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Summary Population and the environment

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These notes provided a detailed insight into the topic of Population and the environment. This is perfect for an AQA Geography A Level student. This file breaks down the content in order for it to be fully absorbed. It finds the perfect balance between bullet points, images, graphs, tables and in d...

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  • Population and the environment
  • July 1, 2020
  • 53
  • 2019/2020
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Population and the environment

Population and the environment themes

How is the world’s population changing?
2015: 7.3bn - UN predicts 8bn by 2025, 9.2bn by 2050, 11bn by 2100.

Population growth increases from the 1800’s. Exponential growth after
1950. Impact on quality of life? sustainable? Will we exceed the carrying
capacity?

What is the pattern of population change?
Estimated growth rates of population
– Growing in most countries - only a few (Eastern Europe) decreasing
– Africa is growing rapidly (+2% per year). Fastest in LDEs
– Elsewhere, increasing 0.5-1.5% per year.

What factors affect population change?
Soil, climate, resource availability, development processes and human
behaviour are factors that affect population numbers.

Niger, North Africa
In 2015 - Niger was the poorest country on the planet. It has the highest
fertility rate (7 births per woman).

Rainfall has declined and droughts are common. Underdeveloped
infrastructure means food aid can’t be distributed.

There is a lack of irrigation systems, crops tends to be limited to the fertile
south. Subsistence farming dominates nutrient-deficient soils.
Overgrazing and loss of cattle during drought has forced farmers to move
to towns to find work. Larger family sizes are a cultural norm + an
economic necessity for subsistence farmers. Niger cannot feed itself alone
- 2.5m people have no guarantee source of food.

Patterns of food production and consumption

Food for thought
Nutrition is central to human functioning, determining our capacity to
work, quality of life, susceptibility to illness + recovery.

Patterns of food production and consumption show contrasts. In 2016 1/9
suffered from chronic undernourishment - all in developing countries. 2/3

,in Asia. Saharan Africa - 1/4 is undernourished.

Undernourishment is the most common malnutrition - undernutrition -
both protein-energy malnutrition (a lack of calories and protein) +
micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency. Malnutrition includes
overnutrition. Eating too much is now a more serious health risk than
eating poorly. Indeed, in 2004, 1.9bn adults were overweight - over 600m
obese.

Feeding the world
Europe, America + Australasia have enough farmland to provide for
themselves with surpluses to export. In contrast, 1/2 of LDEs lack farmland
+ technology to be self sufficient + too poor to import. Enough food is
produced to meet MDG 2. 1/3 of food produced is wasted, 1/4 calories
produced are never eaten. Undernutrition will continue until food is evenly
distributed + waste reduced.

An oversized epidemic
Obesity has more than doubled since 1980 - 39% of adults were
overweight in 2014 (13% obese), 41m children under 5 were overweight or
obese.

The fundamental cause is eating too many calories and not getting
sufficient exercise. Globally, there has been:
● Increase in energy-dense foods - high in fat, sugar + salt
● An increase in physical inactivity - nature of work, using transport +
urbanisation

The health consequences are often discussed as ‘disease of affluence’ -
over-indulgence + pressured life in HDEs. Many obese people have low
income, diets have cheap carbohydrates + processed foods. The socio-
economic, age + race variables are worldwide. LDEs + EMEs continue to
deal with undernourishment, while obesity in urban areas is an increasing
risk factor of non communicable diseases e.g. coronary heart, liver +
gallbladder disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers, high blood pressure and stroke.

It isn’t uncommon for undernourishment and obesity to co-exist within the
same country, community and even household.

Responses involve shaping choices of healthier foods + regular exercise
easier - accessible, available + affordable. Policies e.g. sugary drinks tax;
● Reduce fat, sugar + salt of processed foods
● Ensure fruit + veg are affordable
● Restrict marketing aimed at children
● Support exercise in the workplace

,Agricultural systems and productivity
2bn (28%) are employed directly or indirectly in food production. What is
produced, how + where, varies as populations grow + diets change. Meat
and milk consumption is growing. These are more resource-intensive to
produce than plant-based diets.

Agricultural systems and agricultural productivity
Agriculture, involves inputs, processes and outputs:
Inputs
– Physical, human + economic factors that determine the type of farming
Processes
– Activities to turn inputs to outputs.
– Vary depending on inputs + technology
Outputs
– Products from the farm
– Crops cultivated + animals reared

, There are feedbacks e.g. reinvesting profits + using manure as fertiliser.
There will be changes to the system - physical e.g. droughts and floods, or
human e.g. changes in demand, price or policies.

Agricultural systems vary accordingly to physical environmental variables
e.g. relief, but primarily climate and soils. Human factors - socio-
economic, behavioural, cultural, scientific + political influence agricultural
land use and productivity. We cannot associate particular agricultural
systems with rich and poor countries - LDEs dominate subsistence -
intensive and extensive systems occur in rich + poor countries.

Physical environmental factors influencing agriculture
Temperature
● Dictates the length of the growing season
● Temperate climates e.g. UK’s growing season exceeding 3 months is
required
Precipitation
● Determines the water supply
● Totals depends on temperatures + evapotranspiration. But seasonal
distribution is more important
● A failure of monsoon or drought in the Sahel, can result in famine
Wind and storm frequency
● Restricts cultivation of grain crops.
● Winds can be beneficial e.g. warm chinook (‘snow-eater’) melts snow

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