Questions tagged [population]
the size of a particular species in a defined habitat and the consequences for it's sustainability.
15 questions
1
vote
1
answer
99
views
Increasing lifespan instead of births
Given that the earth can only cater to so many living individuals, and there is room, why doesn't the world focus on increasing lifespan instead of births?
Thanks.
EDIT: if n people give yield to m ...
-2
votes
1
answer
33
views
Guarding against DNA (diversity) loss
This question addresses the question about how humanity (and, animals, could do this as well), might guard themselves against DNA diversity loss.
Suppose the DNA in two parents is unique. Perhaps, DNA ...
3
votes
1
answer
105
views
Will vegetarianism increase the world population?
According to the 2016 BBC article "What would happen if the world suddenly went vegetarian?":
should everyone go vegetarian by 2050, we would see a global mortality reduction of 6-10%, ...
1
vote
2
answers
74
views
How is the recycling of renewables not a huge pressing issue?
I don't seem to see a whole lot of discussions pertaining to the recycling of renewables which looks to be a huge issue.
Turbine blades are near impossible to recycle.
Solar panels are equally bad.
My ...
3
votes
1
answer
157
views
Which global fertility rate would allow the human population to adjust to Earth's carrying capacity while maintaining an acceptable dependency ratio?
Humans currently consume the ecological resources of 1.75 Earths (https://www.footprintnetwork.org/).
Assuming that global average consumption remains stable (less in the global North and more in the ...
7
votes
6
answers
283
views
Is global population growth ignored in sustainable energy discussions because it makes any effort seem futile?
We (I'm in EU, Netherlands) are trying to reduce CO2 emissions, and many other regulations (nitrogen, pfas) have been devised to make sure we don't make our planet uninhabitable for humans.
But I don'...
4
votes
3
answers
119
views
What would happen to greenhouse gas emissions if no more humans were born?
While discussing global warming and climate change, I have often seen people say that overpopulation is the real problem and that the biggest thing anyone can do is have one fewer child. Some people ...
4
votes
4
answers
227
views
Is there a scientific consensus whether lifestyle or amount of human population the biggest problem
When discussing with a colleague about ecology yesterday, we had agreed on the following premise :
Before industrial age, world population was low, and the environment was not significantly damaged
...
8
votes
1
answer
675
views
What is the maximum sustainable population of the earth?
This question prompted by discussion regarding this answer to a question about vegetarianism.
I recently came across a U.N. review of studies seeking to determine the earth's maximum sustainable human ...
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
If everyone were to be vegetarian, what would be the carrying capacity of the Earth?
I'm not asking what will happen if everyone in the world suddenly turned to vegetarianism. In an ideal world with the current population, can everyone follow a vegetarian diet (except for people who ...
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to use Maximum Sustainable Yield concept with given a given population, growth rate and carrying capacity?
For my class, I was given a hypothetical situation that uses the concept of Maximum Sustainable Yield to see how much fish I should harvest. I am given an initial population, a growth rate, and a ...
15
votes
9
answers
1k
views
What are ethical ways to curb the global human population increase?
The growing global human population is and will be a massive challenge, in particular because of the strain it puts on natural ressources, which might in turn increase tensions between groups and ...
6
votes
1
answer
506
views
How did the people living on Easter Island go extinct?
According to a professor in this article on phys.org it's because the population exploded when they wiped out all the forests. What caused the population explosion? Was it the development of a new ...
7
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is the IPAT identity, and does it still matter?
A few years ago, the IPAT identity was all the rage when talking about the aggregate human impact on the global ecosystem. What is the IPAT identity exactly, and is it still relevant, or has it been ...
10
votes
1
answer
820
views
How much is the world population expected to grow in the next decades?
What does science say about the expected growth of the human population in the next decades?