Demographic Transition to Stability

It took humankind 200,000 years to reach a billion in population, but only 200 to reach 7 Billion.. This trend suggests some very apocalyptic images for our future. However, the UN forecasts that the 12 billionth human will never be born at all.

Why and how may this be true?

Population explosion is defined as a sudden increase in population of a region due to various catalysts. The first one was the advent of farming which allowed for settlements. And the last two centuries have had some of the most intense developments like the industrial revolution and the rapid growth of advanced sciences.

Almost every country in the world goes through a demographic transition which includes 4 phases. In the 1800s, most European nations too had severe poverty, famines, poor health and low life expectancies. A woman had around 6-7 kids but even then only 2 would make it to adulthood.

The second phase sees the growth of living conditions in the region…. as we see with the industrial revolution, better work, wages and sanitation. This leads to a lower death rate. However, the fertility stayed at 6-7 kids per woman for a generation or two. But in this case, all of them would make it to adulthood. And there it is! A population surge!

The third phase is when the population actually tapers off. The next generations begin having fewer kids and families afford better living conditions. Birth and death rates are slowly set into a delicate balance and the region reaches the fourth stage. Stability.

All developed countries underwent these changes. The disparity arises only because of the headstart they had. With a stable population, the quality of the people is improved. Third world problems of poverty, chaos, and instability are solved from the root cause, the people themselves.

This is why programs which help people living in poverty and famish are important. They may seem profligate and effective for only one generation but what they are doing, is not solving the problem itself….but kickstarting a far greater process.. The transition to stability.

(Thumbnail image - Shutterstock)

Comments

Empathy's Demise

It's quite wondrous really, How clocks around the world are ticking right now in perfect synchrony. Wondrous how even in such a large world, We are all nakedly defined by a common present. A common, now. Wondrous how the sun is setting right this moment, In one corner of the world. While it rises in another, all at the same time. . Perhaps it is all that's left that unites us through the present. Only the sun bears witness to the capering of man, For the world is simply too large for us. Large enough to let a man in Paris grab an afternoon Latté, While a woman in Casablanca runs to the sweet embrace of her lover. . Large enough that the loudest sound you hear is this poem, and my voice, Sheltered from the shelling beyond the sea. Large enough that at this very second, There's a little girl with ringing ears, Looking through the rubble, For her dead mother. . Now, when my voice too goes quiet. I implore you, tell me what is louder. Is it the luxury of silenc...

The 7 Billion Cyborgs of Earth

'A fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations with mechanical elements.' This is what the term- 'Cyborg' means. But, does it ? " Hey! V-Sauce, Michael here-" no lets not do that. Pop culture has defined a cyborg's appearance like this: But the way I see it, this is a more realistic cyborg. (DC don't sue me) You're probably thinking why this harmless depressed lady can be called a cyborg. It's all about perspective. We are born in a world where things don't change drastically, so we grow accustomed to our surroundings. Take a look at this scenario. A human communicates with a machine by releasing static from her phalanges (fingers) into the screen which the machine processes and via a global network, fetches the required data and interprets it in the form of light emitted by pixels in a coordinated succession that then enters the human's light receptors and causes a rush ...

Moretti's Café

Audio tracks add to the reading experience. (They are mood synced. Press play when they appear.) Setting down his book on the table, Malcolm rocked the spoon back and forth in his cup of earl grey, stirring up the contents before he took a long deep sip with closed eyes. The shadows cast by the nearby buildings marched forth inch by inch into the little cafe tucked into Piazza di Santa Croce, 14. He shifted his little stool to face the window and sipped away at his tea. The vapours of which rose like clouds of cotton in the dying sunlight. It bothered him to not know where everyone on the street was headed. Every pedestrian outside seemed to walk with such a sense of purpose and determination as if they would perish if their feet touched the pavement another second. Unless one stopped to notice each person’s face and gait, there was no real difference at all. Just cold pillars of such determination wandering aimlessly on the streets. One went left. Two went right...

Kopfkino

Search This Blog