The Material World

Background: It is important to understand how different and similar the lives of others are compared to ours in the US. The IPAT equation (see
below) is an equation used to estimate the impact of human lifestyle choices on the environment. Each of the pictures you will observe depicts a
typical family in a developing, underdeveloped, or developed country.

Choose 3 different pictures to analyze. Write the name of each country in the top row of the following table. Then analyze the pictures to complete
the rest of the table. Use the IPAT equation to determine the relative environmental impact (high, medium, low) in each country, and then answer
the analysis questions.

Country U.S. A Mali Japan Bhutan

Population of the country 326,625,791 people 17885245 people 126451398 people 758,288 people
Average # of people in 4 people 10 people 4 people 12 people
family (total fertility rate)
GDP per Capita $57638.00 $779.90 $38900.60 $2773.50
Fertility rate 1.87 births per woman 6.01 births per woman 1.42 births per woman 1.90 births per woman
Maternal mortality rate 19 deaths per 100,000 live 562 deaths per 100,000 4 deaths per 100,000 live 86 deaths per 100,000 live
births live births births births
Infant mortality rate 5.7 deaths per 1000 live 60.2 deaths per 1000 live 1.72 deaths per 1000 live 23.8 deaths per 1000 live
(Low, Middle, or High) births births births births
Educational level of 99% 22.5% 99% 55%
women
Avg.Life Expectancy Rate 80 years 60.3 years 85.3 years 70.6 years
Most Valued Possession Bible Bicycle Family heirlooms Religious book
HDI Ranking 13 out of 189 182 out of 189 19 out of 189 134 out of 189
(Human development index)

Ecological Footprint 8.22 1.53 5.02 4.84

Environmental Impact High Low Median Median
(Low, Middle, or High)
 Climate change, Deforestation, Soil erosion, Air pollution, waste Land degradation,
deforestation, mining, drought, water pollution. management biodiversity, habit loss,
nuclear accidents, etc wood consumption.

Analysis Questions

1) In which country or countries do you think the population is growing the fastest? Why?

In the 4 countries, I think Japan is growing the fastest because it has the lowest infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate,
allowing them to have more children faster than the rest of the countries. Even though the Fertility rate is the lowest, Japan’s
maternal mortality rate is 15 less than the USA, 558 less than Mali, and 84 deaths less than Bhutan. Due to this, women have
more time to have more children, and not die as much.

2) Which countries would have the hardest problem dealing with solid waste disposal? Why?

USA and Japan would have the hardest problem dealing with solid waste disposal because Americans generate over 250
million tons of trash each year, but most of that trash doesn’t get recycled or composted. Instead, it ends up in landfills, making
soil degradation. Japan meanwhile is running out of landfill disposal sites meaning that they would have to find other ways to
dispose of the country’s trash. Japan is an island country, which means most of the trash might end up in the ocean when the
landfills would be full.

3) Which countries would have the hardest problem dealing with desertification? Why?

Bhutan and Mali would have the hardest

4) Which countries consume the greatest amount of fossil fuels?

Continue you to question 5.

5) Considering the IPAT equation, rank the countries in order of least to greatest environmental impact.

1) _____________________________________ 2) _____________________________________

3) _____________________________________ 4) _____________________________________

5) _____________________________________ 6) _____________________________________

7) _____________________________________ 8) _____________________________________

9) _____________________________________ 10) _____________________________________

11) _____________________________________ 12) _____________________________________

Justify your ranking:

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