World Populations And Development Essay Research Paper

World Populations And Development Essay, Research Paper

World Populations and Development

1.)The Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions

The two changes in the use of the earth’s resources that had the greatest effect

on the world population were the neolithic and the industrial revolutions.

The neolithic revolution (a.k.a. agricultural revolution) was a change in the

way of life of our ancestors. It took place about 8000 years ago among various

tribes in Asia and the Middle East. It included a transition from foraging and

hunting to the domestication of animals (most probably starting with the dog)

and to farming. Tribes settled in fertile areas and formed agricultural

communities many of which grew into villages and cities. This relatively stable

way of life and the more reliable food supply (and surplus) led to the

development of new professions, to labor specialization and ultimately to the

stratification of these societies. Improved conditions of life led to somewhat

longer life spans. Nevertheless population growth remained low due to high

infant mortality rates. The impact of the neolithic revolution was not as much

on immediate population growth (even though it did have a long term impact on

population growth) as on the material and spiritual development of the human

race. It is widely regarded as the beginning of civilization. Industrial

revolution was another process of change. It was the process of substituting

muscle power with machine power. It took place in the 18th century in Europe

and is still happening in many parts of the world. In many characteristics it

has been similar to the neolithic revolution: it increased production, it led to

the use of resources that had been mostly unused until then and it improved the

overall quality of life. It also led to changes in the structure of society.

What was different, was its impact on population growth. It was quick and easily

noticeable. Advanced sanitation, hygiene and medicine led to longer life spans

and declining death rates, with the birth rates remaining high. This resulted

in a high rate of population growth that still continues in many countries. The

information revolution is the process of change that began in the second half of

the 20th century in the developed countries of the world. It is the process of

substituting “brain power” with “machine power”. It leads to increased

production and has the potential to create a more even distribution of the

world’s population on the surface of the earth. It also has the potential to

decrease the differences between the less developed and the highly developed

nations of the world. Then again it also has the potential to increase those

differences. It causes changes in the structure of society. Many of its impacts

are still to be experienced.

2.)Thomas Malthus

Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economic thinker published a theory in 1798

concerning the relationship between population growth and food supply. He said

that population always increases exponentially, while food supplies increase

only arithmetically. He advocated that moral restraints can not be implemented

on the scale of the whole population because most individuals are will seek

their own pleasure ignoring the global impacts of their actions. The growing

population will therefore put a strain on the limited food resources that will

lead to wars, famine and disease, decreasing the population thus restoring the

equilibrium. I think it is obvious that the first part of his theory, while it

does apply to certain countries, proved to be completely wrong on a global

scale. There is no world-wide calorie deficit. The “food supply increase to

population increase” ratio is substantially higher in the developed world than

in the less developed countries. On a global scale, current food supplies do

exceed the needs of the world’s population, but they are not distributed in a

way that benefits the whole population. Fortunately international programs aimed

at achieving a better distribution of food resources do make an impact in

decreasing the calorie deficit, and it is quite likely that the inhabitants and

the leaders of the developed nations will eventually come to the conclusion

that it is better to “share some” than to risk loosing all. So, even where moral

restraints don’t work, common sense just might have a chance.

3.)Population Growth, Demographics

A.) In the early prehistoric times (1 million years ago) there were no more

humans on the whole earth than in a modern American town (such as Provo). For a

long time the growth rate was slow. The difficulties of obtaining food, the

lack of sanitation or advanced medicine, the living conditions in general meant

short life spans (20-25 years in average) and a high death rate. Even the

largest communities (tribes) rarely exceeded 100 people.