Environmental Science -Week 4 Assignment - Population Growth and Decline

Environmental Science -Week 4 Assignment - Population Growth and Decline

In this assignment, you will analyze demographic data for various first, second, and third world countries.

Background

Review Chapter 4, "Human Populations" from Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry & Applications and watch this five-minute video: Population Pyramids: Power Predictors of the Future - Kim Preshoff.

This week lecture is about population pyramids generated from this data illustrate the population distribution. Whether countries have a large, young population; a large, old population, or a population that is relatively stable, they all have unique challenges to address. 

This lab will help you further explore the concept of population distributions and their effect on economies and societies.

At the most basic level, the increase or decrease in the population can be calculated by following this simple formula: 

BIRTH RATE - DEATH RATE + IMMIGRATION = GROWTH RATE 

Birth and death rates are expressed in a number of different ways. Overall birth rates are often expressed as the number of births per woman over her life. Overall death rates are simply the number of deaths per year. 

To predict population growth, however, population models use birth and death rates specific to each age group, over a step of five years. 

Begin Work on Your Lab

To begin work on your lab, access:

Lab 2: Population Growth and Decline Instructions

Objective

Use United Nation's population data (2015) and population pyramids to explore the challenges different population distributions have on economies and societies. Note: This is the latest data available. The United Nations updates this information about every 10 years.

Step	Step Description
1	Review the demographic data provided here for the USA, Japan, China, and Nigeria. For each of these countries, you will see a population pyramid for 2015 and the population pyramid prediction for 2100.
2	Based on the data provided for these four countries, complete Columns 2–7 in Table 1: Demographic Data on the Population Growth and Decline Template. This will give you a view of the demographic transition continuum.
3	Rank the countries by the growth rate in the year 2100 from highest (earliest in the demographic transition) to lowest (farthest along the transition). You will enter this information in Column 8, Rank in Transition of Table 1 on the Population Growth and Decline Template.
4	Describe the shape of the pyramid of the population by age for each country. You will write your descriptions in the appropriate space in Table 2, Shape of Population Pyramid on the Population Growth and Decline Template.
5	Answer the related questions.

United States (First World)

Population: 321 Million Population: 300 Million

Birth Rate: 1.98 per Woman Birth Rate: 1.98 per Woman

Death Rate: 1.16% per year Death Rate: 1.36% per year

Growth Rate: 0.78% per year Growth Rate: -0.13% per year

Japan (First World)

Population: 127 Million Population: 45 Million

Birth Rate: 1.39 per Woman Birth Rate: 1.39 per Woman

Death Rate: 1.40% per year Death Rate: 1.86% per year

Growth Rate: -0.11% per year Growth Rate: -1.38% per year

China (Second World)

Population: 1,362 Million Population: 617 Million

Birth Rate: 1.52 per Woman Birth Rate: 1.52 per Woman

Death Rate: 1.05% per year Death Rate: 1.88% per year

Growth Rate: 0.47% per year Growth Rate: -1.23% per year

Nigeria (Third World)

Population: 182 Million Population: 1,739 Million

Birth Rate: 4.07 per Woman Birth Rate: 4.07 per Woman

Death Rate: 1.11% per year Death Rate: 1.10% per year

Growth Rate: 2.65% per year Growth Rate: 2.84% per year

Reference

United Nations. No date. World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations. https://population.un.org/wpp/

Population Growth and Decline Template

Instructions: Complete Tables 1 and 2 according to the instructions provided in the Population Growth and Decline Instructions.

Table 1: Demographic Data

Country (Column 1)	Birthrate (Column 2)	Death Rate (Column 3)	Population in 2015 (Column 4)	Population in 2100 (Column 5)	Population Growth 2015 (Column 6)	Population Growth 2100 (Column 7)	Rank in Transition (Column 8)
USA
Japan
China
Nigeria

Table 2: Shape of Population Pyramid

Country	Shape of Population Pyramid
USA
Japan
China
Nigeria

Questions

1. How would living conditions differ between the countries furthest along in the demographic transition and the country earliest in the transition?

2. How would living conditions in these two countries affect birth and death rates?

3. According to this article, “The US Isn’t Fertile Enough to Sustain Itself Without Immigrants,” and the U.S. demographic data for the United States, the U.S. is experiencing a declining birthrate. After reading the article, do you believe immigration could help solve this problem? Why or why not?

4. In general, how do the concepts of early, middle, and late demographic transition map to the concepts of first, second, and third world countries?

Reference

Jessica Hamzelou. May 17, 2018. The US Isn’t Fertile Enough to Sustain Itself Without Immigrants. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2169119-the-us-isnt-fertile-enough-to-sustain-itself-without-immigrants/#ixzz64FLO4V54