8.4 human population carrying capacity

Question 1

carrying capacity

Answer 1

• maximum number of species that an environment can support in a given area
• asses whether or not a population is living sustainably in an area
• hard to determine for humans, each person different standard of living

Question 2

ecological footprint

Answer 2

• how much land is needed to support a particular population

Question 3

factors impacting human carrying capacity

Answer 3

• waste assimilation, produce waste faster than the environment can assimilate it
• range of resources, varies within places
• imports, hard to determine for a single country, trading
• technology, change carrying capacity

Question 4

factors increasing carrying capacity

Answer 4

• invention of agriculture
• extensive use of fossil fuels in agriculture, increased food production
• industrialization of fishing, increased food
• extraction of groundwater, more water
• renewable energy
• high rise living, more people can live in an area

Question 5

factors decreasing carrying capacity

Answer 5

• extensive use of fossil fuels in agriculture, non renewable, contaminates groundwater
• industrialization of fishing, overfishing = collapse
• mechanisation, extensive and rapid damage destroying habitats
• extraction of groundwater, non renewable
• increased burning fossil fuels, climate change

Question 6

aspects of ecological footprint (EF)

Answer 6

• biocapacity, areas on earth that provide food and absorb waste
• demand, amount of bioproductive land we need to provide resources, space and waste absorption

Question 7

biocapacity

Answer 7

• biological capacity of an area/country/region to generate resources and absorb wastes of a given population

Question 8

factors of EF
energy, travel, goods

Answer 8

• what energy source used, emission control, energy efficient/saving devices/measures
• public vs private transport, type of fuel used, air travel
• how many items a person has, how often they are replaced

Question 9

factors of EF
settlement and infrastructure

Answer 9

• settlements and infrastructure take up space

less space for
- natural ecosystems
- crops, pasture and forests, less crops grown for food and resources, less biofuel
- natural environment to deal with waste products, carbon in air

• high density living, less resources

Question 10

factors of EF
food and fiber

Answer 10

cropland used for non-food items
- corn, sugarcane for bioethanol
- cotton, flax, silk for textiles
- medicinal qualities
- tobacco
- tea and coffee

EF changes on what you eat, food miles, meat and dairy, high calorie

Question 11

factors of EF
seafood

Answer 11

• eating higher up trophic levels, lots of energy away from the ecosystem

Question 12

carbon footprint

Answer 12

• total amount of GHG emissions caused by an individual, city, population

Question 13

water footprint

Answer 13

• amount of water used, directly or indirectly

Question 14

food footprint

Answer 14

• food intake, land/sea used in food production, land needed to absorb carbon emissions

Question 15

case study
peru ecological footprint

Answer 15

• low ecological footprint relative to biocapacity
• abundant natural resources
• illegal deforestation

how low EF
- environment minister, aims to reduce deforestation and environmental pollution
- organizations working to create sustainability
- dedicated funds to assess development of biocapacity and EF

negative
- may not last
- steadily dropping since 1991
- suggests peru living unsustainably, damaging environment

Question 16

agenda 21

Answer 16

• 1992 rio earth summit
• UN initiative
• deal with poverty
• conservation and management of resources
• strengthening role of women, children, indigenous
• how to implement