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114 Unit 2 Population and Migration%u00a0Patterns and%u00a0ProcessesEnvironmental ImpactPopulation distribution and density may also have environmental consequences. Heavily populated areas, especially large metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, and Delhi, usually have poor air quality compared to rural areas (Figure 7.12). The need to build more homes, roads, and shopping centers to accommodate a growing population often leads to loss of habitats for wildlife, farmland for food production, and green spaces that many people value.Geographers and other scholars have long debated Earth%u2019s carrying capacity, or the number of people it can support and sustain. Many factors, including climate, land productivity, technology, and consumption level, affect carrying capacity, so it is not easy to come up with a definitive answer. Many densely populated areas may not have reached their capacity, but some thinly settled regions may be severely overpopulated relative to their ability to support population, usually because of poor quality of agricultural lands. We revisit this issue in Module 11, where we discuss theories of population growth and food production.Human Well-BeingIt may be tempting to conclude that high population density has negative effects on human well-being, but the facts do not support this conclusion. There is little connection between population density and human well-being, or the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. Population density has risen considerably worldwide since the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century, but it has been accompanied by rising standards of living and better quality of life. In fact, some of the world%u2019s most densely populated areas, such as western Europe and Japan, have the highest standards of living. The small principality of Monaco in southern Europe is the most densely populated country in the world, but it also ranks among the highest in income per capita and life expectancy, and it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world.High population density often means a high amount of human capital, human interaction, and human creativity. New ideas, new technological innovations, and new fashion trends usually emerge in urban areas and then spread to less densely populated places. Cities have therefore been called %u201cthe best invention in human history.%u201dAs noted earlier in this Module, there are good reasons why certain parts of the world are densely populated. They tend to have conditions that humans Political ImpactIn the United States, population distribution affects political power distribution. After the U.S. census is conducted every 10 years, the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are reapportioned among the 50 states based on population change so that each representative serves about the same number of people (currently 761,169 people on average based on the 2020 census). Because the Sunbelt states in the South and Southwest have been growing in population while several Northeast and Midwest Snow Belt states have stagnated or lost population, the former have gained seats at the expense of the latter, thus shifting some political power to the South and West. Between 2000 and 2010, eight states%u2014Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington, six of them in the South and Southwest%u2014gained 12 seats in the House. Nine of the ten states that lost seats are in the Northeast and Midwest. The overall gain and loss pattern continued following the 2020 census.Figure 7.12 Smog in Los Angeles. Air pollution is usually a problem in densely populated areas like Los Angeles. It can cause serious health problems to humans. Valentin Weinhaupl /Westend 61/Media BakeryTERMS TO KNOWcarrying capacity: The number of people a particular environment or Earth as a whole can support on a sustainable basishuman well-being: The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy%u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.