Population and Environment

Gen 203

Rezwan Siddiqui
rezsid@gmail.com
rezsid@ewubd.edu
 Population and Environment

Human population study is important to environmental science because they

help to determine the environmental impact of human activities. Rising
populations put increasing demands on natural resources such as land, water, and energy
supplies.

One widely-cited formula is the "I = PAT" equation, proposed by

Paul R. Ehrlich and John P. Holdren in 1974.

Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence (or consumption) x Technology

 Population & Population Dynamics

A population is a group of individuals (all

members of a single species) who live together
in the same habitat and are likely to interbreed.
Demography
 Demography

“Demography is the scientific study of human

populations, primarily with respect to their size, their
structure, and development” (UN, 1958)

The study of population dynamics focuses on these

changes -- how, when, and why they occur.
 Components of Demography/
Population Dynamics

• Fertility: Adding New People

• Mortality: Subtracting People

• Migration: Adding and Subtracting People

Calculating Population
Factors Influencing the Global Population Growth
• Improvement of urban sanitation and waste removal
• Improvement of the quality of the water supply and
expanding access to it
• Improvement of public health
• Research of the causes and means of transmission of
infectious diseases
• Developing vaccines and antibiotics
• Adopting workplace safety laws and limits on child labor
• promoting nutrition through steps such as fortifying milk,
breads, and cereals with vitamins.
 Components of Population Change

Fertility: Adding New People

Fertility refers to the number of births that occur to an individual

or in a population.
 Factors of Fertility in Bangladesh
• Women’s age at marriage. Early marriage causes higher fertility
• Women’s education, employment status and income are
considered as the most three important determinants of fertility.
• Rising level of education results in lower fertility rates, Education affects
marriage age, awareness of use of contraceptive, expectations toward better
livelihood
• Household decision making and attitude towards gender equality
• Sex composition of children
• Unmet need for family planning, and discontinuation rate of family
planning
• Duration of breastfeeding and contraceptive prevalence
• Religion, religiosity, attitude towards contraceptive use, attitude towards
abortion,
• Availability and use of mass media, and pattern of watching television,
listening radio and reading newspaper,

Source: Fertility Differentials in Bangladesh: Trends and Determinants

 Mortality: Subtracting People

Mortality, the counterpoint to fertility, is the second cause of population

change.

Mortality is refer to the “Deaths as a component of population change.”

 Mortality Differentials: Who Dies First?

Both biological and social factors influence how long

individuals live, and by extension, the average life
expectancy within a population.

In 2004, the average life expectancy at birth in the

United States was 78 years. Japan had the world’s
highest life expectancy—82 years
 Mortality Differentials: Who Dies First?

1. Deaths Highest Among the Youngest and Oldest

2. Women Less Likely to Die at Every Age

3. Socioeconomic Status: The Wealthy Live Longer

4. Race and Ethnicity: Some Surprising Differences