Human population, carrying capacity and resource use 3.8 Environmental demands of human populations
Objectives Ecological footprint Socio-economic influences on population growth
Ecological footprint Land area that will meet the needs of a population To determine footprint, land used to produce: – Food – Energy – Buildings – Ecological support
Factors affecting footprint Fossil fuel / renewables Energy demand Import / export resources Disposables / recyclables Meat / vegetable diet
Carbon footprint Easier to determine Food consumption / food production + Carbon emission / carbon fixation
Differences in footprint USA – 10 ha / person China – 1.2 ha / person – Spending power – Food – Energy – Import / export of resources – Population
Population policies Political actions to influence population growth – why? Pronatalist Anti-natalist
Demographic transition model Review – ?
Urbanization & demographic change Relate this to DTM From population sink to source Urban migration to urban births
Technology, resource & population Societies may be classified according to – Technological innovation – Population-resource ratio Societies go through development paths
Perspectives Ecological exploitation Economic prosperity Ecological awareness
Summary Ecological footprint Socio-economic influences on population growth