FAQs: Human Population Growth & Phases Question 1: What are the causes of the human population explosion? Answer 1: Prior to the 1800s, diseases like smallpox, diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever, bubonic plague, typhus, and cholera kept the human population in equilibrium. In the 1800s, scientists discovered how many of these diseases were spread and were able to develop counter measures. The discovery of penicillin and other antibiotic drugs in the 20th century resulted in a further decline in the human mortality rate. Improvements in sanitation and agriculture, notably the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s, further contributed to the population explosion. Question 2: Where is the most rapid growth in population taking place? What are some of the social and environmental consequences of this growth? Answer 2: The most rapid population growth is taking place in the developing countries. One result is that over a billion people live in households that have too little land to meet their basic needs for food and fuel. Overuse of available resources, notably wood for fuel, have caused erosion, desertification and decreased food production. Consequently, many rural residents have migrated to the cities, causing a dramatic rise in urban populations around the world. Many new arrivals have been forced to live in areas that lack basic sanitation. Other social consequences include an increased demand for social services, education, and jobs. Political instability often results when these demands are not met. Question 3: What is meant by demographic transition? Answer 3: The basic premise of demographic transition is the decline of birth and death rates as a society modernizes. The transition consists of the following four phases: 1. The first phase of the transition is characterized by high birth and high death rates. 2. The second phase is characterized by a declining death rate (usually due to improvements in medical care) but no corresponding decline in the birth rate. This is a phase of accelerating population growth. 3. The third phase is characterized by declining fertility rates. 4. The fourth and final phase is reached when the birth rates and death rates reach relative equilibrium. At this point, the population is stable. The developed nations are considered to be in phase four, while the developing nations are in phases two and three. Question 4: Must a society modernize for the fertility rate to stabilize? Answer 4: This question has been debated for almost 200 years. One school of thought holds that countries must adopt policies restricting family size or make birth control readily available. A second school of thought holds that if a country concentrates its efforts on development, then the birth rate will naturally decline as it has in the developed nations. Question 5: Why do families in developing nations tend to be much larger than families in de ...

1. FAQs: Human Population Growth & Phases
Question 1: What are the causes of the human population
explosion?
Answer 1: Prior to the 1800s, diseases like smallpox,
diphtheria, measles, scarlet
fever, bubonic plague, typhus, and cholera kept the human
population in equilibrium.
In the 1800s, scientists discovered how many of these diseases
were spread and were
able to develop counter measures. The discovery of penicillin
and other antibiotic
drugs in the 20th century resulted in a further decline in the
human mortality rate.
Improvements in sanitation and agriculture, notably the Green
Revolution of the 1960s
and 70s, further contributed to the population explosion.
Question 2: Where is the most rapid growth in population taking
place? What are
some of the social and environmental consequences of this
growth?
Answer 2: The most rapid population growth is taking place in

2. the developing
countries. One result is that over a billion people live in
households that have too little
land to meet their basic needs for food and fuel. Overuse of
available resources,
notably wood for fuel, have caused erosion, desertification and
decreased food
production. Consequently, many rural residents have migrated
to the cities, causing a
dramatic rise in urban populations around the world. Many new
arrivals have been
forced to live in areas that lack basic sanitation. Other social
consequences include an
increased demand for social services, education, and jobs.
Political instability often
results when these demands are not met.
Question 3: What is meant by demographic transition?
Answer 3: The basic premise of demographic transition is the
decline of birth and
death rates as a society modernizes. The transition consists of
the following four
phases:
1. The first phase of the transition is characterized by high birth

3. and high death
rates.
2. The second phase is characterized by a declining death rate
(usually due to
improvements in medical care) but no corresponding decline in
the birth rate.
This is a phase of accelerating population growth.
3. The third phase is characterized by declining fertility rates.
4. The fourth and final phase is reached when the birth rates and
death rates reach
relative equilibrium. At this point, the population is stable.
The developed nations are considered to be in phase four, while
the developing nations
are in phases two and three.
Question 4: Must a society modernize for the fertility rate to
stabilize?
Answer 4: This question has been debated for almost 200 years.
One school of thought
holds that countries must adopt policies restricting family size
or make birth control
readily available. A second school of thought holds that if a
country concentrates its
efforts on development, then the birth rate will naturally decline

4. as it has in the
developed nations.
Question 5: Why do families in developing nations tend to be
much larger than
families in developed nations?
Answer 5:
In many countries, large families are viewed as a form of social
security. The
more children there are in a family, the greater will be the
likelihood the parents
will enjoy security in their old age.
Families tend to be large in countries where the child mortality
rates are high. If
parents expect that a certain percentage of their children will
die, they are likely
to have larger families.
Children are a source of low-cost labor in many developing
nations. In
developed nations, on the other hand, children are considered to
be more of an
economic liability.
Women in many developing nations have few opportunities to

5. work outside
their homes.
Access to contraceptives is limited in many developing
countries, especially in
rural areas.
You will write a research paper about the demographic
transition model and global food production and distribution for
a growing human population to meet global food security goals.
You must use APA format for the paper and documentation.
Deliverable Length: About 3 pages
Include the following:
· Describe the demographic transition model and how it was
developed by demographers.
· Describe the 4 phases of demographic transition.
· For each phase, compare crude birth rates (CBR) to crude
death rates (CDR), and state whether the population is stable,
growing, or declining in each. ·
· According to demographers, what factors lead to a decline of
the CDR in phase two and the CBR in phase three of the
demographic transition? ·
· Briefly describe 3 living conditions in developed countries
that have reached phase four, and contrast them with these same
conditions in developing countries that remain in earlier phases.
· Note: When comparing and contrasting, include details for

6. each of the entities being compared and contrasted. For
example, if comparing availability of clean water in a developed
country, contrast availability of clean water in a developing
country.
· Research and describe a program for developing countries that
would help improve 1 of the 3 conditions that you compared.
· Food security means that everyone has an adequate amount of
nutritious food to lead healthy lives. Research and describe 1
specific program that helps developing countries reach food
security goals.
DEMOGRAPHIC TRASITION MODEL
http://geographyfieldwork.com/DemographicTransition.htm
You will write a research paper about the demographic
transition model and global food
production and distribution for a growing human population to
meet global food security goals.
You must use APA format for the paper and documentation.
Deliverable Length:
About 3 page
s
Include the following:
·

7. Describe the demographic transition model and how it was
developed by demographers.
·
Describe the 4 phases of demographic transition.
o
For each phase, compare crude birth rates (CBR) to crude death
rates (CDR), and
state whether the population is stable, growing, or declining in
each. ·
·
According to demographers, what factors lead to a decline of
the CDR in phase two and
the CBR in phase three of the demographic transition? ·
·
Briefly describe 3 livin
g conditions in developed countries that have reached phase
four,
and contrast them with these same conditions in developing
countries that remain in
earlier phases.
o
Note: When comparing and contrasting, include details for each
of the entities
being comp
ared and contrasted. For example, if comparing availability of

8. clean
water in a developed country, contrast availability of clean
water in a developing
country.
·
Research and describe a program for developing countries that
would help improve 1 of
the 3 con
ditions that you compared.
·
Food security
means that everyone has an adequate amount of nutritious food
to lead
healthy lives. Research and describe 1 specific program that
helps developing countries
reach food security goals.
DEMOGRAPHIC TRASITION MODEL
http://geographyfieldwork.com
/DemographicTransition.htm
You will write a research paper about the demographic

9. transition model and global food
production and distribution for a growing human population to
meet global food security goals.
You must use APA format for the paper and documentation.
Deliverable Length: About 3 pages
Include the following:
the demographic transition model and how it was
developed by demographers.
o For each phase, compare crude birth rates (CBR) to crude
death rates (CDR), and
state whether the population is stable, growing, or declining in
each. ·
the CDR in phase two and
the CBR in phase three of the demographic transition? ·
that have reached phase four,
and contrast them with these same conditions in developing
countries that remain in
earlier phases.
o Note: When comparing and contrasting, include details for
each of the entities
being compared and contrasted. For example, if comparing
availability of clean
water in a developed country, contrast availability of clean
water in a developing
country.
that would help improve 1 of
the 3 conditions that you compared.
ty means that everyone has an adequate amount of
nutritious food to lead
healthy lives. Research and describe 1 specific program that
helps developing countries
reach food security goals.

10. DEMOGRAPHIC TRASITION MODEL
http://geographyfieldwork.com/DemographicTransition.htm