POPULATION AND ENVIRONMENT

Question 1

Population Growth Over Time:

Answer 1

The world’s population has grown at an unprecedented rate in human history.
Historical data reveals significant milestones: 5 million people in 8000 BCE, 1 billion in 1800, and an expected 8 billion by 2024.
The J-curve graph illustrates exponential population growth.
Factors Driving Population Growth:

Development gains, especially improvements in health conditions and reduced death rates, have led to a population explosion.
While growth rates stabilize in some regions, the total global population continues to rise, impacting Earth’s resources.

Question 2

5. Population Age Structure:

Answer 2

• Growing populations have a pyramid-shaped age structure, with a higher percentage of youth.* Stable populations exhibit a column-shaped age structure.

Question 3

6. Population Growth and Economic Disparities:

Answer 3

• Less wealthy countries contribute significantly to future population growth.
• Economic differences are reflected in population growth, with a projected 86% of the global population in poorer nations by 2050.

Question 4

8. Urbanization Challenges:

Answer 4

• Rapid urbanization poses challenges such as inadequate housing, pollution, and sanitation issues.
• Megacities, those with populations over 10 million, are on the rise, particularly in emerging economies

Question 5

9. Exam Questions Insights:

Answer 5

• Population Growth Factors:
• Focus on the three main factors contributing to explosive population growth as highlighted in later chapters.
• Global Demographic Changes:
• Explain how global demographics are changing, emphasizing recent explosive growth.
• Population Growth and Urbanization:
• Explore the relationship between population growth and urbanization, considering why the two phenomena are interconnected.
• Population Growth and Poverty:
• Investigate the relationship between population growth and poverty, challenging any assumptions made prior to reading.
• Population and Climate Change:
• Refer to the provided link summarizing the relationship between population and climate change.
• Political Will:
• Look for references to political will in the reading, connecting it to the challenges and solutions discussed in population issues.