HUMAN PROCESSES THAT SHAPE WORLD REGIONS

Chapter 3

3.1 Two Revolutions That Changed the Earth

The Agricultural Revolution Began in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago

The Industrial Revolution Began in 18th Century Europe

3.1.1 Hunting and Gathering

Hunters and Gatherers Our ancestors lived by foraging until 10,000 years ago Stayed in small, family-based groups Nomads who wandered from place to place to take

advantage of changing opportunities on the landscape Because of this movement, they had a relatively limited

impact on the natural environment An ecologically dominant species

Competed more successfully than other organisms for nutrition and other essentials of life; Exerted a greater influence than other species on the environment

Pleistocene Overkill Hypothesis Hunted many species to extinction

Rock Art from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula

This artifact depicts Neolithic-period hunting of ibex, later uses

of camels and horses, and writing from the Nabatean period.

3.1.2 Farming: Welcome to the Anthropocene

Domestication brought about the Agricultural Revolution Explanation for shift from hunt-and-gather to production?

Change in Climate Growing populations compelled people to find new food sources

Abandonment of nomadic lifestyles Shift from extensive land use to intensive land use People settled into small villages with fixed dwellings Through dry farming, population densities could be 10-20x higher

than they were in hunting and gathering mode

Irrigation along the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile Rivers Bringing water to land artificially through levers and channels Raised carrying capacity and set stage for civilization

Domesticated plants and animals proliferated at the expense of wild species

3.1.2 Farming: Welcome to the Anthropocene

Civilization was enabled by increased food production Complex culture of urban life characterized by writing,

economic specialization, social stratification, and high population concentrations

Several Culture Hearths emerged between 8000 and 2500 B.C.E. in China, SE Asia, Indus River Valley, Egypt, West Africa, Mesoamerica, and the Andes

Carrying Capacity Expanding food surpluses of the Agricultural Revolution

raised the size of the human population that the Earth’s ecosystem could support

Upon early plant and animal domestication (about 10,000 years ago), Earth’s population was fewer than 5 million

Today, there are more than 7 billion people on Earth

Irrigation Along the Tigris River in Turkey

3.1.3 The Industrial Revolution

Began in Europe around 1750 C.E. Based on technological breakthroughs made

possible by: Western Europe had economic capital necessary for

experimentation, innovation, and risk Significant improvements in agricultural productivity

took place in Europe prior to 1500 Population Growth

Greater number of people to devote their talentsand labor to experimentation and innovation

3.1.4 Industrialization, Colonization & Environmental Change

Age of Discovery (Age of Exploration – 15th Cent) As local supplies of resources needed for industrial

production were depleted, Europeans looked abroad Exploration Resulted in Colonization

European political and economic control over foreign areas Industrial Revolution’s Impact on Environment

Since 1750, total forested area on earth has declined by more than 20%

Total cropland has grown by 500% during same period Human use of energy increased 100-fold since 1750

3.2 The Geography of Development

Large disparity between wealthy and poor people Evident both within and between countries

“Haves” vs. “Have-Nots” More Developed Countries (MDCs) Less Developed Countries (LDCs) Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs)

Wealth and Poverty By Country

Note the concentration of wealth in themiddle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

3.2.1 Measuring Development

There is no universally accepted standard for measuring wealth and poverty on the global scale

However, these are some common indices: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Total output of goods and services that a country produces for home use in a year

Gross National Product (GNP) Also includes foreign output by domestically owned producers

Gross National Income (GNI) Includes GDP plus income from abroad from sources such as

rents, profits, and labors Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

Considers differences in relative prices of goods and services Measured in current “international dollars”

Human Development Index (HDI) Scale that considers attributes of quality of life

3.2.2 Why Are Some Countries Rich & Others Poor?

Dependency Theory Argues that the worldwide economic pattern

established by both the Industrial Revolution and colonialism persists today

Advantageous & Disadvantageous Location Location can influence a country’s economic fortunes

Resource Wealth or Poverty Cultural and Historical Factors

3.2.3 Environmental Impacts of Underdevelopment

LDCs have to borrow money from MDCs to fund development Many LDCs are unable to pay even the interest on

these loans When lender institutions threaten to cut off

assistance, borrowing countries often try to raise money quickly using these methods: Dedication of high-quality land to production of cash crops,

which are exported to MDCs as luxury items Sale of Natural Assets

Methods have a drastic long-term effect on the environment Humans using resources faster than nature can replace it

Ecological Bankruptcy Occurs when countries exhaust their environmental capital

Thu Bon River in Vietnam

3.3 The Geography of Population

The study of population is known as demography Population may be the most critical issue in

geography; Welfare of humanity and Earth’s other species and natural habitats is tied to: The number of people The rate at which people consume resources

Human Population Explosion since 1800 Will it lead to a crisis?

Migration Spread of cultures, ideas, and opportunities Can spark tension and violence

3.3.1 How Many People Have Lived on Earth?

Homo Sapiens ancestors came out of Africa around 100,000 years ago to populate Eurasia

Population Explosion 1 Billion in 1800 2 Billion in 1930 4 Billion in 1975 6 Billion in 1999

Humans now are by far the most populous large mammal on earth

Global Human Population

3.3.2 How Can We Measure Population Changes?

Birth Rate Annual number of live births

per 1,000 people in a population Death Rate

Annual number of deathsper 1,000 people in a population

Population Change Rate Birth Rate minus the Death Rate May represent either a growth or a loss

3.3.3 What Determines Family Size?

Better-educated and wealthier people, understanding the economic cost of raising and educating a child, tend to have fewer children

Less educated and poorer people generally have more children, sometimes to have additional workers to bring in more family income

People in cities tend to have fewer children than those in rural areas

Those who marry earlier tend to have more children Couples with access to and understanding of

contraception generally have fewer children Value systems and cultural norms play critical roles

3.3.4 What Determines Death Rates?

Death rates correlate mainly with health factors Death rates can be reduced by:

Better sanitation Better hygiene Cleaner drinking water Availability of antibiotics and immunizations Availability of insecticides Improvements in medical and public health technologies

Death rates rise with epidemics HIV/AIDS, Black Death, etc.

Life Expectancy Number of years a person may expect to live in an

environment United States Life Expectancy in 2011

80 years for Women 75 years for Men

Life Expectancy at Birth

Life expectancy is closely tied to economic well-being.People live longer where they can afford the medicinesand other amenities and technologies that prolong life.

3.3.5 What Determines the Population Change Rate?

Rate of population change has been affected throughout history by natural disasters, diseases, and wars

With birth rates higher than death rates,the trend has been one of growth

Doubling Time Number of years required for human population to double Computed by dividing 70 by the growth rate As of 2011, the global population change rate of 1.2%

means a doubling time of 58 years

Natural Rate of Population Change

Population change rates are highest in the countriesof Africa and other regions of the developing world

and lowest in the more affluent countries.

3.3.6 Why Has the Human Population “Exploded”?

If the birth rate is high and the death rate is low,the population surges This scenario has been occurring since around 1800 This result has not been caused by a rise in birth

rates, but because the death rate has fallen Improvements in agricultural and medical technologies

Demographic Transition Model Stage 1: Preindustrial Stage 2: Transitional Stage 3: Industrial Stage 4: Postindustrial

Demographic Transition Model

Note how the population surged in the wake of the Industrial Revolution

as death rates fell while birth rates remained high but then leveled out

and began to decline as economic development advanced.

3.3.7 The Age Structure Diagram

Population Pyramid Classifies a population by gender and by 5-year age

increments Diagram Shapes

LDCs are more bottom-heavy and pyramid-shaped MDCs are more chimney-shaped

Population Under Age 15 29% of population of the poorer countries 16% of population of the wealthier countries

Age Structure Diagrams

A poor country, Niger has a relatively high birth rate, with about 48% of the

population under age 15. The United States’ population is growing slowly, while

Germany and some other industrialized nations are losing populations.

LDCs vs. MDCs: Population by Age and Sex

3.3.8 Where Do We Live?

The natural setting is the most important factor China and India are most populous countries

China has a population of 1.4 billion India has a population of 1.3 billion 1/3 of people on earth today are Chinese or Indian

United States ranks as 3rd most populated Migration the most important factor in increasing

population

World Population Cartogram

The demographic heavyweights of China and India stand out

in the world population cartogram. The United States and Indonesia,

the world’s third and fourth most populous countries, are prominent too.

Population Density

3.3.9 Geography of Migration

Migration refers to the movement of people Within a community, within a country or between countries Emigrant One who moves FROM a place Immigrant One who moves TO a place

Migration is driven by Push and Pull Factors Examples of Push Factors

When hunger or lack of land “pushes” people from rural areas into cities, or when warfare or natural disasters push people from one place to another

Examples of Pull Factors Moving to a new area to take advantage of a job

or educational opportunity

Global Migration Trends

The global picture of people on the move. The major trends

are of migrants in search of work in more affluent countries

and of refugees driven by warfare or environmental adversity.

3.3.10 How Many People Will Live on Earth?

Although it has been possible to calculate how many people have lived on the earth in the past with some confidence, projecting future numbers is difficult Will birth rates fall faster than anticipated in

developing world? Will death rates surge due to disease or other

epidemics? Predictions by the United Nations

In 2050, the global population will be 9.3 billion The maximum number of people that will ever live on

the earth at one time will be 10 billion in 2100

Family Planning Billboard in Cairo, Egypt

This sign on the main square in Cairo, Egypt, urges parents

to have no more than two children “for the sake of a better life.”

UN Projections for World Population Growth

3.3.11 The Malthusian Scenario

Thomas Malthus English clergyman who lived during Industrial

Revolution He postulated that human populations, growing

geometrically or exponentially, would exceed food supplies, which grow only arithmetically or linearly

He predicted a catastrophic human die-off as a result of this irreconcilable equation

Neo-Malthusians vs. Technocentrists Neo-Malthusians insist that birth rates must be

brought down or humans will suffer nature’s solution, acatastrophic increase in death rates

Technocentrists are optimists who believe peoplecan raise the earth’s carrying capacity

Malthusian Scenario of People vs. Resources

Technocentric View of People vs. Resources

3.3.12 What Is “Overpopulation”?

People Overpopulation Characteristic of the LDCs Many persons, with each using a small quantity of

natural resources daily to sustain life Consumption Overpopulation

Characteristic of the MDCs Fewer persons, but each uses a large quantity of

natural resources from ecosystems around the world

Overpopulation Models: People & Consumption

3.4 An Action Plan for Global Problems

Death Rate Solution & Lifeboat Ethics Birth Rate Solution & Sustainable Development

3.4.1 Death Rate Solution & Lifeboat Ethics

“Let nature take its course” Allow people imperiled by famine or other catastrophe to perish

Lifeboat Ethics Introduced by ecologist Garrett Hardin Instead of seeing earth as a “global village” with a single

carrying capacity, views the world as a number of distinct “lifeboats,” each occupied by the citizens of single countries

Each wealthy nation is a lifeboat comfortably seating a few people

Each poor nation is a lifeboat so overcrowded that many fall overboard

While the occupants of the rich lifeboats can choose to take on the overboard refugees, Hardin suggests not, insteadpreserving their own standard of living and ensuring theworld’s safety for themselves and their future generations

Lifeboat Ethics

3.4.2 Birth Rate Solution & Sustainable Development

People must change their worldviews and value systems, recognizing finiteness of resources and reducing their expectations to a level sustainable by earth’s capabilities

People should recognize that development and environmental protection are compatible

People should consider the needs of future generations more Communities and countries should strive for self-reliance,

particularly through the use of appropriate technologies LDCs need to limit population growth as a means of avoiding

the destructive impacts of people overpopulation Governments need to practice land reform, particularly in LDCs Economic growth in MDCs should be slowed to reduce

effects of consumption overpopulation Wealth should be redistributed between MDCs and LDCs