Summary: Raising Life Expectancy
Concepts of Population:
● Population: The number of people living in an area.
● Birth Rate: Total number of births per 1000 people
● Death Rate: Total number of deaths per 1000 people
● Population growth rate/natural increase: Birth Rate - Death Rate
● Infant mortality rate: number of infant deaths per 1000 births.
● Life Expectancy: the average number of years that people in a
particular area are expected to live.
A: Factors Affecting
Population Rates
1. Diseases:
● HIV/AIDS
● TB
● Diarrhoea
● Cholera
A few others:
● Diabetes Mellitus (Diabetes) = When glucose/blood sugar levels in
your blood is too high.
● Obesity
● Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia)
● Epilepsy
Terms to remember:
● Epidemic = disease within a certain country
● Pandemic = when it spreads to other countries.
2. Economic Status:
Poorer communities Richer communities
● Higher death rate due to less ● People live longer / lower
access to health care. death rate due to access to
● Infant mortality rates are also good health care.
● Low infant mortality rate due
higher due to the same
to good health care.
reason.
● They have less children due
● They have more children to to the cost of raising a child.
make sure some survive, help
on the farm and help support
the family.
3. Family Needs, Attitudes and Beliefs:
● Traditions and customs: In some communities, it is custom for leaders and
wealthy men to have many wives and children. In other communities,
parents decide to have many children so they would look after their
parents when they are old.
● Religion: In certain religions, they don’t use contraceptives.
● Type of work: In some rural communities, they have many children to help
them farm.
4. Conflict and wars
● People have less children during times of war and conflict.
● Hard to farm when there’s a war in the area - less food is produced.
● People may die from hunger and disease.
5. Government policy
● Example: China’s one child policy
● People were fined if they had more than one child, free education was
retracted.
● The policy has since been abandoned, people are now allowed to have
three children.
B: Emergency Situations
1. Conflict and Wars
● Covered already
2. Environmental Deterioration
● The place where people can no longer be supported - usually caused
when people haven’t taken care of the environment.
● Examples: mining, wrong farming methods, pollution.
● People need to move away from there.
3. Economic crisis
● A sudden downturn in business
● Basic things can’t be afforded, people lose their jobs,
● People move to other areas in search of jobs.
4. Natural disasters: e.g. floods, fires, drought
5. Xenophobia
● Xenophobia: An intense dislike or fear of people who come from other
countries.
● Xenophopbic attacks: Foreign owned stores and businesses are looted and
destroyed.
● Some South Africans are afraid that foreigners will take their jobs,
● They also feel that crime might increase.
6. Refugees
● If people flee from their country and go to another country for shelter and
protection, they are known as refugees.
● They flee due to the following reasons: violence and persecution, natural
disasters, environmental deterioration, poverty or economic crisis, war.
● Persecution due to the following reasons: race, religion, nationality,
membership in particular social group or political opinion.
Problems faced by refugees:
● They are traumatised.
● They have basic needs such as food, water and shelter.
● Other needs such as jobs, education, etc.
Emergency foods for refugees:
● Should provide nutrients.
● Easy to prepare.
● Doesn’t spoil easily.
● Can be cooked on a fire.
● Is familiar to the people receiving it.
● Relatively cheap.
Problems with providing water:
● Transport
● Storage
● Fuel and water
Organisations that supply foods
● NGO’s such as International Red Cross
● The United Nations
C: World Population Growth
The birth rate of the entire world has been higher than the death rate - this
is the reason for fast population growth over the past 1000 years or so. (An
increase of about 7 billion.)
*Reasons for fast growth:
1. Scientific Developments
● Control of disease and infection: Due to medication, vaccines,
hygiene.
● Improved sanitation: Access to clean water.
● Canned food, refrigeration: Improved diets
2. Improved health care:
Preventative Curative
● Washing of hands - ● Drugs/medication such as
prevents the spread of antibiotics
disease. ● Operations/surgery
● Breastfeeding - ● Casts for broken bones
strengthens baby’s ● Physiotherapy
immune system.
● Vaccinations - prevent
illness
● Condoms - to prevent HIV
● Regular checkups to
prevent serious illness in
the long-run.
*Asia’s population has increased the most over the past 1000 years.
3. Increased food production (The picture shows the things that have been
implemented to increase food production.)
1. Increased food production - advanced farming techniques, etc.
(seeds, dams, fertilisers, pesticides, machines
D: The Impact of World Population Growth on Energy Resources
Humans need energy/power in their homes, fuel for their cars, etc. The
main source of energy that we use is stored solar energy found in fossil
fuels.
*Examples: coal, crude oil, natural gas.
As the population increases, there’s an increased demand for energy.
Non-renewable energy compared with renewable energy:
Non-renewable energy Renewable energy
(stored solar energy)
● Takes very long to form ● Doesn’t take long to form -
(much longer than a always available.
lifetime). ● It is clean - does not pollute /
● Is not clean - it pollutes / does not produce
produces greenhouse gases. greenhouse gases.
● Can be depleted. ● Can’t be depleted.
● Examples: coal, crude oil, ● Examples:
natural gas.
● Challenges with renewable energy sources: low efficiencies, high
capital costs, and intermittency.
● Nuclear energy - not renewable, but an alternative energy source.
E: Human Rights in SA constitution
1. Democracy: The right to vote if
over 18, multi-party government,
regular elections, national voters
roll.
2. Social rights and equity: Freedom
of expression, sufficient housing,
health services, basic schooling,
personal safety.
3. Equality: Equal opportunities, strive to live together and
communicate as equals.
4. Non-Racism and Non-Sexism: No racism nor gender discrimination,
everyone should be given equal opportunities regardless of race or
gender.
5. Dignity:
● Understanding - not retaliation
● Redress - not revenge
● Ubuntu - not indignity
6. An Open Community: Freedom of opinion, the press, religion.
Government that reflects the will of the people.
7. Accountability and Responsibility: Accept responsibility for your
actions, organisations accept responsibility for groups that they
manage, basic responsible and socially acceptable behaviour.
8. Rule of Law: It is supreme and all should:
● Respect codes of conduct and discipline
● Obey laws, rules and regulations
9. Respect: Respect and consider yourself and your neighbours.
10. Reconciliation: Unity and peaceful coexistence, unity in diversity,
healing from injustices of the past.
