The Earth is above its carrying capacity!

[Linn]

~no~
I dont believe it is beyond its capacity.
There is plenty of room.
I do think the current human way of
managment is the problem.

[Doc44]

NO, when considering the whole earth as the ecosystem in question. There are some "communities" which are beyond carrying capacity due to artificial feeding. "Only $12.00 sends a Care Package to a hungry family."

Doc44

They are trying to live in a desert.

[sachin]

Carrying capacity is in relation with Space not Mass..

[Locus]

I saw estimations, that human population will rise ap 10 - 12 billions and then stabilisation will be... potentional carring capacyty of the eath is several tens of billions. So there will not overcrowdness of the Earth.
But there is several countries such Bangladesh (my be India also) or Egypt with very limited area and intense population grouth. What will be with them???

[Doc44]

Carrying capacity is determined by any of many possible limiting factors. Typically when speaking of carrying capacity in terms of consumers the limiting factor is available energy (food). In some cases available space is a lemington factor but not with humans it seems.

Doc44

Of course the reproductive rate will decrease when there is standing room only.

[Locus]

What is lemington factor?
Stress becouse of high density?

[xOpolskasoccerOx]

the human population growth can go on forever it hasn't reached its natural limit. Due to the thinking of humans to solve problems such as disease and lack of food, the human population is still achieving uncontrolled growth.

[AstusAleator]

Ah what an optimist. Lets hope you're right, because most of the world's politicians seem to agree with you.

Bottom line: If at any point in the future, we cannot harness a renewable energy source that provides as much energy as oil does per year, industrial agriculture will fall along with every other aspect of "modern" civilization.

Yes, we can "change" the carrying capacity of earth with our technology, but we need to recognize that our technology relies on energy...

[mattw]

"If we could help raise the education level in other countries, especially the education of women, we could help lower the Earth population growth."

Thanks February Beetle! That's one of the likely ways to curb the population boom. But how do we promote that?

"Usually, it's the farmland that pays the price of urbanization."

Thanks AstusAleator! Would you like a free "Urban Sprawl is worse than it sounds" bumper sticker? I'll mail one to you!

[Locus]

But how do we promote that?

How? It is seems, that this process on the way...

[AstusAleator]

I'm not sure education is the ultimate answer to population problems in 3rd world countries. I think that a lot of the population issues have to do with cultural values and the disturbance created by outside influences through trade and commerce.
Don't get me wrong, I think education is important (especially sex-ed). I just don't see it being a clear cut "Well if they knew what we know..." sort of situation.
Just look at the Mormon populations in the United States. Most of them are highly educated, but their religion/culture encourages them to have large households, and for the most part, they do.

[Locus]

Here is rathere similar situatin: at the Israel six big universities (and 7 millions opeople) and education level is relative high, but grouth is also something about 1.5 percent per year, but, on the ather hand, beduins have lowest level of education and hightest grouth...