Lab: Population Growth and Resource Consumption
Technology => improve standard of living, Modern medicine (vaccination, antibiotics, surgery) => decrease death rates - more people to have children of their own,
Food availability (agriculture, animal production) => provide better nutrition, healthier children and adults, more people to have children of their own. Fewer deaths, Sanitation (water treatment, sewer systems, health standards) => reduced child and adult deaths
Several different population clocks with varying numbers: US Census Bureau: US & World Population Clock
Generally seen as a more conservative number, This is the data used on the population clock within EESAT
Ways to reduce it:
Personal level (Household waste, Transportation, Energy, Water use etc.) or use the 7R concept (Reduce,Reuse,Recycle ,Repair,Rethink,Regenerate, and Redesign principle)
def. carrying capacity
maximum population size of a given species that an area can support without reducing its ability to support the same species in the future.
def. sustainability
Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Why is the population growing so fast?
Birth rates vs. death rates
The number of people matter, but how people consume resources may matter more!
If the World's population continues to increase, we need to ensure we can replenish the resources we use. This is done by......
Ecological footpring
The amount of land and water a person (or population) would require to provide resources to support itself and absorb its waste. ;Total amount of natural resources required to accommodate that person's need, a personal energy consumption value.
United Nations Population Clock:
United Nations has determined that the 7 billionth person was born on Monday, October 31, 2011
What are the three spheres of sustainability?
environmental (Natural resource use, env. management, pollution prevention), social (standard of living, education,community, equal opp.) , economic (profit, cost savings, economic growth, research and development)
Sustainable development is at rates that allow for sufficient replenishment.
true