Chapter 10 Human Population and Human Behavior. Devon Rood SOS 513

Transcription

1 Chapter 10 Human Population and Human Behavior Devon Rood SOS 513

2 Chapter 10 Overview Humans and their role in the environment Demography Humans and economic theory Humans and sustainability Source: -drives-human-behaviour/

3 4 Quadrant Framework

4 Demography Population growth (a stock) is the result of the total number of births (inflow) and net migration (outflow) Human population has been increasing but growth rate has been falling since 1980s Income is a major reason behind the decline in growth rate

5 Demographic Transition Demographic Transition- profound historical changes in fertility and mortality patterns Transition from one equilibrium to another- high birth rate and high death rate to low birth rate and low death rate

6 Demographic Transition and Modernism Demographic transition has occurred since the 18th century Usually a gradual and natural phenomenon

7 Driving Forces of Human Population- Fertility Human Fertility Education of women and birth rates Preference of males versus females

8 Driving Forces of Human Population- Mortality Mortality causes are much more varied than those for fertility. Mortality correlates with income, education, and environment The level of health services also impacts mortality rates Mortality varies across regions

9 DALY Source:

10 DALY Across Nations DALYs in Africa- almost 40% are due to malnutrition, both child and mother malnutrition In the US and Western Europe, DALYs come from welfare issues

11 Evolution Two essential principles when it comes to evolution: 1. Natural selection on randomly generated, small variations in individuals is the major mechanism of evolutionary change and adaptation, and 2. Macroscopic phenomena are understood by microscopic processes of gene variation and natural selection

12 Biology & Human Behavior Sociobiology- controversial field of study relating to evolution & biology Emphasizes the role of natural selection in social behaviors such as mating and hunting

13 Biology & Human Behavior Biology provides an interesting paradox- competitive versus cooperative behavior Balance between altruism and selfishness Human nature wants to help fellow humans but also wants to get ahead

14 Homo Economicus Humans as economic beings ie. rational beings Humans as consumers Early human societies may have been more easy to predict but modern societies are much more complex

15 Homo Economicus Humans are animals, too Economics does not always explain human behavior, especially in group settings Transition of thought in economics Evolutionary economics Source-

16 Game Theory

17 Game Theory Logic of Collective Action (1975) argued that rational individuals will not cooperate unless the group is small or if there is coercion. This helps explain social dilemmas and public good problems However, under the right circumstances, humans can cooperate

18 Simulating Human Behavior Humans want to be able to predict the future There are two ways to predict human behavior- social sciences and formal modelling Both types of thinking require an image of the human and the inherent division between bottom-up and top-down view of the world

19 Complex Systems Science (CSS) Classical math is being complemented by CSS Most useful and interesting models in sustainability science rely on simulation techniques and software Source: www.

20 Cellular Automata Models Cellular Automata (CA) - cells are updated simultaneously according to a simple rule or algorithm CA is used in urban and economic geography and environmental sciences.

21 Human Interaction: Networks The property of systems with many individual actors can be understood from the interaction between the actors and their individual behavior. Network theory or mathematical graph theory is a way to look at the behavior and structure that emerge from interactions Large computers allow for analyzing and simulating the evolution of networks

22 Human Interaction: Networks Networks and network analyses are being used more frequently in science today Social sciences are turning to network analysis to understand human behavior Network theory and sustainability

23 Multi-Agent Systems First used in computer games Multi-agent systems allow for investigation of human-nature environments and help to better understand human behavior Source:

24 Human Behavior & Sustainability 5 Themes in the nexus of human behavior and sustainability Change is needed at many levels in order to help create a sustainable world Source-

25 Discussion Questions 1. Is it possible to live sustainably with the number of people we have on the planet now? What about the predicted 9 or 10 billion? Why? 2. Why is DALY important to study? 3. What do you think about the notion that biology dictates our actions? 4. Keeping game theory in mind, how can we better manage public goods?

26 Discussion Questions 5. Demographic transitions can be done via regulations. Is this something that should be done in countries with high birth rates? 6. The book briefly talks about environmental refugeesthose who are forced to flee their homes due to environmental disasters. How should the world deal with these refugees?