Population, Urbanization, and the Environment

Macionis, SociologyChapter Twenty-two

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Demography:The Study Of Human Population

• From 250,000 years ago until just 250 years From 250,000 years ago until just 250 years ago, the human population hovered around ago, the human population hovered around 500 million500 million

• About 1750 world population began to spikeAbout 1750 world population began to spike

• The world population in 2005The world population in 2005• 6.5 billion persons6.5 billion persons• We add about 74 million persons annuallyWe add about 74 million persons annually

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Fertility

• FertilityFertility – the incidence of childbearing – the incidence of childbearing in a society’s populationin a society’s population

• Fecundity Fecundity –the potential for childbearing–the potential for childbearing

• Crude birth rate – the number of live births in a given year for every thousand people in a population

• ““Crude” because it takes into account Crude” because it takes into account everyone, not just women of childbearing everyone, not just women of childbearing ageage

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MortalityThe Incidence Of Death In A Population

•Crude death rateCrude death rate•Number of deaths in a given year for every Number of deaths in a given year for every for every thousand people in a for every thousand people in a populationpopulation

•Infant mortality ratesInfant mortality rates

•Number of deaths among infants under one Number of deaths among infants under one year for each 1,000 live births year for each 1,000 live births

•Life expectancyLife expectancy•Average life span of a countries population Average life span of a countries population (U. S. 2000: 74.1 for males, 79.5 for females)(U. S. 2000: 74.1 for males, 79.5 for females)

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Population Composition

• Sex ratioSex ratio• The number of males compared to the

number of females• In the United States there were approximately 96 In the United States there were approximately 96

males to 100 females (2004)males to 100 females (2004)

• In India there were approximately 106 males for In India there were approximately 106 males for every 100 females because women were more every 100 females because women were more likely to abort female fetuses and parent may likely to abort female fetuses and parent may provide less care for female children in (2004)provide less care for female children in (2004)

• Age-sex pyramidAge-sex pyramid• A graphic representation of the age and sex of a A graphic representation of the age and sex of a

populationpopulation

Figure 22-2 (p. 578)Age-Sex Population Pyramids for the United States and Mexico, 2005By looking at the shape of a country’s population pyramid, you can tell its level of economic development and predict future levels of population increase. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2005).

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Malthusian Theory Of Population Growth

• Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834), warned of impending doom based on population projections• Population growth would follow a geometric Population growth would follow a geometric

progression (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16) but food production progression (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16) but food production would increase by arithmetic progression (e.g., 2, 4, 6)would increase by arithmetic progression (e.g., 2, 4, 6)

• Result: people reproducing at rates that exceeded Result: people reproducing at rates that exceeded their ability to produce sufficient food. their ability to produce sufficient food. Chaos!Chaos!

• Limits included artificial birth control (morally wrong) or Limits included artificial birth control (morally wrong) or abstinence (unlikely)abstinence (unlikely)

• Seen as “the dismal person” because war and famine Seen as “the dismal person” because war and famine were our futurewere our future

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Urban Life• Urban life can be challenging and very different from early rural Urban life can be challenging and very different from early rural

settingssettings

• Ferdinand TonniesFerdinand Tonnies• Gemeinschaft – close ties through kinship and tradition• Gesellschaft – social relations are based on individual self-

interest

• Emile DurkheimEmile Durkheim• Mechanical solidarityMechanical solidarity – social bonds based on common feelings – social bonds based on common feelings

and moral bondsand moral bonds• Organic solidarityOrganic solidarity – social bonds based on specialization and – social bonds based on specialization and

interdependenceinterdependence

• Robert Park and Louis WirthRobert Park and Louis Wirth• Urban organization based on distinctive ethnic communities, Urban organization based on distinctive ethnic communities,

commercial centers, and industrial districtscommercial centers, and industrial districts• A human kaleidoscopeA human kaleidoscope

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Physical Design of CitiesUrban ecology – the study of the link between the Urban ecology – the study of the link between the

physical and social dimensions of citiesphysical and social dimensions of cities• Park & Burgess’ concentric zonesPark & Burgess’ concentric zones

• Business districts ringed by factories ringed by Business districts ringed by factories ringed by housinghousing

• Hoyt’s wedge-shaped sectorsHoyt’s wedge-shaped sectors• Industry forms along rail lines, new fashionable areas Industry forms along rail lines, new fashionable areas

next to old fashionable areasnext to old fashionable areas

• Harris & Ullman’s multi-centered modelHarris & Ullman’s multi-centered model• Cities decentralize form many smaller centersCities decentralize form many smaller centers

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Environment & Society

• Ecology – the study of the interaction of living organisms and the natural environment

• Natural environmentNatural environment – the earth’s surface and – the earth’s surface and atmosphere including living organisms, air, water, soil atmosphere including living organisms, air, water, soil and other resources necessary to sustain lifeand other resources necessary to sustain life

• EcosystemEcosystem – a system composed of the interaction of – a system composed of the interaction of all living organisms and their natural environmentall living organisms and their natural environment

• Environmental deficitEnvironmental deficit – profound and long-term – profound and long-term harm to the natural environment caused by harm to the natural environment caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluencehumanity’s focus on short-term material affluence

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Environmental Terms

• Rain forestRain forest – regions of dense forestation most of which – regions of dense forestation most of which circle the globe near the equatorcircle the globe near the equator

• Global warmingGlobal warming – a rise in the earth’s average – a rise in the earth’s average temperature caused by an increasing concentration of temperature caused by an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide and other gasses in the atmospherecarbon dioxide and other gasses in the atmosphere

• Environmental racismEnvironmental racism – the pattern by which – the pattern by which environmental hazards are greatest for poor people, environmental hazards are greatest for poor people, especially minoritiesespecially minorities

• Ecologically sustainable cultureEcologically sustainable culture – a way of life that – a way of life that meets the needs of the current generation without meets the needs of the current generation without threatening the environmental legacy of future generationsthreatening the environmental legacy of future generations

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"Chance favors the prepared mind.“

–Louis Pasteur