Determining the Earth's Capacity to Sustain Population Growth

The Earth is generally a closed system meaning it is a finite ecosystem of +'s and -'s, rocks and minerals, chemicals and nutrients, molecules and atoms etc. We as humans have a great capacity to manipulate the elements within this closed system and can match many natural forces, function of natures or geological events on Earth in terms of damage. Depending on where one lives and what economy one is a member on, demographic demands on the environment can either be high, low or somewhere in the middle. A large consumer driven, industrially developed and technological savvy country like the U.S.A. requires enormous energy, food, material goods, human energy, and raw materials to operate on a daily basis. In contrast a small Pacific Island nation may have significantly less demands on their environment if they ban automobiles as a mode of transportation, only work using sunlight, only use local products etc. As an interconnected whole, the sum of Nation-State's resource utilization divided by the parts is equal to the average consumption. This consumption's toll on the environment's ability to sustain it is determined by the following factors.

Population:

As the population grows the strain on agricultural products to meet the nutritional demands of people increases. People need between 1500-2000 calories a day on average and ideally these calories include vitamins, minerals, fiber, fats etc. In other words, this food should be derived from agricultural products which come from finite agricultural land. Eventually either people will increase in population to an extent greater than human's capacity to farm the land or humans will develop solutions using technology and innovation.

Technology and Innovation:

Through mechanized farming, irrigation methods, genetic enhancement of crops and farm animals agriculture has already been influenced by technology. The effect of these new methods leads to greater output and therefore greater population sustainability. So at worst, humans have increased their capacity to sustain population growth but not indefinitely. Eventually humans may choose to utilize open waters as a farming platform, colonize planets, and/or further improve agricultural techniques to maximize output.

Social progress:

Other things people do is regulate industry through legislation. In China, the one child policy was used to prevent an unmanageable population explosion. In other countries regulations on the types of crops grown and their subsidizing may be in place. At the individual level people may choose to use their own backyards as places to grow food. The Earth is by no means an expired resource and many countries have been progressing socially to keep up with their population's demands.

Economic and Poltical Forces:

Economic and Political forces influences a Nation-State's resource consumption. A small traditional economy will require less from the Earth and a modern developed one will require more. National and International environmental standards and treaties regarding the price and trade of agricultural products and natural resources also influence how much is used and by whom in addition to regulating the negative impact on the environment and conserving such resources.

All these forces can work to the advantage of sustainability or the disadvantage. When material wealth becomes a priority over environmental conservation a conflict of interest emerges and one or the other wins or loses. The environment and economy are not however a zero sum game as some theories may seem to suggest. Often, societies attempt to balance economic gain with environmental consciousness. Although many cultures are by no means perfect in the art of resource management, many regimes do attempt to perform this great task. This is done by analyzing and legislating on regulations that influence all the above factors. Scientists will continue to innovate, environmentalists will continue to inform of us of the hazards, business will sometimes place priority on production and gain over environment and people will continue to either be mindful or not.

Our human history has not been perfect by any means. Wars have erupted over resources and may do so in the future. This is a shame and happens when societies fail to reach a more innovative and studied solution to a problem. However, cultures have also developed many brilliant inventions over the centuries. These inventions have enabled to do more with less. Our human population will undoubtedly increase, as will our technology. Unfortunately, our human flaws may also continue to exist causing damage to the environment and social institutions ability to deal with resource constraints. According to the trends outlined in this article, the likely outcome of resource sustainability will probably be a mixed bag of conflict, innovation and increased capacity utilization.

Disclaimer: The above article has been derived from pre-exisiting knowledge and commonly known facts. The ideas and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the true beliefs of the author.