Over Population in LEDCs

We will learn

• That over population is a huge problem facing LEDC’s

• That west Africa faces particularly high levels of over population

?Did you know

In 8000 B.C., only 5 million people were alive - roughly the population of Scotland today! Overuse of the world’s natural resources was hardly an issue.

• Now some 6 billion mouths must be fed and bodies clothed and housed. Misuse or depletion of the Earth’s treasures to meet those needs, for example unsustainable logging, poor farming practices, and over fishing, threatens human life and health around the world.

• According to the United Nations, population increases have slowed or even stopped in Europe, North America, and Japan. Nevertheless, global population continues to rise at a rate of roughly 78 million people per year. Most of the growth is taking place in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South and Western Asia—areas least able to afford more people. Not coincidentally, the same places are plagued by deforestation and other unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.

• Industrialized countries in the past have done their share of plundering and polluting. But today most such problems occur in LEDCs, which also happen to be the areas of greatest population growth.

Facts

• The world’s fastest growing population is in Africa.

• The United States is the only developed country where large population increases are still projected, mostly because of immigration.

• Nearly three-fifths of the 4.8 billion people in developing countries lack basic sanitation, almost a third have no access to clean water, a quarter lack adequate housing, and a fifth lack access to modern health services.

’ West Africa s Mega Slums

We are now going to watch a Channel 4News Report

Listen Carefully and answer the questions that follow

Questions

• Copy these into your jotter and answer underneath, in sentences.

2) What is the population of Lagos today?3) What will the population of Lagos be by 2015? 4) Why do thousands of people move to Lagos

every week?5) How much did Basarat earn for working all

day? 6) How do ‘Area Boys’ make a living?

6) How do people use rubbish to make places to build homes?

Answers

1) 14 million2) 23 million3) They are looking to find work.4) 25 pence5) Area Boys make money by selling drugs

and demanding money from drivers. 6) They use the rubbish to fill in the

swamps.