Which of the following activities is the direct result of an increase in the human population? a. biodiversity b. urban sprawl c. increase in landslides d. improvements in topsoil

B. urban sprawl

Explanation:

The rapid growth of the population, especially in the last 200 years, has been due to the decrease in the mortality rate and not to the growth of the birth rate. The fact that food sources, drinking water and public health are within the reach of most of the population has resulted in greater longevity.

In recent decades, in parallel with the massive growth of the population, there has been a significant displacement of the inhabitants of rural areas to large urban centers. In 1950 there were around 750 million people living in urban areas, which represented 25% of the total population. In the 2000s, urban areas will accumulate almost half of the world's population, that is, some 28,000 million inhabitants.

Most of this urban expansion has also taken place in the newly urbanized countries. The rapid growth of cities such as Sao Paulo or Bangkok has surpassed the number of jobs and homes available. Consequently, many people live in marginalized neighborhoods, such as favelas in Brazil or the slums of Argentina, in inadequate housing often lacking in running water and sewage services. In those places there is a high rate of unemployment, widespread poverty and a lack of basic services, such as schools and hospitals.