8.4 Human Population Carrying Capacity Flashcards
What is the definition of “carrying capacity”?
“The maximum number of a species that an environment can support in a given area.”
What are some reasons why the human carrying capacity is hard to determine?
- WASTE ASSIMILATION: We produce non-biodegradable waste which can cause environmental degradation and reduce the ability of an area to provide resources.
- RANGE OF RESOURCES: The resources we use are far more varied and there are necessities and luxuries to take into account.
- IMPORTS: Human populations have the capacity to move goods around the world – we can import food from another region if there isn’t enough where we live.
- TECHNOLOGY: We employ technology to change the environment.
What is an example of some “technology” that allowed the human carrying capacity to change?
Pesticides, mechanization of farms
–> all increased food production = increased carrying capacity
Why is the carrying capacity calculated only on a global scale?
Different people in different countries have other resource needs.
(eg. The Earth could support less American households than Nepalese households based on their resource usage)
Why do many refuse to believe the UN’s 4 to 16B global human carrying capacity estimate?
TECHNOCENTRISTS!
Many feel the carrying capacity cannot be applied to the human population because we have the ability to “outwit” environmental constraints e.g. the Green Revolution, high rise living and renewable energy.
What is the Ecological footprint model? (EF)
The EF is a model that can be used to estimate the demands that a human population places on the environment.
the EF looks at how much land is needed to support a particular population.
What are the two aspects that the ecological footprint considers?
- BIOCAPACITY: this is the earth’s bioproductive land and sea which includes forests, cropland, pastures and fisheries. These areas not only provide food, but they also absorb waste.
- DEMAND: considers the amount of bioproductive land we need to provide our resources and space for infrastructure and absorb the waste.
What did the WWF state about the ecological footprint on earth in 2010?
The total global EF was 18.1B hectares.
This results in 2.6ha/ person
The amount of productive land available on earth is only 1.7ha/ person
–> SHORTFALL of 0.9ha/ person!!
What are some factors the EF uses to calculate?
Many different factors, these are the most common:
- Carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released.
- Water footprint is the amount is water in your EF. This includes the water you use directly (washing and drinking) and indirectly such as the amount of water it takes to grow your food.
- Food footprint – This takes into account the land used in food production (crops, grass, animal feed), the land needed to absorb carbon emissions produced during food production and the sea area for fishing.
How does an LEDC and an MEDC vary in “Ecological Footprint”?
People in LEDCs generally have a much lower Ecological Footprint
Why is an LEDCs Ecological footprint lower when it comes to “food”?
eg. Congo (IF NAMED EXAMPLE IS NEEDED)
- Plants as main source of protein (less energy used!)
- Lower calorie intake (less food being consumed = less EF)
- Locally grown foods are consumed
Why is an LEDCs Ecological footprint lower when it comes to “transport”?
- Limited private car ownership
–> people walk, cycle/ use public transport - Limited air travel
Why is an LEDCs Ecological footprint lower when it comes to “goods/ products”?
Use of recycled products!
–> MEDCs consume much more products, and import many! (less recycling!)
What does it mean when a population’s EF is greater than it’s biocapacity
the population is living unsustainably and has exceeded the carrying capacity.
Name some examples of countries who are living very unsustainably:
Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain - all of these countries have a biocapacity deficit of a least eight gha/person. That means they need eight gha/person more than they have to support their population.
