RNR 1001 Lecture : RNR Notes 007
Document Summary
As much a social question as a biological question: absolute biological limit versus a desired standard of living, estimates of 4 to 20 billion. At a u. s. standard of living maybe 2 billion, already need >3 planets, more than four at predicted populations of 9+ billion by 2100. One obvious consequences of increasing human population size is resource scarcity. Two types: absolute resource scarcity and relative resource scarcity. Is there enough oil to meet current demands in 2050: absolute resource scarcity. Relative resource scarcity results from imbalanced distribution of resources. Growth in world agricultural output has exceeded population growth since 1970. Adequate food is produced to provide 2,700 kal per person for everyone on the planet.
