It is estimated that by the year 2050, more than 9 billion people will be living on Earth. This is due in part to a variety of factors, including economic, social, and cultural reasons. Developed Nations (DN) and Less-Developed Nations (LDN) are dealing with wide-ranging consequences affecting the environment, and sound population policies in both DNs and LDNs are critical in addressing the long-term effects of increased population. Your Application assignment this week will center on the differing population policies of DNs and LDNs and how these countries are dealing with the effects of population growth.

Questions about this assignment? Post them in the Ask the Instructor area. That way, everyone in the class will see, and benefit from, the instructor's response.

To prepare for this Application:

• Review pp. 155-162 in the course text, Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships, regarding Developed Nations and Less-Developed Nations.
• Consider the differences in population, population-limiting factors (such as availability of food and water), and population policies of DNs and LDNs.
• Reflect on the possible futures of nations that do not succeed at limiting population growth, and the impact that will have on the world at large.

The assignment:

• Compare one DN of your choice with one LDN of your choice, and compose a 2-page essay in which you do the following:
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  • Discuss the economic, social, and cultural reasons for differences between the population densities in these two regions.
  • Evaluate the polices of the DN with those of the LDN you chose as they relate to reducing the population/fertility rates.
  • Explain how the two nations you researched are attempting to reduce their population/fertility rates.