Topic 11: The effects of human population on global environments Flashcards
Differences between ecological footprint and carrying capacity
- Carrying capacity: how many people or to what extent a local environment can support
- Ecological footprint: the extent to which people in an area consume resources which can be local or imported
+ looking at human consumption in aerial measurements (eg. how many hectares for resources)
+ looking at relationship between people and resources
–> an area may have low carrying capacity, but in this modern world where products and service can be exported and imported, that area may still have high ecological footprint
(eg. Dubai)
Differences between ecological footprint and shadow places with example
- Ecological footprint: numeric or quantification of how much human is using the environment
- Shadow places: more of narrative construction, argument about the same relationship between human and environement
Eg: a shirt
- ecological footprint: how many hectares of land or water used to cultivate the cotton
- shadow places: under what conditions the cotton is cultivated, does it involve environmental degradation, groundwater extraction, labour, etc.?
Explain the concept of planetary boundaries
Like the safe operating space of the planet in which we can still utilize the resources without degrading basic Earth systems or creating planetary instability.
What are some critiques of planetary boundaries?
- Unclear timeframes
- Not clearly defined the “boundary”
- Green zone may give false sense of security or even imprimatur indicating that the government may not need to give much attention to this category.
- Too globally or “anonymus” –> who’s gonna be responsible?
Describe emission inequality and LORENZ curve
The richest people emit most of the CO2 emissions amount, but the poorest, who dont contribute much to that emissions, may be the one to be the most effected because they don’t have as much resources to cope with the complications.
LORENZ curve: population against energy use
- If perfect equality –> 45-degree line
- Some activities are highly associated with affluent society –> much more concaved
- Degree of concavity indicates the proportion
Describe the Oxfam’s doughnut model
A framework connecting planetary boundaries or resources available to humans on planet with the needs or rights of humans.
The inner circle or the inner of the “donut” of social rights needs to be satisfied before any strategies to be developed to ensure living within planetary boundaries.
Is population size determinant of climate change progress?
Population, alone, is not the driver of global environmental problems, but rather increasing consumption choices. Also, in context of rich country or affluent society, population can make the issues worse.
Describe Malthusian theory and the context at which it was formulated
Malthusian theory states that since the earth has a finit carrying capacity and population grows exponentially while food production is really hard to increase (law of diminishing returns), food production will not be able to keep up with the population and the world will face a crisis of food scarcity, war, civil unrest, disease, and poverty.
This theory was formed in a context in which Enlightenment concept encourages people to get back to nature. But, Malthus saw explosion of population in London and he said if people not get back to this reality, we would all soon run out of food.
An idea formed in a political context with a political purpose.
How Malthusian theory didn’t take into account demographic transition theory
Demographic transition theory states that as countries get richer, the rate of population growth will decline.
- Stage 1: high birth and death rate due to low income, mostly hand to mouth, not much education –> early marriage, high child mortality rate, low life expectancy
- Stage 2: improvement in public health system, sewage systems, infestious disease control, vaccination –> higher life expectancy –> low death rate, birth rate still high
This leads to a rapid increase in population and this is what Malthus observed. - Stage 3: changes in family planning, increase in social awareness and transformation (altered gender roles, delay child birth, etc.) –> lowered birth rate –> slowing rate of population growth
- Stage 4: low death and birth rate –> very slow population growth rate
Describe Boserup’s theory
Induced intensification: under pressure from population growth, socieities have the capability to adapt and response to produce more food by innovation, thus adverting Malthusian’s traps.
Eg. more productive land-use systems or agriculture activities
Explain undernourishment
Insufficient calories to maintain healthily bodily functioning
Identify and describe the four pillars of food security
- Food availability: sufficient quantities on a consistent basis
+ supply, agriculture
+ stock and production locally
+ trade or aid from elsewhere - Food access: regularly acquire adequate quantities of food; what are the social, cultural, and economic factors allowing the food to get to people in need
+ sometimes refer to ability to grow own food because some may get access to food through that
+ mostly refer to economic structure or living wage to purchase food because mostly people get food via market mechanisms - Food utilization: positive nutritional impact, safe and nutritional food to meet long-term health needs
- Food system stability: access at all times, resilience, adaptation and manageable against sudden shocks, especially during this climate change when there’s an increase in incidences of hazards.
Why are food prices becoming a problem?
Even though food production is increasing, continually increasing demand, affluence, food waste and cattle farming drive the food prices to go up.
For societies in which most of people’s income go to food, this prevents these people from having access to adequate food.
Describe hidden hunger
Hidden hunger occurs when there is a decrease in the quality of food people consume –> a lack of vitamins and minerals
Relate food production and planetary health
Food production is not meeting planetary boundaries as it continues to contribute a lot to global GHG emissions.
So, we need to align the need for a sustainable food system that feed people with the ensuring the planetary boundaries.
