8.4 Human Systems and Resource Use

Question 1

Carrying Capacity

Answer 1

the number of people, animals, or crops which a region can support without environmental degradation

Question 2

How can carrying capacity be increased?

Answer 2

• availability of extra resources
• technological improvement (consumption efficiency)

Question 3

What reduces the carrying capacity of an ecosystem?

Answer 3

• reduction in availability of resources (over consumption/exploitation)

Question 4

Ecological Footprint

Answer 4

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources (measured in global hectares)

Question 5

Biocapacity

Answer 5

capacity to produce biological materials used by people and to absorb waste material generated by humans, under current management schemes and extraction technologies.

(more crudely, it is a measure of natural capital)

usually expressed in global hectares.

Question 6

Global Hectare

Answer 6

Units for Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity

It is a hypothetical hectare with average global conditions and resources.

Question 7

Fair Earth Share

Answer 7

The total area of productive land on earth divided by the number of its inhabitants.

Approximately 1.45 hectare of productive land and 0.55 hectare fresh water.

Question 8

Ecological reserve

Answer 8

When biocapacity is higher than ecological footprint

Question 9

Ecological deficit

Answer 9

When biocapacity is lower than ecological footprint

Question 10

Overshoot

Answer 10

when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds the biosphere’s supply, or regenerative capacity.

Question 11

Overshoot Day

Answer 11

the date each year when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that timeframe