mental health services
Rebuild health systems in North and East of country
What is the motto of Sri Lankan health system?
“A healthier nation that contributes to its economic, social, mental and spiritual development’
Give 5 environmental hazards
Water, sanitation and hygiene Chemical exposure Radiation Air quality Chemical traces in food
What are the main symptoms of Malaria?
Fever Headaches Tiredness Anaemia Jaundice
What are the 4 ways that malaria can be transmitted?
Mosquito bite
Blood transfusion
Organ transplant
Use of contaminated needles
How many people are at risk of catching Malaria?
3.2 billion people- more than 40% of world’s population
How many countries is Malaria present in?
97
What are the 5 investments that have been made to reduce impact of Malaria?
Control the vector Use of physical barriers to infection Use of chemical barriers to infection Investing in swift diagnosis Drug treatment of disease
Define ‘asthma’
A chronic disease which is characterised by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing which vary in severity and frequency from person to person
How many people have asthma worldwide?
300 million people
How many deaths worldwide are linked to asthma as a percentage?
<1%
What is the hygiene hypothesis?
To fully develop our immune system we need exposure to a wide range of pathogens
What is a DALY?
Disability adjusted life year is a measure of overall disease burden expressed by the number of years lost due to ill health, disability or early death
What are the 3 ways that asthma is treated once it has been diagnosed?
Avoiding triggers
Taking preventative medicine to stop narrowing of the airways
Prescription drugs to reduce effects of disease
What are the roles of NGO’s in terms of Asthma?
Raise profile of disease Educate medical staff in diagnosis Educate policy makers to inform investment Educate sufferers and their families Promote further research
What does eating fast food 3+ times a week lead to an increased risk of?
Asthma
Eczema
Rhinitis
What is birth rate?
The number of live births per thousand per year
Give equation for birth rate
Total number of live births in a year/ total mid-year population x 100
Give equation for death rate
The number of deaths per year/ mid year population x 100
What is the infant mortality rate?
The number of deaths of infants under the age of one per thousand life births per year
What is the fertility rate?
The average number of children a woman is expected to give birth to within her lifetime
Define replacement rate
The number of children needed per woman in order to maintain a population size
What is global replacement rate?
2.11
What is net reproduction?
Measure of the average number of daughters produced by a woman in her lifetime
What 3 groups did Thompson categorise countries in to and what does that mean?
Group C countries- world’s poorest with high birth, death and infant mortality rates
Group B countries- rapidly growing with falling death rates, wealth via industrialisation
Group A countries- world’s wealthiest with low birth and death rates
What are the issues with the ‘Demographic Transition Model’?
Eurocentric
Doesn’t allow for migration
Should have 6th stage for countries with noticeable net immigration
What occurs in Stage 1 of the demographic transition model?
High birth rates
High death rates due to war, famine and disease
No birth control
Life expectancy is short
Give an example of a Stage 1 country
Inaccessible regions of Amazonia and south-east Asia
What occurs in Stage 2 of DTM?
Birth rates stay high- economic value, women marry earlier
Death rates fall- economic growth, improvements in sanitation
Lack of birth control
Give an example of a Stage 2 country
Mali
What occurs in Stage 3 of the DTM?
Birth rates fall- women marry later, birth control
Female emancipation
Small families desired, child labour replaced by education
Fall in death rate
Give example of a Stage 3 country
India
What occurs in Stage 4 of DTM?
Birth and death rates fluctuate at a low level
Related to economic recession and optimism
Occasional periods of population decline
Give an example of a Stage 4 country
USA
What occurs in Stage 5 of DTM?
Birth rate falls due to economic reasons
Death rate rises due to ageing population
Diseases of affluence cause deaths
Give an example of a Stage 5 country
Japan
How can you tell a youthful population from a population pyramid?
A rising growth due to a flared base
What does an ageing population look like on a population pyramid?
A top heavy pyramid, with a smaller base.
This also shows female longevity
What is the equation for the dependency ratio?
Dependent population/Working population x 100
Why are dependency ratios relatively low in HIC’s?
Due to the prevalence of tertiary education so young adults remain in study, and young children are in full time education which is not the case in LIC’s.
Also, the retirement age is lower due to availability of state pensions
What type of policy is used to reduce birth rate?
Antenatalist
Why was the ‘One Child Policy’ introduced?
1970s China saw excessive population growth that lead to the fear of mass starvation by the end of the 20th century
What does Chinese culture see as particularly important and what has this lead to?
Large families and male offspring
Lead to: selective terminations, female infanticide, infant abandonment and child trading
What was the female: male ratio for births in 1982 and 2012 in China?
1982- 100:108
2012-100:118
What does the term ‘little emperors’ mean?
Sociologists term for only children who have received excessive amounts of attention
How many people live in extreme poverty in Bangladesh?
1/3
What was Bangladesh’s primary health care approach?
Female primary health care workers making doorstep service
They discussed contraception, side effects and provided basic child and maternal health
What have been the primary effects of the primary healthcare approach?
Child health has improved
Less deaths during pregnancy/birth
Child mortality fell
What have been the secondary effects of the primary healthcare approach?
Families have had fewer children to support so have become wealthier
Families accumulated more farmland
Built more valuable homes
Gained access to running water
Children stayed in school longer and women have gained access to higher incomes
How has the demographic of Bangladesh changed?
Birth rates have fallen from 6 to just over 2
Reached Millennium Development Goal of reducing childhood mortality by 2/3
Reached population just over 200 million
What is ‘missing women’?
Excess female mortality
Define migration
Population movement
Give 3 examples of temporary migration
Diurnal movements to and from the home
Seasonal movements related to agriculture
International migration
What is ‘step migration’?
Series of shorter movements from place of origin to final destination
What is forced migration?
Migration that is inflicted upon people due to natural disasters, persecution and wars or as a result of economic deterioration.
Give an example of forced migration
Rwanda migrants post genocide in 1994, which lead to 2 million refugees to Democratic Republic of Congo and 1/2 million to Tanzania
Define ‘asylum seeker’
A person who is seeking international protection but whose claim for refugee status has yet to be determined
Define ‘refugee’
A person who has been granted leave to stay in a foreign country, having been forced to leave the country of his or her nationality ‘owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.’
What is permanent migration?
Permanent change of residence
What does distance decay show?
The closer you are to country of origin the more migrants there will be due to less upheaval
What is voluntary migration?
The current circumstances mean that there is a hope that there is a better standard of living elsewhere and therefore people migrate
Give examples of push factors
Soil Exhaustion
Natural Disasters
Maritial/Family breakdown
Job opportunities
Give examples of pull factors
Better job opportunities
Better standard of living
Better education
Give 3 positives on the country of origin on migration
Overpopulation pressures may be eased
Less demand for services
Remittances supports relatives
Give 3 positives on the destination country of migration
Labour pool increased and new trade skills introduced
Migrant workers are mobile, pay taxes and spend money-which creates jobs and wealth
Cultural and racial variety promotes diversity
Give 3 negatives on the country of origin on migration
Skilled labour shortages- ie.doctors
Gender imbalances- more men than women migrate
Ageing population structures- working age migrate increasing dependency ratio
Give 3 negatives on the destination country of migration
Large influx of migrants can add to housing shortages and welfare systems
Cultural differences can lead to racial tensions
Education and healthcare services can become strained
What happened in Easter Island?
The human needs and requirements outstripped the supply that the island could provide leading to a reduction in population from several thousand to 700.
What are the 2 views on Easter Island?
Pessimists-Neo-Malthusians- believe humans outstripped supply
Optimists-Boserup- rats came on the canoes which lead to reduction in the trees, however individuals adapted and overcome by eating rats and the trees
How much more waste is produced by people in HIC’s than LIC’s?
30 times more in HIC’s
What is carrying capacity?
The idea of a population ceiling beyond which an environment cannot support people at a high standard of living for a sustained period of time without environmental degradation
What is our ecological footprint?
A measure of human demands that we place in ecosystems and is expressed un terms of amount of biologically productive land needed to produce resources we consume and to absorb waste we generate
What is the demographic dividend?
A falling birth rate results in a smaller population of young, dependent ages and relatively more people within the economically active adult age groups this improves the ratio of productive workers to child dependents which can encourage economic growth
What did Thomas Malthus predict?
Unless population growth was slowed by preventative checks then the exponential rise in population would outstrip food supply and would lead to disastrous ‘positive checks’ by famine, war and disease.
What is the ‘Club of Rome’, and what view do they take?
International think tank of industrialists, diplomats and scientists who used computer modelling in the 1960s to predict ‘unavoidable’ limits to growth within a hundred years if population growth and demand for resources continued unchecked
Neo-Malthusian
Who was Paul Erlich?
Neo-Malthusian
Wrote ‘Population Bomb’
Introduced the idea that famines, civil wars and environmental catastrophes indicate a finite future for the planet
What did Ester Boserup argue?
Agricultural innovation such as Green Revolution will be able to occur at a fast enough rate to keep up with projected population growth
What is the most famous quote from Boserup?
” Necessity is the mother of invention”
Who was Julian Simon?
Anti-Malthusian
Argued that in times of food scarcity the biggest gains could be made from entrepreneurs substituting new resources and innovating
