Becca Hedges
Dr. MacLean
Geo 3010-01
13 Jan. 2017
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Reflection 2
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From the beginning of the human race we have been what Hooke calls land animals. A deep connection with nature is vital and at first we needed only what we could carry. As populations began to grow it became necessary to change from a hunter gatherer society to an agrarian society. We became dependent on agricultural practices. It is no doubt that the world population has experienced for the most part an increase through time. This is due to many reasons like better hygiene practices, improvement of medical practices, and more efficient ways of agriculture to name a few. We have also experienced periods of decline because of things like war, and disease. Population estimations are constantly changing. There are so many factors and variability’s with them because no one can truly predict the future on anything. Attenborough talks about the world carrying capacity which is discussed both in terms of actual population and the carrying capacity being reached due to the mistreatment or our land and water usage. However, it is focused on the side of population. One number put a limit of 2 billion. This number has long passed. An article cited within Attenborough’s states “historical increases in population have not been economically catastrophic”. Why is the concern of population so important when the way we treat our resources is equally if not more important?
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We have become more efficient with the growing and harvesting of food, the processing of food, and distribution of that food. The United States grows a large part of the world’s food production. But where is it all going? There are people starving all over the world. This is not new though, like other problems through time, starvation has always been one. I believe the real carrying capacity of the planet is not a population issue but an availability of land and water needed to grow food and the efficient use of that land and water. Hooke r
eferences Ellis and Ramankutty which state “of Earths ice-free land, 83% is likely directly influenced by human beings”. In many parts of the world agricultural practices are depleting the soil of natural nutrients and excels erosion. These practices along with a drought are what contributed to the dust bowl of the mid-west in the 1930’s. I do not believe we will ever have too many people on the earth. Natural events and process of society like wars will take care of that. What we will see is not having enough resources based on the way we are programed to consume.
Some countries undoubtedly leave a higher carbon footprint then others. All countries that have been through any type of industrial revolution are of course main contributors. The US having been through one of these revolutions is one of them. Now, a lot of goods are now outsourced to other countries so, some may say that we are not producing as much here these days so we are not as much to blame. The countries like China hold the majority of factories which release pollutants into the atmosphere so the fault lies with them. This is just not true, by outsourcing we are still contributing globally. Much like we discussed last week. Even if a country that is not engaged in industrialized production but consumers in those countries are buying good from industrialized countries they are still contributing to the problem but on a smaller scale.
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Much like the topic of unequal distribution of resources on the planet creating unequal distribution of wealth, so does the issues of social justice. There is still a human component. Besides the direct impact that the environmental issues cause by the direct effect of the carbon footprint we leave has on people, the consciousness that created those environmental issues is also manifesting in our social systems and structures. The same mindset which created the systems and the structures that are wreaking havoc on the planet, are also creating systems and structures that are in turn wreaking havoc on the people. It’s not something different. Some underdeveloped countries by way of industrialization are still large crop producers. Even though their carbon footprint is considered low they have still experienced the effect on the crops by climate change. This further weakens their economies. This can lead to higher crime rates. For example; take a ship sailing across the ocean with its cargo full of food. The destination of this ship is heading to a part of Africa in need of that food. Somewhere along the line that food is stolen. Now this part of the world is even worse off because someone else felt they had more of a need or a right to it.
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Industrialization can also create job loss. The more efficient machines become, the less people is needed to produce the same item. It can become an issue of lack of education or job training. If people are out of work and not able to provide for their families it creates a social justice issue. In our country the outsourcing of jobs to other countries due to lower labor costs has created the same kind of social justice issue. The end product in this example helped to elect a president. Similar kinds of things can happen in other countries just the same as happened here. The topic of the social justice issues was a bit more difficult for me to write. I am not quite sure I understand it to a level you were looking for.
To sustain a population that is ever increasing decision makers need to take into consideration several things. A more efficient production of a variety of food stuffs needs to be available to feed that population. In addition clean water and availability of water is always going to be a problem, particularly in arid climates. Along with these two items we can never overlook the need for healthy air. Food and water are resources that can be transported, while air cannot. Therefore they need to consider an efficient way of moving those two items that can be moved to the areas that need them. That could be within a nation, a continent, or the world. The production of food, treatment of water, and provision to move these two items where ever they are needed must be as efficient and nonpolluting as possible. Otherwise were just creating the same pollution problems that industrialization creates.
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One of the strategies must include education. People of all ages and locations need to understand how their activities can create devastating effects on land, water, and air. In addition they need to understand how they can alleviate these problems in their own environment. If you teach them how to plant, grow, and irrigate their own crops while providing water to their own household you’re going to help them solve part of their own problems. Same could be said for teaching people to raise and slaughter livestock. Even the preservation of their own food. I am one of few in my generation that can bottle or can food. A skill I am thankful to my parents for teaching me. This was so important for life in the not so distant past. This goes hand in hand with that old saying, if you give a man a fish he will eat for a day, if you teach him how to fish he will eat for a lifetime. Getting back to the basics and connecting with the land the way our ancestors did would be a huge move for sustainability. Consumption of Earth’s other resources like oil and gas need to be used responsibly. For example whenever possible mass transportation must be made available. Incentives could be offered for participating in a car pool. Education of the public in any way to close the gap of the disconnect we have with nature would be a big more in the right direction.
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The largest part about sustainability and population is people getting out of the mind set of consumption. This poses a problem in the sense that every individual on this planet has a different view on what they need or want to maintain their own personal quality of life.