Why might the world face an overpopulation problem?
pgs. 67-75
Malthus on Overpopulation:
Thomas Malthus, the author of An Essay on the Principle of Population, believed that the population was growing much more rapidly than the Earth's food supply because population increased arithmetically and the food supply increased linearly.
Neo-Malthusian Perspective:
Paul Enrich said that "economic growth must be faster than population growth; otherwise the outcome will be poverty."
Critics on Malthus:
-food production: Julian Simon said "our resources grow with time, the ultimate resource is the human mind". Esther Boserup said that "population spurrs technological advancement.", and Karl Marx said that "poverty is not nessesarily due to population growth."
Declining Birth Rates:
Malthus was incorrect about more than one thing in his predictions. Food production has grown at a consistantly faster rate than NIR since 1950, also the population has not been as rapid as he had thought. This is because birth rates have been decreasing. Reasons for declining birth rates are economic development and reliance on distrubuion on contraceptives.
World Health Threats:
- Epidemiologic Transition Stage 1 and 2: "The stage of pestilence and famine", The Black Plague and Cholera pandemics killed hundreds and thousands of people in the 14-18th centuries drastically cutting the population.
- Epidemiologic Transition Stage 3 and 4: "The stage of degenarative and human created diseases". This is characterized by a decrease in deaths from infectious diseases and an increase in disorders associated with aging.
- Epidemiologic Transition Possible Stage 5: "The stage of reemergence of infectious and parasitic diseases." (Ex: AIDS)
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| AIDS World Map (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People_living_with_HIV_AIDS_world_map.PNG) |
Current Event:
http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/262410
This article describes economic development in a small town in Virginia. Though it may not seem like a big deal or an aid to overpopulation, economic development is one of the main causes for overpopulation in Western countries. Food supply is growing, making it easier to support larger families and death rates are decreasing, making people live longer.
