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International Studies Chapter 2: Population and Environment

Population
1 billion 10 000 BC -1825 AD
o 6 billion morelast 200 years
Fewer people dying off, reduction in mortality rate
They say 10 billion10 years
Decrease in birth rate in Global South as they become more wealthy
o As y
Pro-Natalist (birth) Anti-Natalist Population Control
Japan
Canada
Child tax credits, baby bonus
(/child)
Scandinavian Countries
Eastern Europe

#1 China1.3-1.4 Billion
One child policy since 1979
Been successfulcontrolling growth
Problems: abandonment/abortions
Male children selectedaffecting gender
ratio
Not perfectly enforced (bribes)/unfairness
#2 India1.2-1.3 Billion
Democracy; violates peoples rights
Educationyoung girls (6-10)
Distribution of BC pill
Distribution of Worlds Pop = 7 billion
60% Asia
15% Africa
10% Europe
8% North America
5% C&S America
Remainder : Oceania
Note: Concentration/Density (same except Europe & Africa switched)

Fast-Growing/Young Populations
Many young people
o Good: future growth, work-force, energy
o Bad: ton of infrastructure, suburbs, housing, roads, food grown & transported, jobs
Most of Global South are like this
o Need lots of economic growth
o Many turn to agriculture but its not economically efficient

Slow-Growing Populations
Older
o Wisdom
Bad: dont work anymore, need lots of healthcare
o (50% of Ontarios budget taken by healthcare)
o Not enough future tax-payers

Emigration

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Leaving
Decreases it
Global South (doesnt affect it b/c of its rapid growth)
o Brain drain: smartest people always leave and usually never come back
o E.g. more Ethiopian-born doctors in Chicago than in all of Ethiopia

Immigration
Entering
Increases pop.
Canada
Prevents population decline
diversity: cuisine, language, culture
tax base
economy growth
Europe
Coherent national identity
Immigration challenging it
E.g. France banned all young girls from wearing hijabs
Controversy
USA
FL, TX, CA, AZ ( Spanish speaking)
Illegal immigrants, especially in AZ
o Breaking law is bad
o BUT: also make up a large and important part of industries
o Helps US economies
o E.g. agriculture in CA, house-care (yard, maids, nannies)

Immigrants Refugees
Economically-motivated
Leave willingly

Forced out; persecuted
o Usually b/c of political, ethnic,
religious
Stateless person
Insecure position
SyriaJordan and Iraq
Caused mostly by war + disease
Past 10 years10 million refugees a
year
o Refugee campshumanitarian
emergency relief
o Usually wait or run away
30 million people of concern




Urbanization

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Majority of worlds pop live in cities
o (100,000 inhabitants or more)
Rate has been astounding
1850 only 3% lived in cities
o Only 3 cities (over 100k ppl)
Now51%
o Over 600
Caused mainly by Industrial Revolution
Started in UK around 1750: Manchester
o New inventions: steam engine
o Mass production of goods & stuff
Factories created
o Promoted factory-work
Majority of pop is ruralfarm-hands
Many started to leave farms and occupy cities
o 20-25 year spanx 5/10/25/100 growth
Pros Cons
Linked historically w/ modernization,
industrialization, diversification
Bigger economy; more opportunity;
better social services
Doesnt have to be bad for the enviro
(build up, not out)
Takes over natural space
Comes at expense of rural way of life
o More faith, conservative
Concentration of human problems
o Crime, garbage, noise, smells,
violence, social tensions
Huge management problems
o Transportation/transit,
infrastructure, garbage collection,
cops, electricity

CSR (City-State Region)
Inter-connected + globalization
o *Economically*, culturally, communication, politically(?)
Trend 50 years+
o Thoughts of world being dominated more by cities rather than countries
o E.g. Venice in Medieval Times
CSRs and Non-State Actors
o E.g. GTA50% of Ontarios pop, economy, 25% of all of Canadas economy

Theory of Creative City
We are moving towards 2-track economy
Goods-manufacturing economy moving to developing world
o Especially in China (cheaper)
Servicescreative city
Why: developing worlds will start to depend on creativity
1. Creativity class30% of the workforce
o Get paid to think
o Education institutions

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2. Creative economyprofessional services
3. Pleasing city conditionsJane Jacobs
o Urban density rather than sprawl
o Diversity
o Tolerance, Talent, & Technology




Environment
Key Problems:
1. Spectacular growth in population7 billion
+
2. Industrialization/Industrial Capitalism

Trashing of the Earth

Carrying capacity: Earth only has a finite amount of resources
o Only so many people, and pollution that Earth can sustain
o Earth become garbage dump
Pessimists
Example of Easter Island
Easter Island populated by 2 tribeswar
o Stripped island of everything to use for war
Total barren husk (only thing left are stone heads)
Pessimists feel this will happen to entire world
LovelockGaia
o Says Earth is a living organismhumans are selfish tumours

Problems
1. Gold Rushes vs. Resource Management
Gold rush happens very frequentlyunsustainable, exhaust resource until nothings left
Resource management: sustainable, some left; program of replacement, regulation;
oversight; enforcement; scientifically informed; takes time; long-term natl govt
Sustainable Development (92)economy as a whole
Long-term focus (leaves it there); short-term cash-out (exhausts resource)
2. Tragedy of Commons
When goods and resources are commonly owned, they deteriorate
Enclosure movement: enclosing place by fenceseverything is owned
Important common resources (high seas, Antarctica, space)
1959 Treaty of Antarctica
o Protected Public Park
National Enclosure vs. International Protected Park (for Antarctica)
Weird comparison b/n North Pole (enclosure) and South Pole (protected)

Food
1 billion ppl lack access to sufficient food and water

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Would be even worse if werent for Green Revolution
Green Revolution
1940-1980
Massive improvements in growing food around world
Technological revolution (how to grow, inventions)
o E.g. GM crops, irrigation, irradiation (bugs, crops)
Technology transferred NorthSouth
Tripling of production of worlds most important crops
o Wheat, corn, rice
Water
70% of Earth
o Majority of it: salt-water
o Desalination of watervery expensive
Canada uses 335 L/day per capita
o US 350
Water poor
o 1-2 billion
o If you have access to < 5 L/day (one flush of a toilet)

Peak Oil Theory
Energy: food and water (calories)
o Electricity
Oil40% of worlds energy
o Most valuable commodity
1973OPEC
o Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
o Its a cartel (group controls major supply of a goodset price)
o Consists of mostly Middle East (e.g. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, etc)
***Oil crisis of 1979**
o Large impact on Western world
o Triggers massive inflationprice
o Thus people buy less of everything else
Usually: Inflationrecessiondeflation
o Called the 70s malaise
What happens when theres both inflation and recession
Easy oil
o Easy to extract
o can stick a straw in the oil field and suck it out
o Arabic countries/PG (Persian gulf)
Difficult oil
o E.g. Albertas oil mixed with sand (must be purified)
o Expensive, forbidding
Oil is at peak production right now
o But the price will only go UP from now
o Easy oil will be used up; well be turning to hard oil
Peak Oil Theory: Price of oil is only going to go up

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o Oil pessimists: b/c peak oil theory is true, things only going to get worse in future
Stagflation created to face scarcity
o However, were only going back to recession









Global Climate Change
Dispute:
1. Temp universal agreement
o 12 of last 15
2. This is because of man-made activity
o (Burning of fossil fuels + industrialization)
Vs
1. Short term
o Looked at monk records
o Global temperature is in a cycle of hot and cold temp
2. Not man-made
o Due to the sunimpact on oceans
o When solar activity increases=warming trend, decreases=cooling trend (e.g. ice age)
Precautionary Principle
Whether its true or not, measures should be taken to prevent it
o By cutting down emissions, etc.
Kyoto protocol fell apart
o Global south refuses to follow this: reduces industrial activity that it needs for
developmentcuts econ. growthcertain harm
o China out, US out, no one really following

Case for Environmental Optimism
1. Problems can and have been solved
o E.g. acid rain
b/c of laws and technology (alkaline)
o Ozone depletion
CFCs chlorofluorocarbons caused it (fridges)
Banning of CFCs, technology (refrigeration w/o CFC)
2. Lomborg
o Fan of technology
o Wrote The Sceptical Environmentalist
o Says pessimists underestimate:
Brilliance at innovation
Natures resilience & hugeness
3. Everyone has reason to care

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o Consumers
Good living condition
Care 4 children
Rise in demand for green products
o Corporation
Pay fines for polluting
Bad reputation/lose market share if bad polluter
Hamper recruiting
o Govts
Want to please the people
Dont want to pay cleanup costs
4. Good environmental agencies, NGOs and protection
o E.g. United States (EPA), Environment Canada and ONT, UNEPKenya
o NGOs (Greenpeace, Siera Legal Defense)
5. Earth is not Easter Island
o Those civilians were uneducated

Case for Environmental Pessimism
1. Successes are few & far between
o Failure the norm (e.g. KYOTO)
2. Faith in technology may be misplaced
o Present problems cast doubt on that
3. Everyone doesnt always follow good reasons
o Consumers: people drive SUVs, groom their lawns, live in disposable society
We will always choose economy over environment
o Corporations:
They are the ones that give the govt data about how much they pollute
Usually fines no more than $50,000
4. Agencies arent very effective:
o Under-resourced
o Rely on data from polluters
o Years behind if make their own data
5. Earth might be Easter Island
o Gaia