| That kind of rapid growth exerts severe demands on natural, social,
and economic systems because every human being has basic needs. These include
food, water, shelter, energy, and waste disposal. Each of those needs must
be met by exploiting the environment and consuming resources. The more
people on the planet - and the greater the average level of consumption
by any individual or group - the more resources are required to meet those
needs.
Scientists sometimes express this using the concept of ecological or
environmental "footprints." Viewed that way, every person has a footprint
that falls on the environment. At the most basic level, it includes enough
land to produce food and fiber - to raise crops and graze animals and grow
trees - and enough clean water to drink, wash and irrigate. We also need
enough land to supply some sort of energy for heating and cooking, and
to safely dispose of the wastes we generate. The more people on Earth,
the larger the total human footprint on the planet, and the less room remains
for other species and natural systems.
As individuals’ lifestyles and consumption expand, so do their footprints.
As nations become more industrialized and their standards of living increase,
they consume more resources and exert a larger footprint. They need more
farmland to support higher protein diets, and often have to clear forests,
plow prairies or fill wetlands to provide it. They need more water, and
have to tap more lakes and aquifers, and dam and divert more rivers. They
need more energy, and have to build more power plants, burn more fuels,
and release more pollutants.
Growing populations and higher levels of development also require additional
infrastructure and increased levels of social and community services. Additional
people need additional houses, hospitals, roads, schools, parks and playgrounds.
More highly developed socie-ties, because their consumption is greater,
use more land and resources per person. To support their economies and
produce consumer goods, they require more factories, offices, businesses,
and shopping centers. To dispose of their wastes, these societies need
more landfills, sewage systems, and toxic containment sites.
Larger populations also require expanded bureaucracies, more social
health and emergency services programs, and larger criminal justice systems.
They then must impose higher taxes and fees to support those services.
All these processes result in greater environmental impacts, such as
deforestation, soil erosion, extinction of plant and animal species, and
pollution. Human health suffers from air and water pollution, toxic chemicals,
and increased environmental stress. |
