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Flashcards in theories on population change Deck (15)
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1
Q

what are the four different ideas of population change?

A

thomas malthus
ester boserup
neo malthusians
julian simon

2
Q

who was thomas malthus?

A

he was an economist working in the later 18th and 19th century

3
Q

when did thomas malthus write his theory?

A

1798

4
Q

what was malthus’ basic idea?

A

that population could grow more rapidly that its carrying capacity to feed itself
population will grow to a point when there is too many people for the food available

5
Q

why does population grow faster than food in malthus theory?

A

because population grows exponentially (more and more each time) whereas food supply grows arithmetically (constant rate)

6
Q

once carrying capacity has been exceeded what begins to happen? -malthus

A

positive checks occur to decline the population such as famine and war

7
Q

is there evidence for malthus theory?

A
  • there has been famines but not to a global extent

- he stated that food production would decrease but since the 18th century it has seen an increase

8
Q

what are neo malthusians

A

rapid population growth in the 20th century lead people to believe that pop was growing faster than resource
they ebleive that rapid population growth is an obstacle to development

9
Q

who is the club of rome?

A

part of the neo malthusians
an international think tank who created computer models based on malthusian ideas to model relationship between populations and resources

10
Q

what did the club of rome computer models predict?

A
  • that population would continue to increase until 2050, after that it will decrease
  • food per head starts to rapidly decline in the 21st century
  • pollution increases then decreases in 2030
11
Q

what are the overall conclusions of neo malthusians?

A

that population can live indefinitely if it is limited and resources are used sustainably

12
Q

who is ester boserup?

A

an economist who challenged the idea that there were limits to human population growth

13
Q

what was boserups theory of population?

A

that a growth in population and change in human ingenuity can alter the carrying capacity
the more people that there are the more advances in technology, therefore new ways to increase food production

14
Q

is there evidence for boserups theory?

A
  • genetic modification
  • green revolution
  • hydroponics aeroponics
  • intesnive farming
15
Q

what was julian simons idea of population?

A

that the human mind was the ultimate resource