The document discusses human population growth and its consequences. It notes that the current world population is around 6.9 billion and growing at a rate of 75 million people per year. There are two main views on population growth - Thomas Malthus argued that population growth will inevitably outstrip food supply, while Karl Marx believed population growth is caused by exploitation and poverty. Current views include neo-Malthusians who think Earth's carrying capacity has been surpassed, and neo-Marxists who believe eliminating oppression and poverty through social justice is key. Factors like birth rates, death rates, age distribution and policies on population and immigration influence growth rates between countries.

1. Announcements 16 February 2010

2. Current estimated World Population U.S. 310,825,424 (10 million more than one year ago) World 6,900,142,775 (100 million more than one year ago) 12:30(CST), Feb 15, 2011 www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

10. Thomas Malthus Karl Marx

13. Birth rates and Death rates

15. Age Distribution

17. Housing, schools, supplies for children University education, large young workforce Retirement, elderly heath care Child care, luxury items, productive working years

35. Hardin argued that many societal issues, including human population growth and the fair use of public space had “ no technical solution ” . Garrett Hardin (1968), The Tragedy of the Commons article in the journal Science

36. Pasturelands provided free by government to anyone wishing to graze cattle. Common Pasture, open to all Rancher 1 Rancher 2 Tragedy of the Commons

37. Each rancher seeks to maximize personal wealth, does individual cost-benefit analysis Common Pasture, open to all Rancher 1 Rancher 2 Tragedy of the Commons

38. Rancher 1: For each animal I add to my heard, I gain wealth (Benefit of +1) Rancher 1 Rancher 2 Cost of adding one animal is a slight decrease in the resource But, the cost is shared by all ranchers (Cost in this example: -1/2)

39. Rancher 1 Rancher 2 Optimal Solution for Rancher 1: Keep adding more animals Cost = -1/2 Benefit = +1 Benefit > Cost

40. Rancher 1 Rancher 2 Optimal Solution for Rancher 2: Keep adding more animals Cost = -1/2 Benefit = +1 Benefit > Cost But, cost / benefit analysis is the same for Rancher 2

41. Rancher 1 Rancher 2 The pasture can only support so many animals Eventually, resource is overexploited at a serious cost to everyone

43. Surprising Nobel in Economics by: Michael Mandel, October 12, 2009 I have an admission to make—I had never heard of Elinor Ostrom before this morning ’s Nobel prizes in Economics were announced. Ostrom, the 2009 winner was honored “for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons.” Ostrom focused on a subtle question—if you have a shared “common-pool resource” like a forest or the ocean, what is the right way to manage it? Typical answers have focused on either collective management (i.e. government control) or effective privatization (i.e. fishing permits). But Ostrom has argued that all sorts of other institutions can grow up over time that give good results.