Geog 5 Week 1 Lecture 1 January 9 2012 Chapter 1 Environmental Challenges We Face Why how has human impact on the environment increase over time Humans are at the top of the food chain Why Have thumbs and increase brain capacity Why can t we ignore environmental problems Limited amount of natural resources we re going to run out at some point Nature always wins we can control it for a limited amount of time Planet adapts How does it adapt to human impact Consumption and economic growth Have to consume to grow Division of the worldo 1 Rich lesser population higher income ex United States o 2 Poor lower developed countries LDC ex Ethiopia Bangladesh and moderately developed countries MDC ex Mexico Characteristics of an LDC Cheap unskilled labor predominantly agriculturally based subsistence only for yourself Hunger little to no education Electricity major indicator of wealth Europe North America etc Natural resources rapidly depleting as population increases Worse in developing countries because population expands quicker Developed countries actually put up a lesser population strain growth About 2 children per family However much higher rate of consumption o Poor LDC have more children because children rarely develop past the age of 5 due to the lack of healthy resources o Natural resource depletion linked to agriculture 01 20 2012 01 20 2012