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Human Population Growth

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Submitted By kpete
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HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH
SCI/230

The human population started off slow until the beginning of the 1900s when the industrialization of the world changed mortality rates. This is evident by the logistic growth curve of the population from year one to the 1800s, when the population reached the 1 billion mark. The population did not grow rapidly at this time and it actually remained flat for almost 1500 years at the beginning. The population then grew rapidly as advancements in medicine and nutrition in both Europe and the United States allowed humans to take control of their population's growth rate. This exponential growth curve showed that the population continued to increase at a steady rate as births rose and mortality rates declined. This exponential increase saw the population explode from 2 billion in 1927 to 3 billion in 1960. After this exponential increase the developed nations of the world developed contraceptives to control birth rates and the population growth declined to almost zero. This has not been the case in developing nations however as death rates have dropped but high birth rates have continued. This increase in population has created a large ecological deficit. In the United States alone the population requires twice the land and resources than what is available. This has caused humans to invade other habitats and force animals to either relocate or become extinct. This is creating the problem as humans face overpopulation and overconsumption. As the human population continues to increase the other organisms of the world are being affected as the population invades every corner of the earth to support the growth. This increase will eventually deplete the planet's natural resources and the population will decrease as a

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