It is interesting to see the demographic transition model in real life effect. As time passes, underdeveloped countries will enter stage 3 of the demographic transition model and see a decline in birth rate and death rate remains relatively low. Most developing countries now will enter the very end of stage 3 and even stage 4 as birth rates balance of death rates. The real question is whether or not Earth will be able to sustain 11 billion people. It is scary to see the world in a rapid population boom. This population growth relates to the agricultural unit in that the use of GMO's is to accommodate the rapidly growing populations in the world.

The population was originally predicted to level off in the next half century, but this is not the case by a long-shot, as predicted by the UN.

These articles from the Guardian and National Geographic were the first I'd heard of the new population projections for the future.  For many years it was assumed that the global population would level out at around 9 billion; while that is still within the range of possibilities but these new projections indicate that it is much more likely that the total global population will be much higher than that.  The geographic implications of this are far reaching.   

Tag: population, demographic transition model, unit 2 population.

This is a stunning example of uneven development and regional differences within countries.  Too often we discuss countries as if the situation inside the borders of one country is the same throughout it, even if the geographic contexts can be wildly different. 

Questions to Ponder: Why are the fertility rates in so different in northern and southern India?  How does this regional imbalance impact the country?  What are other examples of major differences within a country? 

Tags: regions, population, demographic transition model, declining population, models, unit 2 population, India, South Asia. 

Preliminary HSc - Global challenges: Population

The article headline is quite click-baity, but there is some real substance to this article.  The graphs are especially useful to teach concepts such as population momentum and the age-dependency ratio. These were the key parts of the article that caught my eye:

• An aging population will mean higher costs for the government, a shortage of pension and social security-type funds, a shortage of people to care for the very aged, slow economic growth, and a shortage of young workers.
• Following feminism's slow build in Japan since the 1970s, today's workers strive for equality between the sexes, something Japan's pyramid-style corporate structure just isn't built for. That's because institutional knowledge is viewed as a big deal in Japan.
• The elderly now make up 27% of Japan's population. In the US, the rate is only 15%. Experts predict the ratio in Japan could rise to 40% by 2050. With that comes rising social-security costs, which the shrinking younger generations are expected to bear.
• To make up for an aging population and aversion toward immigrant work, Japan's tech sector has stepped up its efforts in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Tags: culture, gender, labor, population, migration, Japan, East Asia.

unit 2 article 1              2

There was once an episode of Family Guy where Peter Griffin establishes his own country when his house is left of a map of Quahog. This story reminds me of that episode, but also raises some questions as to what it takes to be a sovereign nation. Jeremiah Heaton has long term goals of creating an agricultural production center, has been living in area and is willing to put in the work to establish a political identity. Also an extreme example it does show how some nations come to be globally recognized and also how many forces are against new nations being established and recognized.

This man decided to give his daughter a piece of unclaimed territory in Africa for her seventh birthday so that she could be a princess.  Now he wants his country to be recognized by surrounding countries as well as the UN.  Everyone is saying that this is not allowed for various reasons.  He does not have people living there, he is not himself inhabiting the area, other countries are not recognizing his claim, and one cannot simply put a flag in the ground and say that it is theirs.  If this were the case there would be seven billion flags around the world.  He is claiming that he has hopes for this area, turning it into an agricultural center where he can help with food supply issues in the surrounding area.  I see that he has hopes and dreams for the area, but as far as calling it his own country I don't see that going as well as he thinks.

Having read through most of the article, I find it funny how he actually believes that he can just step foot on soil and claim it as his own country. The description, “members of the occupying nation must have lived on the land for several years,” and, “it must also demonstrate that it has occupied the space, not that it just physically stepped foot there,” are the best ways to describe why it would never work for him. You have to make use of the space that is provided. Even though he claims that he will, turn the country into an agricultural production center that will tackle food security issues in the region, it hasn’t been done yet, and even if it was he wouldn’t occupy nearly enough of the space. Egypt and Sudan are officially negotiating over the land.

I use this classic xkcd image every semester that I teach world regional geography.  The explanation of this image is helpful if the students fail to understand the context or the point of this comic strip.  The very idea of 'western' and 'eastern' is very much an idea that comes from 'the west' (Greek and Roman civilizations anciently, and a broadly European more recently). The Euro-centric view of the world from a single 'starting point' is one reason some geographers don't like the term 'Middle East,' but prefer Southwest Asia and North Africa.  The Middle East implies a European starting point as does the Far East.     

Tags: regions, perspective.

Intro to liveability

It is never a bad time to hear from Hans Rosling.  In this TED talk he shares data that shows how popular myths about the less developed world (especially fertility rates and life expectancy) have radically changed in the last 40 years.

Tags: gapminder, development, TED.

It is never a bad time to hear from Hans Rosling.  In this TED talk he shares data that shows how popular myths about the less developed world (especially fertility rates and life expectancy) have radically changed in the last 40 years.

Tags: gapminder, development, TED.

This is a succinct summary of Malthusian ideas on population.  What do you think of his ideas?  Any specific parts of his theory that you agree with?  Do you disagree with some of his ideas?  What did history have to say about it?  

Tags: Demographics, population, models, APHG,  unit 2 population. 

Alexander von Humboldt has been described as the last great ancient geographer concerned with understanding an eclectic cosmography as well as the first modern geographer. He is honored far and wide throughout Europe and especially  Latin America for his explorations, but given that people are confused as how to categorize him and classify his contributions, today he is under-appreciated.  Geographers need to reclaim his memory and call his extensive, globetrotting work on a wide range of subjects ‘geography.’  Here is another article and TED-ED video on the most influential scientist that you might not have heard of (at least until today).

Tags:  historical, biogeography.

An interesting biography, but, strangely, Ms Wulf almost completely ignores Humboldt's time in Mexico. In some ways, his time in Mexico was more pivotal in terms of geography than his time in South America. Claiming that Humboldt is a virtual unknown in Europe is a gross distortion of the facts; there have been numerous books about Humboldt over the last thirty to forty years, let alone before that time!.

De nieuwe methode van de onderbouw: (Alexander von) Humboldt

Immigration is a major source of tension within Europe. The influx of immigrants into Europe has led to a nativist backlash in many nations. The free movement of people is a bedrock principle of the European Union. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the leaders of Europe hoped that the open borders policy would  prevent another costly war by allowing people to move to were there were jobs were located. The mixing of cultures would also prevent war. People would develop an understanding of other cultures, which would make the possibility of war more remote. The leaders did not account for the strong nativist strand that often runs through many nations. The UK is threating to withdraw from the EU over this immigration issue. While immigration on the United States gets much of the attention, a more serous crises is actually occurring in Europe.

India is a country with amazing economic potential, but hampered but uneven levels of social development.  The so-called 'digital divide' can exacebate problems for the poor and their ability to join the emerging industries.  In this situation Facebook is offering free (partial) internet access to India's poor and the discussions about net neutrality and the potential ulterior motives are underway.

Questions to Ponder: Do you favor Zuckerberg's proposal or do you think that India should reject this offer?  

Tags: development, India, South Asia, infrastructure, technology.

Immigration is a major source of tension within Europe. The influx of immigrants into Europe has led to a nativist backlash in many nations. The free movement of people is a bedrock principle of the European Union. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the leaders of Europe hoped that the open borders policy would  prevent another costly war by allowing people to move to were there were jobs were located. The mixing of cultures would also prevent war. People would develop an understanding of other cultures, which would make the possibility of war more remote. The leaders did not account for the strong nativist strand that often runs through many nations. The UK is threating to withdraw from the EU over this immigration issue. While immigration on the United States gets much of the attention, a more serous crises is actually occurring in Europe.