Chapter 3: Human Populations

After completing this chapter you will understand:

The basics of population dynamics including how birth and death rates regulate population size, the role of migration, and how populations develop different age characteristics.
How human population growth has varied over time, factors influencing the dramatic increase in human population, and what it will likely be in 2050.
Where the human population is distributed, how this distribution is changing, and where most people are likely to live in 2050.
The relation of human population to the general environmental health of the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
What the concept of sustainability is and why the number of people is important to achieving it.
What carrying capacity is and how people change Earth’s carrying capacity for themselves and other living things.
Why the study of human population dynamics is important to you and your future prosperity.

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