HUMAN POPULATION, CARRYING CAPACITY, AND RESOURCE USE

3.8 Environmental Demands of Human populations

Assessment Statements

3.8.1 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands that human populations make on their environment.

3.8.2 Calculate from appropriate data the ecological footprint of a given population, stating the approximations and assumptions involved.

3.8.3 Describe and explain the differences between ecological footprints of two human populations, one from an LEDC, and one from an MEDC.

Assessment Statements

3.8.4 Discuss how national and international development policies and cultural influences can affect human population dynamics and growth.

3.8.5 Describe and explain the relationship between population, resource consumption and technological development, and their influence on carrying capacity and material economic growth.

3.8.1 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands that human populations make on their environment. Ecological footprint

– hypothetical area of land required by a society, group, or individual to fulfill all their resource needs.

As a model it can monitor environmental impact, and allow for direct comparisons between groups and individuals.

3.8.1 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands that human populations make on their environment. Since carrying

capacity is the number of individuals an area can support, these are the inverse of one another.

Carrying capacity is sustainable support of a population, whereas ecological footprint is not necessarily sustainable.

3.8.1 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands that human populations make on their environment.

Ecological footprint can be increased by:

Greater reliance on fossil fuels

Increased use of technology and, therefore, energy

High level of imported resources

Large per capita production of carbon waste

Large per capita consumption of food

A meat-rich diet

3.8.1 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint as a model for assessing the demands that human populations make on their environment.

Ecological footprint can be reduced by:

Reducing amount of resources used

Recycling resources Reusing resources Improving efficiency of

resource use Reducing amount of

pollution produced Transporting waste to other

countries to deal with Using and improving tech to

increase capacity Reducing population to

reduce use Using tech to intensify land

use

3.8.2 Calculate from appropriate data the ecological footprint of a given population, stating the approximations and assumptions involved.

To keep it simple it is usually based on only net carbon dioxide emissions, and food production in grain equivalent

Includes approximations for the following:

Bioproductive land Bioproductive sea Energy land Built land Biodiversity land Non-productive land

3.8.2 Calculate from appropriate data the ecological footprint of a given population, stating the approximations and assumptions involved.

Includes assumptions based on ignoring the following factors:

The land or water required to provide any aquatic and atmospheric resources

Land or water needed to assimilate wastes other than carbon dioxide

Land used to produce materials imported into the country to subsidize arable land and increase yields

Replacement of productive land lost through urbanization

3.8.3 Describe and explain the differences between ecological footprints of two human populations, one from an LEDC, and one from an MEDC.

LEDC ecological footprints tend to be smaller than MEDC due to:

Lower rate of resource consumption

Less disposable income Less waste and pollution Informal economy

responsible for recycling resources

Low meat and animal product diet

Higher rates of carbon dioxide uptake and lower emissions

MEDC ecological footprints tend to be larger than LEDC due to having the opposite affects of LEDCs.

3.8.4 Discuss how national and international development policies and cultural influences can affect human population dynamics and growth.

Population policies have big impacts on population growth

Pronatalist – in favor of increasing the birth rate (France)

Populations in the West tend to be rising due to immigration. Many immigrants come from rural areas so are accustomed to needing large families. Therefore they have a higher birth rate. It takes a couple of generations in an urban setting before this begins to decline.

3.8.4 Discuss how national and international development policies and cultural influences can affect human population dynamics and growth.

Anti-natalist – attempt to limit the birth rate (China and Arab countries)

Many countries in East Asia (Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea) have declining birth rates partly due to more job opportunities and earning power for women. As well as a reluctance to marry and a preference for few if any children among women.

3.8.4 Discuss how national and international development policies and cultural influences can affect human population dynamics and growth.

International policy includes policies like the millennium development goals which are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education

Promote gender equality and empower women

Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria,

and other diseases Ensure environmental

sustainability Develop global partnership

for development

3.8.5 Describe and explain the relationship between population, resource consumption and technological development, and their influence on carrying capacity and material economic growth.

There are four types of regions in the world: USA type, European type, Indo-China type, and Brazil type. They are each classified by their population-resource ratios.

USA – High Tech, Low Pop

European – High Tech, High Pop

Indo-China – Low Tech, High Pop

Brazil – Low Tech, Low Pop

3.8.5 Describe and explain the relationship between population, resource consumption and technological development, and their influence on carrying capacity and material economic growth.

Agricultural development led to massive deforestation in many countries.

Industrialization led to higher resource use, which led to drawing resources from colonies and other countries.

Some countries have tried to triumph over nature, and this tends to be very anti-environmental. (USSR and USA) This continued until the space program brought pictures showing the effects.

The Green Party gained government representation in many countries at this time.

Emerging countries wish to use resources to grow, but some MEDCs argue to be conservative despite the fact they were not in the past.

Hunter-gatherers may be more sustainable but have higher rates of infanticide and neglect of girls.