8.1 Human Populations (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS): HL): Flashcards

Doubling time (DT) is calculated by dividing 70 by the population growth rate percentage.

Natural increase rate is the difference between the crude birth rate and crude death rate, usually expressed as a percentage or as a number per 1,000 people.

Population models use birth rates, death rates, fertility rates, and migration to predict future human population size.

Countries that experienced industrial revolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries had rapid population growth, but now their growth rates have fallen.

Predicting future fertility rates is challenging because they can be influenced by cultural norms, economic conditions, and government policies.

False.

If the crude death rate is higher than the crude birth rate, the population will experience natural decrease, not increase.

An anti-natalist policy is a government policy that aims to reduce birth rates to slow population growth, often used in countries facing overpopulation.

A pro-natalist policy is a government policy designed to increase birth rates in countries with low or negative population growth.

A migration policy is a set of government rules or laws that control immigration and emigration to influence population size and labour markets.

Indirect population management involves policies that do not directly control population growth but influence factors like birth rates, death rates, and migration through economic, social, health, or development interventions.

False.

Improving girls' access to education is an indirect population management policy because it influences population growth by empowering women, not by setting explicit birth limits.

The main aim of China's One-Child Policy was to reduce birth rates and slow population growth by limiting families to one child.

In less wealthy societies, families may have more children because children contribute to family income and there is a lack of social welfare.

Welfare systems help families feel secure with fewer children, which often leads to lower birth rates and slower population growth.

Economic development can slow population growth because people focus more on career and lifestyle choices over family size.

Education for girls and women leads to delayed marriages, later childbirth, and smaller family sizes, which helps reduce population growth.

Improved healthcare, especially maternal and child health services, can reduce infant mortality and lead to smaller family sizes.

Improved gender equality gives women more choices, leading to lower birth rates and slower population growth.

A possible long-term effect of anti-natalist policies is an ageing population, with fewer young people to support the elderly.

Open immigration policies can help balance an ageing population and provide labour for the economy.

An age–sex pyramid is a graphical representation of a population’s age and sex structure, showing the percentage or number of individuals in each age group and gender within a given population.

A broad base and a narrow top indicate a young population with high fertility rates and low life expectancy.

The vertical axis displays age groups, while the horizontal axis shows the percentage or number of individuals in each group.

Young dependents are individuals typically under the age of 15 who are supported by the working population.

An age–sex pyramid is usually displayed as a horizontal bar graph.

The left side of an age–sex pyramid represents the male population.

Low-income countries (LICs) often have a concave pyramid shape, which indicates a high birth rate and low life expectancy.

True.

Age–sex pyramids are used to understand population trends, forecast growth, and plan for the needs of different age groups.

The economically active population refers to people who are of working age and are able to support dependents.

A column-shaped age–sex pyramid indicates a large working age population, low birth rate, high life expectancy, and low infant mortality.

A pyramid with a narrow base and a broad top suggests an ageing population with low fertility rates.

The three main groups are young dependents, old dependents, and the economically active (working) population.

Old dependents are individuals usually aged 65 and over who are supported by the working population.

The right side of an age–sex pyramid displays the female population.

A population pyramid is another term for an age–sex pyramid that shows the age and sex structure of a population.

Biocapacity is the Earth’s ability to regenerate resources and absorb waste, such as carbon dioxide.

The global population is currently about 8.2 billion as of 2024.

By 2075, the global population is expected to reach around 10 billion.

A biocapacity deficit occurs when human demand exceeds the planet’s capacity to replenish resources.

Factors include fertility rates, mortality rates, urbanisation, and government policies.

A biocapacity deficit occurs when people use more resources than the Earth can regenerate.

False.

Urbanisation is often associated with lower fertility rates in most countries.

The doughnut economics model is a framework to ensure economic activity stays within ecological limits while addressing social inequality and injustice.

The outer edge of the doughnut in the doughnut economics model represents planetary boundaries.

Social foundations are the minimum standards for a good quality of life, such as access to food, water, healthcare, and education.

Planetary boundaries are the limits on Earth’s systems that should not be crossed to avoid damaging ecosystems, such as the climate, biodiversity, and oceans.

True.

Crossing planetary boundaries can result in irreversible damage to Earth’s ecosystems.

The dependency ratio is the ratio of the young and elderly dependents to the economically active population, usually calculated as ((young dependents + old dependents) ÷ economically active) × 100.

The economically active population includes people aged 15 to 64 years.

A high dependency ratio means there are more dependents (young and elderly) relative to the working population, which can place a greater economic burden on those who are economically active.

Young dependents are people aged 0 to 14 years.

Elderly dependents are people aged 65 years and above, who are no longer economically active and rely on support from the state and younger family members.

A low dependency ratio supports economic growth because there are more workers relative to dependents.

Population momentum is the tendency for population growth to continue even after fertility rates decline, due to a large number of young people entering reproductive age.

Negative population momentum occurs when the number of people of reproductive age has shrunk, causing the population to decrease even if fertility rates rise.

True.

Because a large cohort of young people can enter reproductive age, population momentum causes continued growth even if fertility rates decline.

After China introduced the one-child policy, fertility rates dropped but the population continued to grow for decades.

Population structure refers to the composition of a population by age and gender groups.

Japan has an ageing population, with over 28% of people aged 65 or older.

The demographic transition model explains how population growth and structure change over time.

The demographic transition model (DTM) is a model explaining how population growth and structure change over time due to economic and social developments.

True.

In Stage 2, death rates fall due to improvements in healthcare and sanitation, while birth rates remain high.

Nigeria is currently transitioning from stage 2 to stage 3 of the DTM.

Japan faces challenges such as managing pensions, healthcare for the elderly, and maintaining economic growth with a shrinking workforce.

Population momentum is the tendency for population growth to continue even after birth rates decline, due to a large proportion of young people. In Nigeria, this means continued rapid growth and pressure on jobs, healthcare, and education.

Environmental migration is the movement of people due to environmental factors that make living conditions difficult or unsafe.

The two main types of events that cause environmental migration are sudden-onset events (such as floods, storms, fires) and slow-onset events (such as desertification and sea-level rise).

Flooding is an example of a sudden-onset event that can force people to migrate.

Cyclones and storms can destroy homes and infrastructure, forcing people to leave their communities and migrate internally or across borders.

The Sahel region of Africa suffers from desertification, leading to migration.

Sea-level rise can submerge coastal areas and cause flooding, making places like Tuvalu uninhabitable and leading to migration to countries such as New Zealand.

Saltwater intrusion into farmlands in Bangladesh has forced rural families to migrate to cities.

Two impacts of environmental migration on destination areas are overcrowding and increased pressure on housing, jobs, and public services.

Desertification is the spread of arid conditions that reduces land fertility and can lead to food insecurity.