How does human population growth affect natural resources?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, as the human population grows, our consumption of natural resources increases.

Generally speaking, as the human population grows, our consumption of natural resources increases. More humans consume more freshwater, more land, more clothing, etc. The more people on the planet, the more food you need to feed those humans (more fishing, more farming, more deforestation to make room for agriculture and raising livestock, and so forth).

Example 1 human population growth and phosphates:

Example 2 human population and deforestation:

Now, this is not a rule. To say that as we have more humans on the planet, we will always have an increase in resource use is false and ignores technology and science. Scientific and technological innovations mean that we are improving our efficiency at using and harvesting natural resources. For example, natural gas plants have become increasingly more efficient, thus humans are able to obtain more energy out of the same amount of gas.

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Answer 2

Emilia Alcaraz

Human population growth affects natural resources in several ways:

Increased Demand: As the human population grows, there is a higher demand for resources such as water, food, energy, and raw materials.
Overexploitation: Rapid population growth can lead to overexploitation of natural resources, including deforestation, overfishing, and depletion of groundwater reserves.
Habitat Destruction: The expansion of human settlements and infrastructure often results in the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
Pollution: Population growth contributes to increased pollution levels, including air and water pollution, as well as the generation of waste and emissions from industrial and agricultural activities.
Climate Change: The release of greenhouse gases associated with human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, contributes to climate change, impacting natural resources and ecosystems globally.
Competition for Resources: As the human population grows, there is greater competition for limited resources, leading to conflicts over access to land, water, and other essential resources.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.