You Solve It: Human Population Issues
Objective: Create a plan that solves each of the problems listed in the imaginary
countries found below. Your plan must include at least 4 steps. You must explain the
four steps using the information that we learned during class.
Country #1: The population of this country is 500,000. The Crude Birth Rate is 2.4. The
replacement fertility level is 4. 10 years ago, a horrible disease killed off many of the
children within the country. There are now more elderly and middle-aged people than
there are young adults. The surviving children, teens and young adults are now terrified
to start families. In 2010, the infant mortality rate was 125. It is now 15. They remember
the grief of losing their siblings and loved ones. There is a vaccine for the disease,
however, so children will no longer die from it.
Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reasoning:
Country #2: The population of this country is 1.5 billion. The Crude Birth Rate is 56. The
fertility rate is 8. Women are married at a young age, sometimes as young as 12. This is
a tradition in many families. The sole role a woman plays in this country is that of a
mother. Each mother is responsible for all of the cooking, cleaning and water carrying
for the family. She can only delegate her chores to her daughters. Fathers and sons
work in the fields, go to school and are able to own property.
Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reasoning:
Country #3: This is a two country population problem. Both countries are islands.
Country A has a population of 250,000 people. The island is roughly approximately 25
square miles. Country B has a population of 275,000 and is about 15 square miles.
Most of the citizens in Country B live along the coastlines. As sea levels rise, they are
forced to move, yet they are choosing to move to Country A rather than move to the
interior part of their own country. Country A’s population is mostly elderly and they have
welcomed immigration in the past. Here are the rest of the statistics.
Country
Immigration per
year
Emigration per year
Crude Birth Rate
A
+10,000
+150
15
B
+100
-9,000
55
Steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reasoning: