Globalization and the Effects on Population: A Look at Projections, Theories, and Global Population Practices. “We in the West do not refrain from childbirth because we are concerned about the population explosion or because we feel we cannot afford children, but because we do not like children.” Germaine Greer, an Australian feminist writer, may or may not have been entirely serious when she wrote this statement, but the statement is an insightful one nonetheless. Greer hits on three major underlying themes that affect the study of global population trends. The first and often most important concern in population studies is that of a “population explosion.” Other important factors including the economic impact on population …show more content…
Population Growth, “Explosion”, and the Forces of Globalization By the mid 1950’s it was already evident that a large population growth was occurring worldwide. Basic demographic statistics show unprecedented population growth in the twentieth century. “In 1900 global population was 1.7 billion, in 1950 it reached 2.5 billion,” long term projections from the United Nations estimate that human population will reach the 6 million mark by the end of the twentieth century and furthermore they project a growth to a population of approximately 11.6 billion around the year 2200 . Most scholars, and even the United Nations statisticians themselves, will acknowledge that such long-term projections are at best simply nothing more than guesses. Despite this fact, these projections must still be acknowledged in order to plan for a future in which 11 billion people may have to share the scarce land and resources left in our world. The debate over population growth is one that is fierce, often over exaggerated, and clearly centered around the Malthusian dilemma. Alarmists will warn that the population is far outgrowing our food sources, therefore population growth must be the main cause of hunger. “In 1985, at the height of a major African drought, Colorado governor Richard D. Lamm wrote in the New York Times that the United States should stop giving emergency relief to African countries that failed to reduce
The world population of 7.2 billion in mid-2013 is projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years. It is projected to reach 8.1 billion in 2025, and to further increase to 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100. This assumes a decline of fertility for countries where large families are still prevalent as well as a slight increase of fertility in several countries with fewer than two children per woman on average.
Global population; it’s what has been mystifying and engaging our human geographers for centuries. In fact, the various stages of the demographic transition have shown what the population is acting as now, and how it will change in the future. Starting right here in the United States, we are having a very successful time maintaining a small growth population. Our 1.83 child per woman ratio is slightly below the zero growth 2.03, but our population continues to grow because of our governmental decision to approve immigration into the country. Because of this vital decision, it allows our population to continually grow. Now, back to the demographic transition stages. The United States is currently in Stage 4 along with many other Developed European
Over population is an extremely serious problem facing the world today. According to an article from Newsweek in Oct. 2009 called “Where do babies come from?”, today’s world population has reached over 6.6 billion people. Also the article mentioned that in 2009 57.4% of all new born babies who were born this year came from Asia alone. This is an issue because over population can lead to hasty consumption of resources. China who has one of the largest population in the world with over 1.3 billion people, has taken a stance against over population.
Humanity as a whole is growing exponentially and this growth is anything but consistent. Many nations will be experiencing population decreases while other experience intense population growth. The impending impact of that fact is scaring a multitude of countries on the international market. In this essay I will answer three of the major pressing questions facing the world as they try to prepare themselves for this drastic change.
Population growth has been running rampant in developing countries for the past century due to a lack of education, medical care, and gender equality. According to Jonathon Porrit, a British environmentalist and writer, “The combined population of the four countries [Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia and Kenya] was 40 million in 1960. Now it is nearly 170 million [in late 2011].” “Overall, the human population has quadrupled in the twentieth century”(Cromwell 167) alone due to technological and medical advancements of the industrial revolution Because of the Industrial revolution, there have been many advancements in medicine, leading to lower morality rates in developed and developing countries alike. Developing countries lack the education and family planning that they need in order to maintain a stable and healthy population. Family planning is the act of” anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the
Consider that Earth’s population is projected to rise to 10 billion by the year 2050. The current
Over time, human population has increased and unfortunately has caused a lot of problems to the economy as well as to the environment. Many of the issues that population growth has affected are climate changes, consumption and waste, family planning, poverty, food and hunger, and changes to the economy. According to data researched by the United Nations, “the world population will reach 8 billion to 10 billion by the year 2030” (Livi-Bacci: 1992:31-32 cited in Robbins, 2010:130). Eight to ten billion is a lot of people living in the world, which unfortunately might cause more problems than solutions to these issues. The book written by author Richard H. Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, includes an
Major progress has been made in curbing population growth. The United Nations Population facts August 2010 states that there has been substantial declines in fertility, total fertility in the rest of the developing world(excluding the least developed countries) declined by about 50 per cent between 1970-1975 and 2005-2010: from 5.0 to 2.5 children per woman. Additionally fertility in the least developed countries dropped by 34 per cent since 1970-1975, from 6.7 to 4.4 children per woman. Bangladesh is exceptional with a reduction of over 60 per cent, from 6.9 children per woman in 1970-1975 to an estimated 2.4 in 2005-2010.
While it may be observed that the exponential rate of growth is slowing, the world population is still growing rapidly. Perhaps the biggest concern is not the actual population increase but the distribution of the growth (Wilson, Population).
Keeping the factors that decrease a population in mind, such as economic instability, poverty, natural disasters, resource destruction, and disease, is important when considering which countries should have to put forward these policies and programs to restrict population growth. The question of which countries should follow these solutions depends upon whether there is a major population boom that threatens the environment, economic stability, and social living conditions. If these things are being threatened, then restricting a population by means of putting forward programs and policies should be
There are many articles and newspapers about how bad the world is becoming overpopulated. The overpopulation of humans and animals is a constant threat to people way of life on earth. Monbiot states, “The growth in human numbers, they say, is our foremost environmental threat” (Monbiot 1). Suggestions for extending women’s reproductive choices should be made, and the world population would drop dramatically because of this. George states, “If this need were answered, the impact of population growth would be significant, though not decisive: the annual growth rate of 83 million would be reduced to 62 million” (Monbiot 1). Because the population of the world is increasing drastically, many problems are created and produces many effects.
Population around the world is rising hastily, so fast that the world’s population has just reached
Throughout human history, population growth is one of the most important topics brought into discussion. Globally, there are about 7.2 billion people in the world, and it will rise up to 11 billion or more by the 21st century (Brown). When we look back in the history, population growth has been so slow as to be imperceptible within a single generation, “Reaching a globally population of 1 billion in 1804 required the entire time since the humans appeared on the scene. To add the second billion, it took until 1927, just over 100 years. Thirty- three years later, in 1960, world population reached 3 billion” (Brown 15). Then the pace sped
The demographic transition model, derived by famed demographer Warren Thompson, is a model that conveys the demographic stage in which a certain country fits. This is broken up into five major stages. In stage 1, birth rates and death rates are high. This trend was common all around the world before the Industrial Revolution. So, population remains constant, however it can have major swings as events like wars or pandemics occur. Next, in stage 2, modern medicine becomes available and so it lowers death rates all while birth rates remain high; therefore, the population grows rapidly. Many of the least developed countries today are in this stage of the model. Next, in stage 3, birth rates decrease, almost always as a result of the improvement in economic conditions, women having more rights, and contraception being available. Population growth continues, however at a slower rate. Many of the developing countries today are in stage 3. In stage 4, birth and death rates are both very low. This fact stabilizes the population. Countries that fall in this stage tend to have strong economies, high levels of education available to most anyone, high quality healthcare, a large amount of women are working, and a fertility rate of around two children per woman during her childbearing years. Most of the developed countries today fall into this stage of the model. Stage 5 of the demographic
He suggested that the state should regulate the number of children of low-income families. As Malthus thought celibacy to be improbable, he favored—what Amartya Sen calls a “coercive” contraceptive methods. This Malthusian approach, however, is not the only answer to managing population growth. Condorcet argued that the population problem would be solved by rational human action, like conservation, waste management, and female education. Using successes in Kerala, India, Sen demonstrates how a collaborative approach in family planning—one that is voluntary but values education and social services—resulted in a dramatic fall in birth rates, without the high numbers of infanticide seen under China’s coercive One Child Policy.