Press, A. (2022, December 22). International migration drove US population growth in 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.voanews.com/a/international-migration-drove-us-population-growth-in-2022-/6888030.html 

Net international migration represented a total of 168% from the previous year’s count of 376,029, showing the impact the pandemic had on both our population and international travel. Natural growth accounted for the addition of about 245,080 people to the overall population increase, an occurrence the country hasn’t experienced since 2007. The rate of population growth experienced a rebound of sorts as it rose to 0.4% from the 0.1% rate observed during the height of the pandemic in 2020-2021. Regionally, the Northeast lost the most residents, with the amount standing at 219,000 compared to the Midwest’s 49,000; contrarily, the South surpassed the 30 Million resident mark, joining California as the only state in this category. However, California experienced a severe population drop, one of the largest next to New Jersey’s.

This article relates to Environmental Science as it introduces us to the separate regions and the impact the pandemic had on them in comparison to others. This might have diverse effects on the economies of separate states, however, as regions like the west coast, rely on large population numbers because of usual job and city density. The introduction of the decrease in international travel can be seen as contributing to the decrease in not only migration but CO2 release during the years 2020-2021 as well. This can allow us to delve deeper into the understanding of the impact of whether migration has a harmful impact or not

Overberg, P., & McCormick, J. (2022, December 23). U.S. population growth remains sluggish despite uptick this year. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-population-growth-remains-sluggish-despite-uptick-this-year-11671723045 

In the year 2022’s population increase of 1.3 million, the number of births exceeded deaths by about 245,000; an occurrence the article described as, “a surplus that has long supplied much of the nation’s growth.” Though population growth had reportedly slowed over the past decade, it had averaged an annual increase of about 2 million. During this shift, however, the country’s westward and southern movement continued; with Tenessee overtaking Massachusetts as the 15th most populous state. Kenneth Johnson, a demographer for the University of New Hampshire commented on the recording of 24 states having higher death rates than birth rates, describing the actual amount as a “staggeringly high number”; a natural decrease Johnson had said was strange for even 5 states to have recorded. With this decrease present in almost half the states in the US, Johnson hypothesized the increase needed to restore the previous US population would need to come from outside sources, most likely other states or countries; a growth which seems to be coming from the central region.

This population growth article relates to Environmental science as it introduces a new possibility for Tenessee to be a large contributor to the GHG release from the United States. Though California is one of the most populous states, contributing to its large impact on the US’s part in climate change, the introduction of Tennessee as an additional state to add to any pollution released in the same large amounts of GHG creates a larger concern for how to handle decreasing those numbers. As we focus on converting different sources of elements such as Carbon or Methane, this article infers that the focus on larger states such as California might not solve as many problems as previously intended. After such a large increase in a smaller state such as Tennessee, this poses the question as to whether we should shift our focus to less centered upon states, or if any other states might experience a sudden increase such as Tennessee had.

Frey, W. (2023, January 04). New Census estimates show a tepid rise in U.S. population growth, buoyed by immigration. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/new-census-estimates-show-a-tepid-rise-in-u-s-population-growth-buoyed-by-immigration/  

Through the year 2021, an increase in mortality rates and a decrease in birth rates have resulted in a decline in population at the time; and though migration only played a small role in the population decrease, it is the leading cause of the recent population incline in 2022. In contrast to the previous year’s low in net immigration, 26 states and the District of Colombia either experienced an increase in population or reduced their losses, while 18 states experienced a decline. Additionally, 24 states experienced death rates higher than their birth rates as a result of the pandemic, a point that served as an indication that certain demographics were more highly impacted than others. International immigration was not the only form of immigration impacting the states, domestic immigration also experienced a spike during 2022, as the southern states in particular experienced large amounts of migration numbers from areas in the US. This pattern has been seen before in history, repeating both during WWII and the Great Depression; however, in recent years this can be observed as well, while immigration numbers came to a halt during Trump’s presidency as well as fertility rates dropped during the 2007-2009 recession.

This article states that states such as Texas and Florida experienced internal migration from the US, meaning their populations increased, but only through migration occurring within the United States rather than internationally. This could pose a problem in the US’s role in climate change, as far as political decisions go. These two states, more often than not, vote republican. This could become extremely detrimental in terms of putting into action any movements against climate change. I find that this, although not immediately related to the environment, poses a threat to it all in all.

Singh, K. (2022, December 22). U.S. population growth inches higher in 2022, driven by immigration. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-population-growth-inches-higher-2022-driven-by-immigration-2022-12-22/ 

In the year 2021, the US experienced its lowest annual growth of fewer than 1 million people, a record not hit since 1937, and representing the lowest numeric growth since 1900. The Census Bureau stated that the primary driver of this growth was net international migration, which accounted for the addition of 1.01 million people to the population of the US between 2021 and 2022; this contrasted greatly with the previous year’s migration recording of 376,000, signifying a return to pre-pandemic times. In a quote released by Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the population division of the Census Bureau, it was stated that “Florida has often been among the largest-gaining states” and that, “this was the first time since 1957 that Florida has been the state with the largest percent increase in population,” In fact, 18 states experienced a population decline in 2022, California included, compared to that lost in only 15 states the previous year. 

The reason this article discusses not only the rapid increase in population within the US in the past year of 2022, but also the decrease in 2021, and how the past seems to be repeating itself. Tying in trends from the 1930s, a unique connection between the Great Depression and the pandemic is made, a point that almost seems to be a nod to other connections people have made with previous happenings. The Spanish Flu, for example, was one Covid had been heavily compared to, but as far as population growth is concerned, it seems that the 1930s had more of a similar effect on the United States

Barrett, K. (2022, December 27). Growth in U.S. population shows early indication of recovery amid covid-19 pandemic. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/2022-population-estimates.html   

The United States has constantly experienced a population increase until 2020-2021 due to the pandemic, however, the time between 2021 and 2022 has made up for the loss. The total increase of about 0.4% can be attributed to returning immigration rates, and experts such as Kristie Wilder state we have seen “the largest year-to-year total births since 2007”. The Southern and Western states are recorded as having regional population growth, with the South’s population increase standing at 1.1%, and the West’s standing at 0.2%; contrarily, the Northeast and Midwestern states experienced a decrease, with the Northeast losing 0.4% of its residents, and the Midwest losing 0.1% of its respective population. Interestingly, while the regional and national population changes were due to migration and birth rates increasing or decreasing, in territories such as Puerto Rico, the population decrease was due to a result of rising death rates out measuring birth rates.

This article relates to Environmental Science as we have started to focus on population charts and began measuring birth and fertility rates as well as mortality rates. This specifically ties into population growth as a whole in terms of searching for reasons, however with this article specifically, it addresses the mortality rates as well, a factor we have been delving into as well during our studies. Along with that, the pandemic, which is a recurring topic in this article, had an incredible impact on other factors we’ve been studying, not just population. It changed multitudes such as animal migration patterns and CO2 emissions for example.

Collins, L. M. (2022, May 26). Why Elon Musk thinks civilization could crumble without more babies. Deseret News. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.deseret.com/2022/5/26/23142871/elon-musk-population-falling-birthrates-japan-south-korea-us-fertility-italy 

Following previous statements, billionaire Elon Musk expresses concerns that people don’t have more babies. Discussing doubts for multiple countries, Musk warns that Italy could “disappear” and also shares his concerns regarding the declining birth rate(1.8 in the US) to replacement rate(2.1). Later, in an interview Musk claimed that educated people are too concerned about overpopulation when he tells us the exact opposite will be our downfall. The articles go on to detail the repercussions of fewer workers in the US and the negative economic impact it would have, affecting our stock and housing markets and education system.

This was a different article to read, in contrast with all the rest it was overall fewer logos based, and rather focused more on ethos. I do wonder when Musk was talking about educated people being more concerned about overpopulation than his views on that area. Because our Earth is currently overpopulated with humans, I do not think it is a concern to just turn the other way on, and while I do think that he is right to be worried about the population decline, I would be more worried about population growth and its effects on climate change as well as the economic problems it would and is presenting to us.

Written by Pablo Alvarez, L. and D. D. (2022, June 17). What does the global decline of the fertility rate look like? World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/global-decline-of-fertility-rates-visualised 

Over the past 70 years, Pablo Alvarez hypothesizes that fertility rates have declined incredibly as a result of an increase in women’s rights. Dr. Max Roser adds that the lowering of child mortality and increased cost of raising children are also at play. In addition, lower fertility rates combined with increased life expectancy has created an aging population, resulting in economic risks that in turn support the population growth decline, such as a rise in healthcare cost. As a result of the rise in an older population, there may be fewer workers which many speculate could lead to an economic slowdown. 

I found this article’s approach to the halt in population growth refreshing, rather than focusing completely on the economic and financial side of this topic, Pablo Alvarez instead focuses more on how the evolution of women’s rights has affected this development. Although the writing does discuss economic factors, their consequences, and causes, I found it interesting how the other articles did not focus on women as much as this one did. The charts included were also helpful in observing the decline and its timeline as well, I found that as time goes on, the decline has not stayed consistent, in fact, it has slowed in the past 10 years, going from a decrease of about 0.4% between 2001-2010 to a decrease of 0.1% from 2011-2020. Because other articles did not delve as deeply into women’s struggles in terms of population growth, this article was an insightful read into why we have not experienced much population increase and added more details as to one of the many facets of this issue that were crucial to understanding. 

Glausiusz, J. (2022, April 4). Global population is crashing, soaring and moving. Nature News. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00926-6 

The world’s population has been constantly increasing for decades, however, significant decreases in birth rates have been observed in locations such as China and sub-Saharan Africa. Common patterns found are high fertility and youth rates within countries in danger of collapse or large poverty populations; the opposite of wealthier countries, whose issue is finding a way to preserve economic growth. Researcher Jennifer Sciubba presents tactics for maintaining an economic increase while accommodating aging populations; focusing on immigration, Sciubba predicts a population shrink in the hundred millions, noting that countries consuming less often are those with higher population growth. 

I think this article offers an interesting perspective on the connection between global population increase and economic growth. Author Sciubba details in her writing how countries with poorer populations tend to have a greater population increase as they have fewer protections against the rising fertility rate, resulting in higher numbers of youth. Sciubba writes about how the more youths there are, the more people there are who can work, and so said countries can maintain their economies. However, in wealthier countries, Sciubba notes how there are longer life expectancies and lower fertility rates, thus resulting in fewer young people pushing the economy forward. This point is one she ties into immigration as well, stating that the more people move from dangerous areas or countries into larger, wealthier ones, not only will the economies start to improve, but the populations will also decline as a result of further protection and options. 

Wilmoth, J., Menozzi, C., & Bassarsky, L. (2022, February 26). UN DESA Policy Brief No. 130: Why population growth matters for sustainable development. United Nations. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/un-desa-policy-brief-no-130-why-population-growth-matters-for-sustainable-development/ 

Advancements in healthcare and high levels of fertility in the 1950s resulted in a massive increase in the world’s population, and although the trend slowed around 1970, low/middle-income countries lack of reproductive rights, accessible healthcare, and education, only increased the fertility rate. A hypothesis presented states that within 2020-2050, fertility rates may slow as a result of a more youthful and knowledgeable population, hopefully, dedicated to improving sustainability. It was found that higher standards of living and population growth are negatively affecting the earth, and the absence of sustainable action proportionate to the population accelerates the consequences of climate change.

I think this article was a little hard to understand at first because it presents the idea that population growth is both a cause and an effect within the same issue. I found that the discussions on the goals for sustainable development were also interesting, focusing on education as a root cause of population growth since it was found that women with higher education on average have fewer children. I agreed with not only that fact, but also the plan to attempt to disrupt the intergenerational cycles of poverty by providing more accessible healthcare and family planning, making it so that women in more challenging positions can have greater autonomy. Further, the discussion on how an increase of youth in the world would offer a sustained decline in the fertility rate was an idea presented that I personally found fascinating. I think that an increase in the population of working age would help to better the economy while the article also discusses how a younger generation with more resources available would perhaps be more dedicated to producing further options and developments for those in need, resulting in the decline of the overall world fertility rate. It is extremely important to discuss and understand the solutions to a problem when facing it; and in terms of this article, discussing ways to reach a sustainable decline in population growth is incredibly beneficial when hoping to understand why there has been such a rapid increase, as the contrast between what is happening and what needs to be done can help you to develop an idea of why the problem continues to perpetuate.