CONTEMPORARY WORLD ECON

OMY

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

Aihua Meng (associate professor )
Mobile phone: 13508603655
QQ: 1577296452

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Autumn Semester 2016 - CTGU
 CHAPTER 4

Population, resource and envir

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

onment
High birth rates, large families,
and massive rural-to-urban
migration both reflect and shape
urban and economic systems in
the developing
world, including the structure of
cities and the quality of daily
life.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
 Population

Global Population Distribution

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

Population Structure
Migration
 Resource and Environment
Resources and Population
Types of Resources
Energy and Its Options
Environment Degradation
Sustainable Development
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND
ENVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution
There is a widespread belief that there are “too many” p

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

eople in the world; the presence of large numbers of human
beings is a relatively recent phenomenon .

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE
AND ENVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

For most of human existence, population levels we
re low and growth rates were zero. Only with the Indu
strial Revolution that created the modern age did gro
wth rates begin to rise, leading to an exponential in
crease in the numbers of people.

In 2010, there were approximately 6.9 billion people

in the world.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE
AND ENVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution
The diverse populations that inhabit the world are very unev

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

enly distributed geographically. Most people are concentrate
d in but few parts of the world, particularly along coasta
l areas and the floodplains of major river systems.
Four major areas of dense settlement are:
 (1) East Asia
 (2) South Asia
 (3) Europe
 (4) the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

Population Density
Population density is the average number of pe
ople per unit area, usually per square mile or sq
uare kilometer.

This ratio is often related tell us something abo

ut crowding.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution Population Density

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Global population distribution
Population Density

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 Population density in East Asia, notably China
and Japan, as well as in South Asia, including Ba
ngladesh, India, and Pakistan, is extremely high.

 Population density in Northern Asia, Africa, a

nd South and North America is quite low, comparat
ively speaking.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
With 1.3 billion
people, most of
China’s population

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is clustered in the
eastern half
of the country,
where moister
climates allow for
an agricultural base.
The western half, in
contrast, is
mountainous or
very dry.

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FIGURE 3.4 The distribution of China’s population.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND ENVIRONMENT

The population boom in

developing countries will
have numerous
repercussions. Not all of the

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world’s problems can be
blamed on population
growth, but rapid rates of
increase are likely to
exacerbate environmental
degradation, such as soil
erosion and wildlife loss, and
generate large numbers of
people seeking better
opportunities in cities and in
the economically developed
world.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Population Structure
The age-sex structure of a country is typically summ

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

arized or described through the use of population pyra
mids. They are divided into 5-year age groups, the base repr
esenting the youngest group, the apex the oldest.
 Population pyramids show the distribution of males and
females of different age groups as percentages of the total
population.
 The shape of a pyramid reflects long-term trends in fe
rtility and mortality and short-term effects of baby booms, m
igrations, wars, and epidemics.
It also reflects the potential for future population growth 13
or decline.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
Population pyramids
4.1 Population reflect the age and sex
structure of a society.
Population Structure Poor countries, with high
birth rates and a large
share of the population at

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early ages, have pyramids
with a broad base and
narrow top. Economically
wealthier societies, with
low rates of natural
growth, have older
populations; their
pyramids have
proportionately smaller
bases and a larger share
of people in the middle
aged and elderly groups.

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Population Structure

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Migration
Migration is a movement involving a change

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of permanent residence.

The causes of migration can be divided in

to push-and-pull factors.
 Push factors include high unemployment rates, low
wages, poverty shortages of land, famine, or war.
 Pull factors include job and educational opportu
nities, relatively high wages, the hope for agricultura
l land, or the “bright lights” of a large city. 16
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Migration
Let us take the United States as a example:

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All countries regulate the flow of immigration.
 The United States limits legal immigration to appr
oximately 600,000 people annually, although a total
of roughly 1.1 million enter the United States l
egally or illegally every year.
 Altogether, about 33.1 million immigrants live i
n the United States, comprising 11% of the popula
tion. Of this group, an estimated total of 5 mil
lion people live in the country illegally, often 17
under constant threat of being caught and deported.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Migration
Let take the United States as a example:

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All countries regulate the flow of immigration.
Billions of dollars are spent annually to police the U.S
. borders, much of which is used to try to keep Mexicans a
nd other Latin Americans out. The status of illegal immi
grants is a significant political issue often arousin
g passionate feelings.
FIGURE 3.37 Flows of millions of
illegal immigrants from Mexico to
the United States take place at a
variety of locations along the border. 18
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Consequence of Migration
Migration has demographic, social, and economic effect

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

s, especially due to the fact that migrants tend to be
young adults and are often the more ambitious and wel
l-educated members of a society.
 demographic effect
1st, causes the population of the country of origin t
o decrease and of the destination country to increase.
So, it has different effects on the population of cou
ntry, such as birth rate, average age, death rate.
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Origin country & destination country
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.1 Population
Consequence of Migration
Migration has demographic, social, and economic effects.
 social effect

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Social conflict is a fairly frequent social conseq
uence of migration. It often follows the mass mov
ement of people from poor countries to rich.

economic effect
The economic effects of migration are varied. Wit
h few exceptions, migrants contribute enormously to
the economic well-being of places to which they
come.
For example, guest workers from Turkey and Yugoslavia
were indispensable to the economy of Germany in
the 1960s and 1970s. Without them, assembly line 20
s would have closed down.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.2 Resources and Environment
4.2.1 Resources and Population
There are two different views:

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 Optimists believe that economic growth in a market
economy can continue indefinitely; they see relativel
y few limits in raw materials and great gains in tech
nological productivity.
 In contrast, pessimists assert that there are inh
erent limits to growth imposed by the finiteness of t
he earth—by the fact that air, water, minerals, spac
e, and usable energy sources can be exhausted or
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ecosystems overloaded.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.2 Resources and Environment
4.2.1 Resources and Population
There are two different views:

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Carrying capacity , an idea borrowed from ecology, is a
stationary state which is the maximum population
that can be supported by available resources.
They point to recurring food crises and famines in Afric
a as a result of overpopulation.

Attention: However, carrying capacity is simplistic in t

hat it ignores the historical, political, and technologi
cal context in which the production and consumption of g 22

oods occurs.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.2 Resources and Environment
4.2.2 Types of Resources
 Renewable Resources: are those resources capable

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of yielding output indefinitely without impairing
their productivity. Such as: water, sunlight, soil
, vegetation, fish, and animals.

 Nonrenewable Resources: consist of finite masses

of material, such as fossil fuels and metals, which
cannot be used without depletion.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.2 Resources and Environment
4.2.2 Types of Resources
 Food Resources

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FIGURE 4.3 World grain
production, 1960–2007.
While total output has
risen steadily, the amount
of grain per person has
remained relatively
constant.

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.2 Resources and Environment
4.2.2 Types of Resources
 For example: Mineral Resources

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
The development of energy sources is crucial for economic d
evelopment. Today, commercial energy is the lifeblood of mo
dern economies.

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 CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
FIGURE 4.14 U.S. energy consum
ption, 1850–2008.

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The U.S. economy contains 5% o
f the world’s people but uses
one-third of its energy. The t
hree principal sources of foss
il fuels are coal, natural gas
, and petroleum. After World W
ar II, petroleum and natural g
as surpassed coal as the chief
source of energy in the United FIGURE 4.16 Oil production, consumption,
States. Hydro and nuclear have and imports in the United States, 1950–2008.
also increased recently.
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
Energy Option
The age of cheap fossil fuels will eventually come

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to an end. As societies prepare for that eventuali
ty, they must conserve energy and find alternatives to f
ossil fuels, especially alternatives that do not dest
roy the environment.
 Conservation
One way to reduce the gap between domestic producti
on and consumption in the short run is for consumers to re
strict consumption. Energy conservation stretches finite f
uel resources and reduces environmental stress. It helps
to buy time for the development of other, more accept 28

able sources of energy.

CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
Energy Option
 Nuclear Energy

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The form of nuclear energy currently i
n use commercially—nuclear fission—
involves splitting large uranium at
oms to release the energy within them.
Nuclear fusion, the combining of small
er atoms to release their energy (the
process that fuels the sun), has the p
otential to be a solution to the envir
onmental concerns of nuclear fission
because it does not release radio 29
active waste.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND ENV
IRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
Energy Option
 Geothermal Power
Geothermal energy is most producible in giant cracks or ri

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fts in the earth’s tectonic plate structure that occur in e
arthquake or active volcanic areas around the Pacific Rim. Sever
al countries have hot springs, geysers, and other underground su
pplies of hot water that can easily be tapped.
 Hydropower

Hydropower is a form of energy from rivers.

Developed countries have exploited about 50% of their usa
ble opportunities, Russia and Eastern Europe about 20%, a
nd developing countries about 7%. In developed countries,
further exploitation of hydropower is limited mainly by env
ironmental and social concerns. In developing countries, a lack 30
of investment funds and sufficiently well-developed markets fo
r the power are the main obstacles.
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND ENV
IRONMENT
4.3 Energy and Its Option
Energy Option
 Solar Energy

Passive solar energy is trapped rather than generated. It is ca

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ptured by large glass plates on a building. The greenhouse effe
ct is produced by short-wave radiation from the sun.
 Wind power
The power of the wind provides an energy hope for a few areas o
f the world where there are constant surface winds of 15 mph or
more. The greatest majority of wind farms in the United States
are in California.
 Biomass
Today, biomass accounts for about 14% of global energy use. In
Nepal and Tanzania, more than 90% of total energy comes from bi
omass. The use of wood for cooking—the largest use of biomass 31

fuel—presents enormous environmental and social problems b

ecause it is being consumed faster than it is being replenished
CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.4 Environmental Degradation
 Air Pollution
 Water Pollution

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 Wildlife and Habitat Preservation

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
4.5 Sustainable Development
 The term sustainable development is defined as develop
ment that meets the needs of the present generation witho

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ut compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs.

 Most accept its focus on the importance of long-rang

e planning, but as a policy tool it is vague, pro
viding no specifics about which needs and desires must be
met and fulfilled and how. ----- It is merely a concept
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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT
Discussion :

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 What is your opinion on the relationship betwee
n carrying capacity and economic development?

 What is environmental equity? How can the devel

oped and developing countries take their own re
sponsibility concerning with the present enviro
nmental issue fairly and realistically?

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CHAPTER 4 POPULATION, RESOURCE AND E
NVIRONMENT

CTGU Contemporary World Economy

The End

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