Global population futures Flashcards
(8 cards)
What are the main health impacts of global environmental change ?
Ozone depletion …
-Skin cancer
-Cataracts
Climate change causes ..
-Thermal stress
-Emergent and changing distribution of vector borne diseases
-Agricultural productivity
-Nutritional standards
Explain the impacts of ozone depletion on public health
[gas found in upper atmosphere and absorbs harmful UV radiation from sun, thin patches are being created by CFCs over Antarctica]
-Skin cancer: More UV reaching Earth’s surface, UV rays cause genetic mutation
-Cataracts: lens of eye gradually becomes more opaque causing blurred vision
[the ozone layer is recovering due to global reduction in emissions- trump pulling out of Paris agreement]
Explain the impacts of climate change on public health
-Thermal stress: more common heatwaves, warmer summer, increased deaths among elderly people with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (although in cold areas, cold related deaths will decrease)
-Disease vectors can spread to new regions as climate warms and precipitation patterns change
-Agricultural productivity affected as evaporation rates increase, increased desertification, reduced yields, seasonal patterns change ..monsoons.., increase in frequency and intensity of storm events, rising sea levels causes saltwater intrusion (but longer growing season in UK for plants and melons can be grown)
-Decreasing crops in tropical regions so more malnutrition, ‘hunger season’ in Indonesia before rice harvest, availability of fruit and vegetable is likely to decrease, increasing food prices will affect LICs and increase hunger and reduce dietary diversity so malnutrition occurs vs rise in obesity in wealthier countries as unhealthy food is often cheaper anyways
Give skin cancer stat
In 2012 skin cancer caused 55,000 deaths worldwide
Give cataracts stat
20% of cataracts are caused by over exposure to UV radiation
Australia has highest rate of skin cancer in the world 2/3 diagnosed with skin cancer by age of 70
What are the prospects for global population ?
- Continue to increase but rates of increase are slowing down
- 2 key factors driving global population change: decreasing fertility rate(still high enough for population to keep increasing), increasing life expectancy
-Can’t incorporate wars and diseases into predictions
What is the projected population distribution ?
- Spatial variation around the world as fertility is changing at different rates. Asia rates fallen rapidly, sub saharan Africa rates falling slower
- Developed countries experience low population growth due to low birth rates
- Japan experiencing natural population decline
- More in urbanised areas
- Estimated Africa will experience the most rapid population growth but Europe’s population is expected to decrease over time
- China and India predicted to remain 2 most populous countries
- Nigeria has fastest growing population in the world so is predicted to rise from 7th to 3rd most populous country by 2050
Give evaluation of future population, environment relationships
-As global population grows, consumption on natural resources per capita increases aswell as people increasing affluence to have higher standards of living
-Manufacturing and use of finite resources produces mass pollution which isn’t sustainable
- Although population growth rate is slowing down as fertility rates decrease which reduces the potential long term impact of exponential increase. And resource use is made more efficient with technology and regulations to reduce consumption (trump-paris agreement)
Changes can include, renewable energy generation to mitigate climate change, HICs share sustainable tech, education and behavioural changes (locally sourced products) to reduce waste and encourage recycling, policy changes can cause relationship between environment and population to change buy promoting public transport and incentives for renewable energy use
