Chapter 5 Q&A PDF

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These are the answers to the online video assignments for Dr. Neusa Hidalgo-Monroy McWilliams' online Environmental Geography Class....

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1. What is the value of census information? The value of census information is that demographers use this information to study population dynamics, disaster relief (tells you how many people expect to find given areas), and where schools and hospitals should be located. Along with this, it is used for traffic planning, application environmental science and how resources are used. Thus, this information tells us many important details of our society. 2. What kinds of problems do social demographers help solve? The kinds of problems that social demographers help solve include preparing for future growth, seeing the natural resource impacts from wastewater or car pollution, and making connections between people and costs. 3. Why focus on U.S. population dynamics in particular? The reason to focus on U.S. population dynamics, in particular, because there is a problem with the increasing population. By using smart growth strategies, we can avoid urban sprawl by concentrating population growth in the inner city. This could specifically be used in Cape Cod where we could restructure growth within communities and conserve other lands. 4. Why is there disagreement about the carrying capacity of the Earth? There is a disagreement about the carrying capacity of Earth because it comes back to some people thinking that how people live and use resources is important, not how many people live in a place. Others, on the other hand, believe it depends on how many people live in an area. In the video, this was shown with the example given of Texas and how I wouldn’t like to live in a place with 6.5 billion people. 5. What assumptions are used to determine sustainability? The assumptions that are used to determine sustainability include where the population is located and how these people consume things that are directly relevant to the sustainability of an area. By looking at these two important details, we can determine stability. 6. How does an increasingly global market influence the sustainability of the planet? An increasing global market influences the sustainability of the planet by increasing urban development in coastal areas. These areas become most prone to the effects of climate change, which could potentially cause a lot of physical damage and human casualties. Therefore, there is a tradeoff. 7. How does technology relate to the sustainability of the planet? The technology relates to the sustainability of the planet by technology increases our capacity to impact the environment both in positive and negative ways. Essentially it can lead to people living in areas not necessarily suited for life. On the other hand, it allows us to look at population dynamics and come up with alternative solutions we wouldn't have otherwise been able to come up with.

8. What is meant by market-based solutions to sustainability? What is meant by market-based solutions to sustainability is solutions that essentially benefit the economy as well as the environment. Finding solutions that do both, will lead not only our economy but our environment to thrive. 9. As demographers, what do Martha Farnsworth Riche and Deborah Balk have in common? How does their work differ? What is each of their specializations? As a demographer, how does David Bloom’s focus differ from Farnsworth Riche’s and Balk’s? What Martha Farnsworth Riche and Deborah Balk have in common is using population data to see relationships among environmental factors and to find solutions to problems that arise from this. Their work differs by Riche looks at how sustainability develops with reduced environmental impact. Balk, on the other hand, looks at how vulnerable climate change is and looks for mitigation strategies. Balk’s specialization is a global perspective, while Riche’s specialization is more based in the United States. David Bloom’s focus differs from their work by his focus is more on the economic side of population growth. He essentially looks at how human population growth can change our economy. 10. What are the trends as a region moves from pre-industrial to industrial characteristics or from rural-dominated populations to urban concentration? The trends are having lower elevation coastal zones developing much faster. This was shown in the video with China and Bangladesh, where more frequent floods and other problems can arise with this trend....