POPULATION AND RESOURCES

THOMAS MALTHUS

• Malthus was a reverend and population scientist- the first one.
• In 1798 he published 'An essay on the principle of population'.
• This stated that an optimum population exists.
• The level of optimum population is based on the availability of resources.
• He claimed that famine was a natural response to over population.

WAS HE CORRECT?

GREEN REVOLUTION

• Ester Boserup put together through first counter theory to Malthus.
• She was a Danish economist and wrote 'conditions of agricultural growth'.
• As resources run low humans engineer an answer.
• This is also known as the green revolution.
• It is the term that describes improvements in global agriculture.

HOW HAS AGRICULTURE CHANGED TO INCREASE YIELD?

AGRICULTURAL CHANGE.

• Irrigation and hydroponics.
• Fertilisers and pesticides.
• GM crops- grow more in a smaller area.
• Mechanisation.
• Green Houses.

POPULATION BOMB

• 1960s Bilogist Paul Ehrlich predicted a population explosion.
• He saw how insect communities grew exponentially.
• Like Malthus he feared resources in LEDCs would fail to meet demand.
• Anti-natalist policies such as the O.C.P in China began on this theory.

21st Century Population Change

• Fertility rates in the developing world have not risen as expected.
• TFR in Iran is now 1.7. It was 8 in 1990.
• TFR in India has halved from 1980. It's now 2.8.
• Brazil (worlds largest catholic state) has a TFR of 2.
• Singapore now has a pro-natalist (positive) population policy.

SOCIAL PRESSURES ON WOMEN IN SOME LEDCs HAVE CHANGED.

EMANCIPATION & DEVELOPMENT DO NOT POSITIVELY CORRELATE

• Social media has spread the message.
• Men have weakened their desire to have many children.
• The desire to continue the family lineage has decreased.
• Women can easily gain contraception eg sterilisation in Brazil.
• Women have a say.

SOME EXCEPTIONS REMAIN

• The Yemen has a very poor record toward the treatment of women.
• Arranged teenage marriage is commonplace.
• Child, infant and maternal mortality rates are high.
• Many rural areas in the world have higher TFR than urban areas.
• Urban populations globally are rising- now above 50%.

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH RESOURCES