CHAPTER 21:  POPULATION

DEMOGRAPHY is the study of population World population is growing...

US *ROUGHLY** 280 million  (in 1890, only 62 million in 1790, 
about 3.9 million)

We're an aging population:   1860 =  average age: about 19;
                             1960 a bout 23.5
                             1989 about 27.7
                             2001 = pushing 30

World Population (NOTE THE CHARTH on p 490):

  1650,  about 1/2 billion (500 Million)  
  1850 about 1.7 billion
  1950 about  2.6 Billion 
  1990 about  5.3 billion (doubled in 40 years).
  1999 about  6 billion +

3-5 million years to reach our first billion. Only 130 to reach our 
second billion.   30  years to reach 3 bilion (in 1960).

Causes:

    1) high birth rates and low death rates 
    2) Increased efficiency in providing for people 
    3)  Increased abilty to transform formerly uninhabitble areas

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) thought our population was growing faster than
the available food supply and advocated population control. It was
overpopulation, he said, that caused most of the social problems.

Karl Marx, of course, thought that there was no obvious relationship
between resources and population, and thought that capitalism was
responsible for the problems.   

QUESTION: WHAT ARE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PLANET?

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