Demographic Transitions

Demographic transition is the process in which a nation transitions from being a less industrialized society, with high birth and death rates, to an industrialized nation, with lower birth and death rates. Many countries have already been through this transition including the United States,

England

, and

Canada

.

The demographic transition to an industrialized society is detrimental for the environment because industrialized societies tend to use up nonrenewable resources and give off pollution. Industrialized nations have the largest ecological and carbon footprint relative to developing or nonindustrialized countries. Fortunately, there are some benefits to the process of demographic transition, including lower birth and death rates. Essentially, people in industrialized countries have fewer children and this in turn helps control the overall population size.

Demographic transition involves the following five stages:

Stage 1	High birth rate, high death rate, low population size
Stage 2	High birth rate, decreasing death rate, increasing population size
Stage 3	Decreasing birth rate, decreasing death rate, increasing population size
Stage 4	Low birth rate, low death rate, high population size
Stage 5	Low birth rate, low death rate, population size decreasing

 It should be noted that stage 5 is controversial, and it is sometimes not considered to be a stage. This is partially because so few countries are at this stage.

The following graph depicts the various stages of demographic transition:

Using the stages listed above, create a demographic and environmental timeline for one industrialized country, excluding the United States. The following are a few suggested industrialized nations:

CanadaEngland
• Germany
• Russia
• Italy

You can

download

the Demographic and Environmental Timeline—United States of America to review an example of such a timeline.

Include the following points in your timeline in order to examine the advantages and drawbacks of demographic transition in your selected country:

• Major historical changes that caused the shift from one stage to another (if available).
• Changing population size through time (increasing or decreasing).
• Increase or decrease of birth and death rates through time—particularly when considering the process of industrialization.
• Environmental impact of this transition.
• Dates (if available), series of events, and scholarly references for these items.

Support your timeline with appropriate examples and a minimum of three credible resources.

Present your timeline in a media that best displays the information you researched. This can be in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft PowerPoint. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2 , LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.xls, or LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.ppt. 

60

20

20

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Created a detailed, demographic and environmental timeline for a selected industrialized country, focusing on the shift from one stage to the next and the environmental consequences that were an outcome of this change.
Supported statements with appropriate examples and at least three credible sources.
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Total:	100

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Ecology and Environmental Sustainability

©2011 Argosy University Online Programs

Demographic and Environmental Timeline—United States of America

Stage Year Situation in the Country

Stage 1 1800 Major Historical Changes: The country is still considered a colonial
settlement of England.

Changing Population Size: The population size is low.

Birth and Death Rates: The birth rates and death rates are high as
women have many children and there is a high mortality rate.

Environmental Impact: Environmental impact remains low due to the
small number of people.

Stage 2 1900 Major Historical Changes: There is increasing food availability through
agricultural expansion, which eliminates starvation and also causes the
death rate to decrease.

Changing Population Size: The population size is increasing. Women
are still having many children.

Birth and Death Rates: There are high birth rates but decreasing death
rates.

Environmental Impact: Environmental impact is increasing as frontier
land begins to be developed. Urbanization is increasing and people are
beginning to move to cities.

Stage 3 1960 Changing Population Size: The population size is increasing—also
known as the baby boom.

Birth and Death Rates: There are lower birth rates and lower death
rates.

Environmental Impact: There is increasing urbanization and
industrialization. Pollution and toxic chemicals cause problems with the
increasing industrialization and burning of fossil fuels.

Stage 4 1990 Changing Population Size: The size of population stabilizes.

Birth and Death Rates: There are low birth rates and low death rates.

Environmental Impact: The high standard of living causes a large
carbon footprint and high levels of pollution. Environmental awareness
begins, but much more needs to be done.

Stage 5 – The US has not reached this stage as yet.