How much human life can the Earth support? Does anyone think that the current growth rate of the population will become a problem any time soon? The forest has a carrying capacity for animals, so it seems that the Earth would have a limit to how many people it can support.
2007-03-21 04:30:32 · 5 answers · asked by kyeann 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
I have read (although I can't remember where) that the carrying capacity of the earth is 8 billion people. More than that and some people will starve no matter how carefully available food is distributed worldwide.
The current growth rate is already a problem. If we had 1 billion people instead of the current 6+ billion, we could live the good life without causing global warming and the devastation of many animal habitats.
Whether the 8 billion is the right number or not, there is some number not that much higher. It is no where near the 161 billion someone else suggested.
We should be taking lessons from Easter Island where all of the forest had been stripped from the Island by people living there when the Europeans discovered the island. What was done to that island by over-population is now being done to the whole earth.
2007-03-21 05:17:17 · answer #1 · answered by Joan H 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the only factor is to fit and feed as many humans on the earth as possible, then in the short term, we could probably triple or quadtriple the earth's population. I say short term because we will be doing some major damage to the planet to make that happen.
In order to continue population growth, we will need energy for transportation and heating homes. We will need food to feed the masses, which means more farms (or more deforested land). We need to sustain healthcare growth to keep up with population growth.
Wars will start at some point because some countries will run out of space and resources before others (like China and India).
Even if wars dont regulate the population, at some point, we will run out of fossil fuel, destroy most of the world's forests, animal life will exist in zoos only. The oceans will be depleted of fish. I suspect that nature will also fight back (like it has always done) with a major plague that kills off 1/3 of the world's population.
At this point, living conditions will lower the life expectancy of people having a negative population growth impact.
So from a realistic prospective, we may have already reached the point of critical mass.
2007-03-21 11:58:01 · answer #2 · answered by mark 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The question is valid, however I do not believe humanity will ever get to the point where we will completely denude the planet. We will be dead and gone long before that happens. The planet was here long before we were, and shall be here long after we are gone. There is nothing we could do beyond raising the temperature a few million degrees that would hurt the planet per se. Our own habitat however, is in great danger and unless we can get away from greed, thoughtlessness, and selfishness it is likely we will cause our own demise.
2007-03-21 11:50:36 · answer #3 · answered by Tom H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
161 billion.
I figure we can support that many on the earth and before that have the technology to grow more people above and under the earth, thus unlimited populus potentential.
Man's mind is mans greatest resource the more people we have the more ideas and the more people we are able to have.
Ob1
2007-03-21 11:44:55 · answer #4 · answered by old_brain 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
you know I never really thought about that before that is a good question... I would be interested in knowing that as well!
2007-03-21 11:35:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋