Unit 8.4 Resource use in society

Question 1

Carrying capacity

Answer 1

Largest number of individuals in a
population that the resources in the
environment can support for an extended period of time.

Question 2

How do we measure carrying capacity?

Answer 2

Problematic in the case of human populations

However, signs of stress will be evident before carrying capacity is reached, making it clear that the local environment is reaching its limits.

Question 3

Factors that make it difficult to
calculate human carrying capacity

Answer 3

1. Humans are able to substitute one material for another.
2. The resource requirements of local human populations vary
   significantly because of different lifestyles and levels of
   development
3. EVSs are an important influences on resource use
4. Technological development can impact considerably on resource
   requirements and availability
5. We can import resources from outside our immediate environment

Question 4

How can sing of stress be
identified

Answer 4

through environmental indicators
such as the Ecological Footprint model (EF)

Question 5

LEDCs vs MEDCs Ecological Footprint

Answer 5

LEDCs tend to have smaller ecological footprints than MEDC’s

LEDCs
- lower consumption levels due to lesser spending power, often recycle many resources through informal economies.
- typically have lower percentage of meat in their diets (about 12%), contributing to their smaller ecological footprints.

MEDCs
- higher rates of resource consumption, often due to higher disposable income and high demand for energy resources.

• A meat-eating diet is common with up to 30% of the diet based on animal protein, requires significantly more land than a vegetarian diet.