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Population and the environment - Coggle Diagram
Population and the environment
Population - environment relationship
Population
Distribution
Climate
The climate is a very important factor as it controls key factors like rainfall temperature and sunlight which in turn determines whether an area is able to be farmed.
Soils
The main factor of soil that determines population distribution is it's fertility. This depends on a number of this such as soil structure, texture, acidity and supply of nutrients. Whether areas are arable greatly influences population districution.
Water supply
Water is key for human survival not only to drink but for irrigation of crops. It also has many uses which make it valuable for humans to live close to a water source like sanitation, hygiene and industrial processes.
Geology / resources
Concentrations of high value substances such as oil or rare ores can influence the population distribution in that area. Eg: the population of Saudi Arabia due to its high levels of oil.
Population growth
During the neolithic revolution around 12000 years ago the population grew from around 10 million to around 554 million in 1600
However the main population growth occurred post industrial revolution (1800 onward).
This is due to a number of reasons
Advances in science and medicine have increased the life expectancy in many developed countries and decreased infant mortality rate.
Contraception was as common so couples were having more children
In many developing countries children are seen as economic assets as they can be used for work and bring in income for the family
Standards of living also increased due to development of things like electricity and infrastructure which meant people wanted to have children.
Food production and consumption
Millennium development goals
These were to have the number of people who received an income of less than $1 a day, to achieve fully employment for all including women and young people, halve the number of people who suffer from chronic undernourishment.
These goals were not met as the percentage of people suffering fell from 19% to 10%
However the average calorie intake per person from 1960 to 2015 rose from 2300 calories per person to 2940 calories per person.
North America
North America has the most climate variation of all the continents in the world.
The USA is the second largest beef producer behind Brazil as Texas alone produces $13 billion annually from beef sales alone
The USA is also the largest food importer in the wold.
Europe
Food production in Europe is mainly focused on the growth of crops and production of meat and fish.
The EU produces around 6.7 billion tonnes of beef a year
Norway is the largest producer of fish in Europe because of their location near the north sea.
The average calorie consumption per person is 3417 in 2018
Asia
Food production has grown since the 1960s due to an increase in population.
The average consumption has also increased since the 1960s but the average calorie intake in still 300 below the recommended.
Different types of farming:
Arable farming - Growing cereals and root crops on flat land in areas with high quality soil.
Pastoral farming - Focused on rearing livestock such as cattle or sheep on ranches
Mixed farming - The cultivation of crops alongside animals usually to use the animals dung for fertiliser
Intensive farming - Investing large amounts of capital into high quality goods from the farm
Commercial farming - Growing plants only for a profit and not for consumption
Extensive farming - Farming carried out over a large area
Subsistence - Farming done purely for survival and very rarely for economic gains by selling the food.
Case studies:
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has a monsoon climate which means it relies on a few months of heavy rainfall all year.
Some areas receive as low as 100mm of rain a year
Other places get up to 2250mm of rain a year
Ethiopias temperature range is also very big
In some areas it can reach up to 40 degrees
In other places it can go as low as 10 degrees
Ethiopia also has large differences in relief across the country
In the mountainous areas it can reach heights of 4600 meters
It can also get completely flat with an elevation of 1 meter
Ethiopia is a large producer of coffee
It is the 5th largest producer of Arabica coffee in the world
Coffee accounts for around 33% of Ethiopias total export income
In 2023 Ethiopia is expected to produce around 501000 metric tonnes of coffee which is worth 1.4 billion USD
95% of Ethiopias coffee comes from small holder farms
Importance of climate:
Precipitation
Rainfall is the most important factor governing the distribution of coffee farming. Rainfall varies widely throughout the different regions of the country.
Temperature
The minimum temperature needed for Arabica coffee to grow is 12-14 degrees and the maximum temperature s 30-32 degrees, therefore temperature is a key factor in determining coffee growth.
Humidity
In the growth of coffee humidity is mainly linked rainfall and temperature. For example in dry months the average relative humidity is between 55-80% where as in the wet season it can reach 90%
Ethiopia Facts:
75% of the population work in agriculture which is equivalent 40 million people
The main form of agriculture is rain fed
Only 8% of the land is irrigable
Ethiopia is ranked 175th on the HDI index
30% of the population lives in absolute poverty
The average income across the country is $2.30 a day
Around 30 million people in Ethiopia are experiencing food insecurity
Egypt
Egypt has an arid climate
This is because it is located in the temperate zone of 22 degrees North to 32 degreed North
This also means the average annual rainfall across the whole country is only around 10mm
Due to their climate not allowing for much agriculture the country has to import 40% of its food.
Egypts population
Egypts population in 2023 is 112716600
Over the last 30 years Egypt's population has grown by 50 million
95% of Egypts population lives within 12 miles of the Nile
Egypts agriculutre
Only 2.8% of the country is able to be farmed
Farming makes up around 15-20% of the countries GDP
Cultivars
Over the past 15 years researchers have grown over 300 different types of crops to increase yeild
They grown crops that can withstand higher temperatures and to be more drought resistant
These new crops have increased the yield for things like cereals by over 50%
soil
definitions
zonal soils
formed by factors such as climate and the resulting vegetation which operates at a microscale. thus britain shows major north west south east division between podsols and brown earths.
azonal soils
young immature soils which lack zones, steep slopes, thin soils
intrazonal soils
formed by a factor which operates locally, bad drainage, acidic conditions
types/ case study
chernozems/ podsols
tropical red latisols
soil functions
cycling nutrients
many nutrients stored and cycled within the soil eg carbon and nitrogen
regulating water
helps control where rain snow and ice melt go
sustaining plant and animal life
the range of biodiversity all relies on soil
filtering pollutants
minerals and microbes in the soil filter, buffer, immobalise, degrade ans deteriorate potential organic and inorganic pollution
soil erosion
causes
removal of topsoil that is rich in nutrients and organic matter
reduction of the depth of soil available for rooting and water storage for crop growth
reducing infiltration of water into soil therefore increasing surface runoff and erosion
impacts
loss of seeds, seedlings, fertiliser (nitrates) and pesticides
young plants can be 'sandblasted'
increased difficulty, therefore more fuel consumption amd manhours of farming operations
deposition of sediment onto roads
damage to quality of water sources
increased chemical loading which may lead to eutrophocation
solutions
installing and maintaining field drains, reducing the amount of water running off roads
relationship between population and the environment
climate
levels of rainfall and sun as it needs to be warm for crops to grow- high populations often signify that there are optimal conditions
soils
pH and nutrients are important factors for farming as if it is too acidic or alkali then the crops will struggle growing. fertilisers are used in high population areas to supply large amount of crops
water supply
people need access to water to supply. the water supply comes from ethiopia through the nile so 95% of the population live in 4% of the land within 12 miles of the nile
geology/ resources
fossil fuels and oil helps give a country light and is a good resource to sell
Environment, Health and Wellbeing
Global patterns of Health and Morbidity
Definitions:
Morbidity = The rate of disease in a population and the condition of suffering from a disease.
Incidence = The number of new cases during a specific time period. It is used to describe how quickly the disease occurs in the population, enabling identification of increasing transmission.
Health = A state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.
Prevalence = This is a measure of the frequency of a disease or health condition in a population at a given.
often more economically developed countries have a higher rate of CHD this is due to the sedentary lifestyles and bad diets
many poorer countries that are currently in their industrial revolution have a high level of air polution this can cause illnesses such as lung cancer or other lung infections, 2.3 million each year in india die
Population change/ecology/futures
Fertility levels:
Religion:
Christians believe that reproduction is a gift from God so you should have many children.
Other religions allow one man to have many wives and this can cause an increase fertility rates.
Some religions do not believe in contraception and abortion
Gender
Women's empowerment within society had caused then to receive higher levels of education and this causes lower levels of fertility
Women can now get medical procedures to prevent pregnancy
Marriage traditions
Many LIC's still practice arranged marriages for example in India 90% of marriages are arranged.
More than 60% of women in 5 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are married before the age of 18
Population policies
In China they had the one child policy for many years and the nock on effect is still being felt in the country today
The demographic transition model:
Stage 1:
High birth rate
High death rate
Steady population
Stage 2:
High birth rate
Falling death rate
Increasing population
Stage 3:
Falling birth rate
Falling death rate
Population levelling out
Stage 4:
Low birth rate
Low death rate
Steady population
Pros and Cons of using the DTM:
Pros:
Simplifies a complex reality for universal application
Allows us to make predictions for the future
Gives a frame work to compair development
Cons:
Doesn't account for things like wars, disease, natural disasters and migration
Doesn't give a time frame
Doesn't consider population policies
Some modern emerging countries may skip stages due to globalisation
Population structure:
Dependancy ratio
Number of dependents or non working people divided by the population between the age of 15 - 64
Pros and cons of a youthful population:
Pros:
Lots of potential workers for the future
The country wont suffer from an ageing population for a long time
Cons:
They are mostly economically reliant on their parents for their childhood
They dont provide tax revenue for the government and put pressure on schools
Pros and cons of an ageing population:
Pros:
Earlier inheritances and retirement dates
Can build up wealth and invest in infrastructure
Can volunteer to help the community
Cons:
High social and healthcare costs an the elderly need more resources compared to the rest of the population
Economically active sector shrinks
High pension costs for the government
Demographic dividend
The economic growth potential that can result from the shifts in a populations age structure, mainly when the share of the working age population is larger than the non-working age share of the population
International migration:
Transhumance
Type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures
Push and Pull factors for migration:
Push:
Sexism
inequality
poor job opportunities
climate
racism
dicatatorship
war
Pull:
Good job opportunities
good welfare system
good climate
peaceful
democratic politics
good healthcare
good education
Population Ecology
Types of population:
Optimum population
The perfect population to utilise all of the earths available resources
Under population
When there is not enough people to use the resources available to us
Over population
There are too many people in relation to our resources and this population is unsustainable
Ecological footprint
A measure of the demands we place on the earth's biosphere in terms of how many global hectares it would take to mitigate our damage
Population Growth:
Thomas Malthus:
He believed that as some point population will out grow food production capabilities and the Malthusian catastrophe will occur
The club of Rome
They believed that the population would keep increasing and would peak in around 2080
The five variables that were examined included: world population, industrialisation, pollution, food production and resource deprivation
Paul Ehrlich:
He believed that there would be widespread famine due to overpopulation which he called the population bomb
However many people criticised him for an alarmist approached
Esther Boserup:
