Carly's World Population Growth Project

   Historical Growth of the Population of Earth

Graph of Population Growth of Earth from 1960-2013
Annual population growth is approximately 1.2%

The above graph is from the World Bank, a world renouned statistic and global knowledge organization that tracks the population of planet Earth.

Expert Analysis:

Experts predict that the population growth of earth will continue to increase, without possibility of decrease until the total population exceeds 9 billion people. Recent studies suggest that the population of earth will reach 11 billion by the year 2100.

Trends in Data: 
Through observation of the data presented in the graph we notice an upward trend in the population growth of earth. The increase in population is linear, annually increasing by approximately 1.2%.


Predictions: 
Predictions we could make based on the data would be that the population will continue to steadily increase. Using our linear regression graph we can predict that population on Earth in the year 2100 will be 13.936 billion. My prediction does not match the experts prediction. The reasoning for this is that the factors experts would have taken into consideration when developing their prediction. The possible factors are the following: the amount of global resources available such as food and water, death tolls caused by natural disasters and wars, along with future instatement of birth laws for population control.

Definition of Overpopulation: "The condition of having more people than can live on the earth in comfort, happiness and health and still leave the world a fit place for future generations." 

Consequences of Overpopulation: 

1. It is widely known by experts that population growth is usually found in some of the poorest countries in the world, causing extreme amounts of poverty.
2. Some of the highest rates of death are found in countries that are over populated because of the quality of life they are living in. 
3. Poor health care.
4. Lack of food, water, shelter and work.
5. Lack of education.

All the factors stated above are major contributors to a population decreasing in size that individuals should be paying attention to. If it is increasing at a extreme rate, there could be a major decrease that could cause even more harm to the earth. Although population is growing at an intense and speedy rate, there are still multiple effects overpopulation has on the world. Many of which countries with extreme wealth and resources don't notice or see particularly! 

Question of the day:  Is population growth a positive contributor or a negative contributor? (Share your opinion below)

My opinion: By researching and reading multiple articles, my opinion on population growth is that it is in between both good and bad. Although it creates many risks in multiple countries, the biggest thing that needs to happen for population is for it to slow down at a more steady rate, in order for humans to live a solid lifestyle. Although the earth is rich in resources to keep humans alive, individuals have to keep in mind that the earth also needs nutrients and factors to keep it alive as well. If we have more humans than resources, that defeats the purpose of normality. Life is important but in order to live and flourish we need water, food, shelter and happiness!

Scatter Plot Linear Regression Analysis: While graphing the following information into the calculator, the linear regression formula (y= ax +b) is the following:

y= 78612181.818182X + -151149980909.09 

(*The following images are what was graphed on a calculator to get the linear regression formula as well as the regression line and scatter plot*)

Table + Graph of World Population: 

References:

"Experts: Population to Grow from 7 to 11 Billion." VOA. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

"98.07.02: The Population Explosion: Causes and Consequences." 98.07.02: The Population Explosion: Causes and Consequences. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

"Is Population Growth Really a Bad Thing?" Is Population Growth Really a Bad Thing? N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.