Environmental science

Part 1. Ecological Footprint:

Last week you completed your ecological footprint. Based on that activity:

• Discuss the findings of your Ecological Footprint activity.
• Were you surprised by the results? Were there questions that surprised you?
• Why do you think the calculator asked about what percentage of processed, packaged, not locally grown food you eat? What are the specific environmental impacts of agriculture?

Part 2 – Human Population

In the course of completing your ecological footprint, you learned about many of the resources used to supply our needs and absorb our waste. Unfortunately, this has led to the degradation of many of our resources which has caused environmental and human harm. As human population increases, the demand for food will also increase, yet we have a limited amount of land for production. Past practices are unsustainable and have led to issues of soil erosion, decreased fertility, salinity, water pollution, air pollution, and others. Food systems are increasingly vulnerable due to pressures on natural ecosystems and climate.
We currently produce enough food; however millions of people do not have enough to eat for various reasons including poverty, natural disasters, political violence and other geopolitical factors. This is the most basic and critical environmental challenge.

With that in mind,

• Explain why the concept of carrying capacity is important when discussing human population growth.
• Can the world feed a population of nearly 10 billion by 2050? Describe in detail one solution or recommendation that can lead us to sustainable food production that is also environmentally friendly.