
Contents
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1. Introduction 1. Introduction
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2. The Origins of the Universe and Life on Earth 2. The Origins of the Universe and Life on Earth
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2.1. Biological and Sociocultural Evolution 2.1. Biological and Sociocultural Evolution
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2.2. Competition in Resource and Energy Cycles 2.2. Competition in Resource and Energy Cycles
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2.3. Does Life, and Agriculture, Have a Purpose? 2.3. Does Life, and Agriculture, Have a Purpose?
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3. Population Growth 3. Population Growth
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3.1. How Do Populations Grow? 3.1. How Do Populations Grow?
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3.2. How Does the Human Population Grow? 3.2. How Does the Human Population Grow?
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3.3. What Is the Future of the Human Population? 3.3. What Is the Future of the Human Population?
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4. The Earth’s Human Carrying Capacity 4. The Earth’s Human Carrying Capacity
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4.1. Malthus’s Argument 4.1. Malthus’s Argument
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4.2. Human Carrying Capacity 4.2. Human Carrying Capacity
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4.3. Organisms Affect Their Environments: Limits of Human Carrying Capacity 4.3. Organisms Affect Their Environments: Limits of Human Carrying Capacity
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5. Dealing with “The Zone” 5. Dealing with “The Zone”
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5.1. Human Ingenuity Increases Growth of Human Carrying Capacity: A Boserupian Scenario 5.1. Human Ingenuity Increases Growth of Human Carrying Capacity: A Boserupian Scenario
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5.2. Negative Feedback Leads to Low Growth Rate of Human Impact: A Malthusian Scenario 5.2. Negative Feedback Leads to Low Growth Rate of Human Impact: A Malthusian Scenario
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5.3. Human Impact Exceeds Human Carrying Capacity: A Neo-Malthusian Scenario 5.3. Human Impact Exceeds Human Carrying Capacity: A Neo-Malthusian Scenario
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5.4. Human Carrying Capacity and Human Impact Gradually Reach Stability: A Slow Learner Scenario 5.4. Human Carrying Capacity and Human Impact Gradually Reach Stability: A Slow Learner Scenario
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6. Calculating Human Carrying Capacity: Water for Rice for Energy 6. Calculating Human Carrying Capacity: Water for Rice for Energy
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6.1. Efficiencies 6.1. Efficiencies
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6.2. Assumptions 6.2. Assumptions
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6.3. An Example 6.3. An Example
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6.4. Availability of Resources 6.4. Availability of Resources
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6.5. Requirement for Resources: Human Nutritional Requirement 6.5. Requirement for Resources: Human Nutritional Requirement
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6.6. Requirement for Resources: Conversion of Resources to Food 6.6. Requirement for Resources: Conversion of Resources to Food
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6.7. Calculating Human Carrying Capacity 6.7. Calculating Human Carrying Capacity
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6.8. Sensitivity Analyses 6.8. Sensitivity Analyses
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One Eating Stardust: Population, Food, and Agriculture on Planet Earth
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Published:December 2013
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Abstract
There is an inherent tension between human impact (the product of the size of the human population, people's level of food consumption, and the technology used to produce food) and the ability of the environment to supply food (the human carrying capacity). The “zone” is the place where human impact overlaps carrying capacity, either for a given location or for the whole planet. The way in which we understand and respond to the zone depends on basic assumptions about natural resources and human nature, and it is at the core of defining and solving the food crisis. This is illustrated using a calculation of human carrying capacity based on water needed to grow rice to provide calories for the human population.
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