Will Limits of the Earth's Resources Control Human Numbers?

The current world population is 6 billion people. Even if we adopted a worldwide policy resulting in only 2.1 children born per couple, more than 60 years would pass before the world population stabilized at approximately 12 billion. The reason stabilization would take more than 60 years is the population momentum – the young age distribution – of the world population. Natural resources are already severely limited, and there is emerging evidence that natural forces already starting to control human population numbers through malnutrition and other severe diseases. At present, more than 3 billion people worldwide are malnourished; grain production per capita has been declining since 1983; irrigation per capita has declined 12% during the past decade; cropland per capita has declined 20% during the past decade; fish production per capita has declined 7% during the past decade; per capita fertilizer supplies essential for food production have declined 23% during the past decade; loss of food to pests has not decreased below 50% since 1990; and pollution of water, air, and land has increased, resulting in a rapid increase in the number of humans suffering from serious, pollution-related diseases. Clearly, human numbers cannot continue to increase.     

A forecast analysis on world population and urbanization process

The continuous growth of world population and the intensification of urbanization process create a challenge to environment quality and sustainable development around the world. In this paper I tried to conduct a forecast analysis of near-future urbanization related population growth worldwide, based on recent demographic trends. Such an analysis can provide important insights into the prospects for changes in the size and composition of world population and in urbanization process. Optimal polynomial functions were used to fit historical trajectories of population dynamics, and the detailed forecasts of the population mainly over the period 2010–2030 were conducted and analyzed. If the past pattern continues, world total population would increase to 7.94–8.33 billion in 2030 and the annual growth is expected to continually decline in the forecast period. Global total population would stop increasing during the period 2050–2060 and would not exceed 9.5 billion in the future. The total population of Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America, North & Central America would separately increase to 1.35–1.41, 4.86–5.65, 0.04–0.05, 0.44–0.45, and 0.71–0.72 billion in 2030. Europe’s total population is forecast to decline to 0.64–0.67 billion in 2030. World’s rural population is expected to grow to the maximum during the period 2015–2020 and would greatly decline after that period. Global rural population would reach 3.12–3.41 billion in 2030. Rural population in Asia and Africa is estimated to increase and achieve the maximum around 2025 and decline thereafter. For other regions, the rural population would continually decline in the forecast period. Urban population in the world would continually grow and reach 4.72–5.00 billion in 2030, an increase of 48.6–57.8%. However the annual growth of urban population is expected to increase to the maximum (6.86 million/year) during the period 2020–2025 and then decline in the following years. Urban population is projected to continually grow in all regions excepting Europe. Europe’s urban population is expected to decline in the period 2010–2030. Urbanization process worldwide, represented by the ratio urban population versus total population (RUT) and the ratio rural population versus urban population, is expected to continue during the period 2010–2030. The RUT of the world is projected to reach 0.5 before 2010 and would continue to increase in the forecast period. Global RUT is estimated to reach 0.56 in 2030. However, the regional patterns of urbanization process would be diverse. Europe’s RUT is estimated to continually decline in the forecast period and reach 0.68 in 2030. The RUT for Africa and Caribbean would continually increase before 2030, while the RUTs for Asia and South America are estimated to achieve their maximums around 2025 and decline in the following years. Oceania and North & Central America would thoroughly realize urbanization (≈1) during the periods 2020–2025 and 2025–2030. The expansion of world population and urbanization will continually exert a stronger stress to environment quality and sustainable development in a near future. However we may expect this situation would start to change from mid-21st century after total population has achieved its maximum. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Trends in food production and nitrous oxide emissions from the agriculture sector in India: environmental implications

We studied trends in food production and nitrous oxide emissions from India's agricultural sector between 1961 and 2000. Data from Food and Agricultural Statistics (FAO) have been gathered covering production, consumption, fertilizer use and livestock details. IPCC 1996 revised guidelines were followed in studying the variations in N₂O-N emissions. Results suggest that total N₂O-N emissions (direct, animal waste and indirect sources) increased ~6.1 times from ~0.048 to ~0.294 Tg N₂O-N, over 40 years. Source-wise breakdown of emissions from 1961–2000 indicated that during 1961 most of the N₂O-N inputs were from crop residues (61%) and biological nitrogen fixation (25%), while during 2000 the main sources were synthetic fertilizer (~48%) and crop residues (19%). Direct emissions increased from ~0.031 to ~0.183 Tg. It is estimated that ~3.1% of global N₂O-N emissions comes from India. Trends in food production, primarily cereals (rice, wheat and coarse grains) and pulses, and fertilizer consumption from 1961–2000 suggest that food production (cereals and pulses) increased only 3.7 times, while nitrogenous fertilizer consumption increased ~43 times over this period, leading to extensive release of nitrogen to the atmosphere. From this study, we infer that the challenge for Indian agriculture lies not only in increasing production but also in achieving production stability while minimizing the impact to the environment, through various management and mitigation options.     

Animal production in a sustainable agriculture

This paper discusses the role of animal production systems in a sustainable society; sustainability problems within animal production systems; and four measures for the improvement of the contribution to societal sustainability from animal production. Substantial potentials for improvements are identified that were not previously known. The methodological basis is multi-criteria multi-level analysis within integrated assessment where elements in Impredicative Loop Analysis are integrated with management tools in Swedish agriculture and forestry developed during thousands of years, during which the well-being of the Swedish society and its economic and military power were functions of the land-use skill. The issue—the sustainability footprint of global animal production—is complex and available data are limited. The Swedish case is used as a starting point for an analysis of international relevance. Data from FAO and OECD support the relevance of extrapolating results from the Swedish case to level. The four measures are (i) decrease the consumption of chicken meat in developed nations with 2.6 kg per capita and year; (ii) develop the capacity of ruminants to produce high-quality food from otherwise marginal agroecosystems; (iii) improve milk production per cow with a factor four on global level; and (iv) increase feeding efficiency in milk production globally would substantially improve the societal contribution in terms of increased food supply and decreased pressure on land. The impact of measures (i), (iii) and (iv) on increased global food security was estimated to in total 1.8 billion people in terms of protein supply and a decreased pressure on agricultural land of 217 million ha, of which 41 relate to tropical forests. The 41 million ha of tropical land are due to a decreased demand on soymeal, where this represents more than a halving of total area now used for the production of soymeal. These impacts are of the character either or. The quality of the measures is as first-time estimates, supporting choices of where to direct further efforts in analysis. Two areas were identified as critical for achieving this potential: Feeding strategies to dairy cows as well as methods commonly used to evaluate the sustainability contribution of animal production needs adjustment, so that they comply with the “laws” of diminishing returns, Liebig’s “law” of the minimum and Shelford’s “law” of tolerance, that is, in agreement with well-known principles for efficient natural resource management and the priorities of UN Millennium Development Goals. If not, global food security is at risk.     

Land use and cover change in Japan and Tokyo’s appetite for meat

Urban consumption of ecosystems services such as food generates environmental impacts at different geographical scales. In the last few decades Tokyoites have shown an increasing appetite for meat. This study examines the environmental implications of Tokyo’s increasing meat consumption by analyzing how this trend has affected land use and cover change in areas near and far away. Historical databases (1970–2005) are employed in order to explore meat consumption patterns in Tokyo and to relate it with beef and pork production in areas within the country and abroad. It also integrates the historical analysis of production and consumption patterns with a discussion of the drivers (e.g., wealth, price, policies and seafood availability) behind these trends. We identified that meat production in Japan followed three distinct phases between 1877 and 2005. In the first period it took 50 years for production to increase by 50%, while during the next phase production showed the same growth in just half the time. Major changes in land use/cover change because of domestic meat production occurred mainly during the second phase and, thereafter, when domestic production declined and was substituted to a great extent by imports. Despite the increasing consumption of imported meat, Tokyo relies greatly on domestic meat produced in its neighboring prefectures. The paper concludes that regional planning can be used as an effective instrument to protect the environment and secure protein for the population of mega-urban areas such as Tokyo.     

Mapping the global supply and demand structure of rice

Rice plays a major role in the global supply and demand for sustainable food production. The constraints of maintaining sustainable rice production are closely linked to the relationship between the distribution patterns of human activity on the planet and economic growth. Global patterns of rice production can be mapped by using various criteria linked to domestic income, population patterns, and associated satellite brightness data of rice-producing regions. Prosperous regions have more electric lighting, and there are documented correlations between gross domestic product (GDP) and nighttime light. We chose to examine global rice production patterns on a geographical basis. For the purposes of this study, each country is considered to be made up of regions, and rice production is discussed in terms of regional distribution. A region is delineated by its administrative boundaries; the number of regions where rice is produced is about 13,839. We used gridded spatial population distribution data overlain by nocturnal light imagery derived from satellite imagery. The resultant relationship revealed a correlation between regional income (nominal values of GDP were used) and rice production in the world. The following criteria were used to examine the supply and demand structure of rice. Global rice consumption = “caloric rice consumption per capita per day” multiplied by “regional population values”. Regional rice yields = “country-based production” divided by “harvested area” (multiple harvests are taken into account). Regional rice production = “regional harvested areas” multiplied by “rice yield values”. We compared regional rice consumption and production values according to these methods. Analysis of the data sets generated a map of rice supply and demand. Inter-regional shipping costs were not accounted for. This map can contribute to the understanding of food security issues in rice-producing regions and to estimating potential population values in such regions.     

环鄱阳湖区水足迹的动态变化评价

水足迹模型是计量水资源承载力的一个较新颖且日趋成熟的方法。水资源状况对鄱阳湖区生态系统的平衡、稳定以及生态系统良性循环有着重要意义。将水足迹模型运用于环鄱阳湖区进行实证研究，通过计量模型计算出环鄱阳湖区1989~2008年水足迹的时间序列值，并评价其承载状况。结果显示，近20 a来，环鄱阳湖区的水足迹需求由1989年的735亿m3增加至2008年的110亿m3，呈现出波动上升趋势。至今为止水足迹未超载，但盈余空间呈减少趋势。最后从优化水资源利用、倡导绿色消费和促进区域间贸易交流等降低水足迹的需求和增大水足迹供给的角度提出了提高水足迹承载力的对策。进而从水足迹的角度为环鄱阳湖区提高生态系统承载力提供理论依据，促进江西省鄱阳湖生态经济区的建设     

Soil management practices for sustainable agro-ecosystems

A doubling of the global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses a huge challenge for the sustainability of both food production and global and local environments. Today’s agricultural technologies may be increasing productivity to meet world food demand, but they may also be threatening agricultural ecosystems. For the global environment, agricultural systems provide both sources and sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). This paper addresses the importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) for agro-ecosystems and GHG uptake and emission in agriculture, especially SOC changes associated with soil management. Soil management strategies have great potential to contribute to carbon sequestration, since the carbon sink capacity of the world’s agricultural and degraded soil is 50–66% of the historic carbon loss of 42–72 Pg (1 Pg=10¹⁵ g), although the actual carbon storage in cultivated soil may be smaller if climate changes lead to increasing mineralization. The importance of SOC in agricultural soil is, however, not controversial, as SOC helps to sustain soil fertility and conserve soil and water quality, and organic carbon compounds play a variety of roles in the nutrient, water, and biological cycles. No-tillage practices, cover crop management, and manure application are recommended to enhance SOC storage and to contribute to sustainable food production, which also improves soil quality. SOC sequestration could be increased at the expense of increasing the amount of non-CO₂ GHG emissions; however, soil testing, synchronized fertilization techniques, and optimum water control for flooding paddy fields, among other things, can reduce these emissions. Since increasing SOC may also be able to mitigate some local environmental problems, it will be necessary to have integrated soil management practices that are compatible with increasing SOM management and controlling soil residual nutrients. Cover crops would be a critical tool for sustainable soil management because they can scavenge soil residual nitrogen and their ecological functions can be utilized to establish an optimal nitrogen cycle. In addition to developing soil management strategies for sustainable agro-ecosystems, some political and social approaches will be needed, based on a common understanding that soil and agro-ecosystems are essential for a sustainable society.     

The influence of Chinese population policy change on resources and the environment

Universal two-child policy has been implemented since the end of 2015 in China. This policy is anticipated to bring a significant increase in the total population, with profound influences on the resources and environment in the future. This paper analyzes the changing dynamics of urban and rural population, and forecasts urban and rural population from 2016 to 2030 at national and provincial scale using a double log linear regression model. Drawing upon the results of these two predictions, the impact of the population policy change on Chinese resources consumption and environmental pollution are predicted quantitatively. Given the future total population maintains current levels on resources consumption and environmental emission, the additional demand of resources and environment demand for the new population is forecasted and compared against the capacity on supply side. The findings are as follows: after implementing the universal two-child policy, China’s grain, energy consumption, domestic water demand, and pollutant emissions are projected to increase at different rates across provinces. To meet the needs arising from future population growth, food and energy self-sufficiency rate will be significantly reduced in the future, while relying more on imports. Stability of the water supply needs to be improved, especially in Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Qinghai, and Sichuan where the gap in future domestic water demand is comparatively larger. Environmental protection and associated governing capability are in urgent need of upgrade not least due to the increasing pressure of pollution.     

Confronting a Surfeit of People: Reducing Global Human Numbers to Sustainable Levels An Essay on Population Two Centuries after Malthus

It has become increasingly evident over the past several decades that there is a growing tension between two seemingly irreconcilable trends: (1) moderate to conservative demographic projections that world population size could easily reach 9 billion (or more) by the mid-to-late twenty-first century; and (2) prudent and increasingly reliable scientific estimates suggesting that the Earth's long-term sustainable carrying capacity (at an 'adequate to comfortable' standard of living) may not be much greater than 2–3 billion. I therefore argue that it is now time – indeed, past time – to develop and implement a set of well-conceived, clearly articulated, broadly equitable and internationally coordinated sociopolitical initiatives that go beyond merely slowing the growth – or even the stabilization – of global human numbers. After summarizing a number of 'inescapable realities' that the human species must soon confront, and notwithstanding the considerable difficulties involved in establishing rational and defensible global population optimums, I conclude with several suggestions relevant to the next logical step: how best to bring about a very significant reduction in global population size over the next two to three centuries. To the extent that there is still time to choose whether this dramatic decrease will be under conscious control or essentially chaotic, these proposals are cautiously optimistic.     

The food-print of Paris: long-term reconstruction of the nitrogen flows imported into the city from its rural hinterland

Between the tenth and twentieth century the population of Paris city increased from a few thousand to near 10 million inhabitants. In response to the growing urban demand during this period, the agrarian systems of the surrounding rural areas tremendously increased their potential for commercial export of agricultural products, made possible by a surplus of agricultural production over local consumption by humans and livestock in these areas. Expressed in terms of nitrogen, the potential for export increased from about 60 kg N/km2/year of rural territory in the Middle Ages, to more than 5,000 kg N/km2/year from modern agriculture. As a result of the balance between urban population growth and rural productivity, the rural area required to supply Paris (i.e. its food-print) did not change substantially for several centuries, remaining at the size of the Seine watershed surrounding the city (around 60,000 km2). The theoretical estimate of the size of the supplying hinterland at the end of the eighteenth century is confirmed by the figures deduced from the analysis of the historical city toll data (octroi). During the second half of the twentieth century, the ‘food-print’ of Paris reduced in size, owing to an unprecedented increase in the potential for commercial export associated with modern agricultural systems based on chemical N fertilization. We argue that analysing the capacity of territories to satisfy the demand for nitrogen-containing food products of local or distant urban population and markets might provide new and useful insights when assessing world food resource allocation in the context of increasing population and urbanization.     

近50年安徽省气候生产潜力演变及粮食安全气候承载力评估

安徽省是重要的粮食产区,在保障我国粮食安全中发挥着重要作用,研究该省气候生产潜力的演变特征,面向粮食安全分析其气候承载力具有显著的现实意义。本文从粮食生产与光温水等气候因子的关系出发,采用逐级订正的方法计算了安徽省的气候生产潜力及其变化特征,并根据不同生活水平下的粮食需求指标,分析了安徽省的气候承载力和剩余空间。结果表明,安徽省气候生产潜力的地理分异特征显著,其中北部高于南部、平原高于山区,高值区主要集中在沿淮及淮北地区,与耕种条件配合较好,有利于生产潜力的发挥。1961~2013年全省气候生产潜力基本呈一致下降趋势,近50年平均减少了约10%。安徽省目前粮食消费水平和结构属温饱型向小康型过渡阶段,在充分发挥气候生产潜力的前提下,全省气候资源所能承载的粮食产量均显著超过不同生活水平下的总需求量。小康水平下,气候承载力的相对剩余率总体呈东北向西南递减的趋势,除部分城市地区和山区外,全省大部地区气候承载力的剩余空间仍较富裕,能够较好的保障粮食需求。总的来看,由于安徽省光温水以及耕地等条件配合较好,气候承载力较高;虽然受太阳辐射影响,近年来气候生产潜力下降,但在保障未来小康社会的粮食安全方面,安徽省仍具有较好的气候承载力,粮食生产还有较大的提升空间。     

基于用水总量控制的水资源承载能力分析研究——以赣江袁河流域为例

通过界定水资源承载能力的概念和内涵，提出基于总量控制条件下人口 经济 水资源三者系统协调耦合的水资源承载能力分析计算方法，分别采用产业结构调整和水资源优化配置模型等措施，以赣江袁河流域水资源承载能力分析计算进行例证。研究结果表明：在用水总量控制、保障社会发展水平和人均GDP水平条件下，（1）优化后行业用水定额下降，流域需水总量减少，水资源利用效率提高，目标年2015年和2030年流域需水量调整后较调整前分别减少036亿m3、090亿m3，较调整前下降了23%和53%；（2）对于不同目标年，优化后用水区域可承载GDP和承载人口有所增加，2015年和2030年全流域可承载GDP分别增加2649亿元和15191亿元，全流域可承载人口分别增加773万人和1874万人     

武汉城市圈水资源及水环境承载力分析

水资源及水环境承载力是衡量区域可持续发展的一项重要指标,对区域经济的发展规划具有重要的指导意义。以可承载的人口数量和GDP作为承载力的表征指标,分别运用单位GDP综合用水量评判法和河流一维水质模型及湖库均匀混合模型计算武汉城市圈不同水平年的水资源及水环境承载力,并用承载度来评价水资源及水环境的承载状态。结果表明:2012、2020和2030年武汉城市圈水资源承载力都处于合理承载状态,但是其水环境承载力处于轻度超载状态。可见,水环境承载力对武汉城市圈的用水限制更为严格。随着社会经济的发展及污水处理技术的进步,水环境状况虽然会有所好转,但与水资源数量这一因素相比,水环境仍是制约武汉城市圈经济社会发展的关键因素。     

粮食安全：我国农业现代化的任务与标志

解决10多亿人吃饭问题是我国农业第一主题,是农业现代化的首要任务,而粮食安全水平是我国农业现代化的重要标志,因此,在我国农业现代化进程中,必须强化商品粮基地建设;不断提高种粮科学技术的经济效益、粮食转化效益,保护和改善粮食生产者和主产区经济利益和经济状况,建立健全国家粮食安全保障体系,提高我国粮食安全水平。     

Climate change vulnerability and resilience: current status and trends for Mexico

Climate change alters different localities on the planet in different ways. The impact on each region depends mainly on the degree of vulnerability that natural ecosystems and human-made infrastructure have to changes in climate and extreme meteorological events, as well as on the coping and adaptation capacity toward new environmental conditions. This study assesses the current resilience of Mexico and Mexican states to such changes, as well as how this resilience will look in the future. In recent studies (Moss et al. in Vulnerability to climate change: a quantitative approach. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington DC, 2001; Brenkert and Malone in Clim Change 72:57–102, 2005; Malone and Brenkert in Clim Change 91:451–476, 2008), the Vulnerability–Resilience Indicators Model (VRIM) is used to integrate a set of proxy variables that determine the resilience of a region to climate change. Resilience, or the ability of a region to respond to climate variations and natural events that result from climate change, is given by its adaptation and coping capacity and its sensitivity. On the one hand, the sensitivity of a region to climate change is assessed, emphasizing its infrastructure, food security, water resources, and the health of the population and regional ecosystems. On the other hand, coping and adaptation capacity is based on the availability of human resources, economic capacity, and environmental capacity. This paper presents two sets of results. First, we show the application of the VRIM to determine state-level resilience for Mexico, building the baseline that reflects the current status. The second part of the paper makes projections of resilience under socioeconomic and climate change and examines the varying sources and consequences of those changes. We used three tools to examine Mexico’s resilience in the face of climate change, i.e., the baseline calculations regarding resilience indices made by the VRIM, the projected short-term rates of socioeconomic change from the Boyd–Ibarrarán computable general equilibrium model, and rates of the IPCC-SRES scenario projections from the integrated assessment MiniCAM model. This allows us to have available change rates for VRIM variables through the end of the twenty-first century.     

Theoretical and Empirical Study on Urban Population Carrying Capacity: Case of Haidian District in Beijing

Abstract

The measurement of urban population carrying capacity is the basis for cities’ sustainable development. However, the traditional study on population carrying capacity which was based on food supply is not applicable to the single urban area. This paper built a model for the analysis of urban carrying capacity, and took Haidian District in Beijing as an example to calculate the urban carrying capacity of Haidian District in the future, which was the basis for the improvement of the population carrying capacity. This study would also provide a reference to the measurement of the urban population carrying capacity for other cities and districts in China.     

全面放开二孩政策背景下人口增长对资源环境的影响和需求分析

2015年底,我国全面放开了二孩政策,势必对我国的人口总量和增长态势产生深刻影响,进而影响我国的资源需求和环境压力。在采用队列元素法预测全面放开二孩后我国总人口及各省(市、自治区)人口的基础上,运用城乡人口比增长法预测未来城镇化水平,本文依据这两种预测结果系统探讨人口政策变动对我国资源消费、环境污染的定量预测和具体影响。假定未来的人均资源环境消耗量保持现状不变,按照预测的未来人口总量和增量,得出人口增长对我国资源环境的需求变动。通过计算新增的资源环境需求量,对比需求总量与我国的资源环境供给能力,进一步分析人口增长对资源环境各方面的压力大小。研究发现:全面放开二孩政策后,我国的粮食、生活用能源、生活用水、城乡建设用地的需求量和生活污染物排放量均逐年递增,但变化速率有所差异。为满足未来人口增长所产生的需求,粮食和能源的自给率明显降低,未来将需要更多地依赖进口。全国的供水能力和保障水平急需提高,其中北京、河南、江苏、青海、四川的现状供水能力与未来生活用水需求差距较大。各省建设用地需求差异明显,吉林、湖北、山东、四川、江苏、湖南、新疆、广东、黑龙江、贵州等省市的城市建设用地新增需求量将快速释放,但已有的建设用地储备无法满足预测需求。生活污染物的治理压力加大,环境保护与治理能力应该继续加强。     

芜湖市土地资源人口承载力与可持续发展研究

作为人类赖以生存和发展物质基础的土地资源有限性与人口的增长加剧了人地间的矛盾 ,土地资源人口承载力问题日益引起社会关注。在总结芜湖市土地资源利用现状、特点和当前人口食物消费水平的基础上分析了土地现实生产能力 ,同时为预测芜湖市 2 0 0 0、2 0 0 5、2 0 10年人口数量、复种指数、耕地面积及粮食单产发展趋势而分别建立了一元线性回归模型与灰色系统 GM(1,1)模型 ,通过取其平均值以提高其精度 ;并结合温饱型、宽裕型、小康型与富裕型四种消费水平分别探讨了预测期内芜湖市土地资源人口承载力状况 ,最后从耕地总量动态平衡、提高粮食单产与质量及控制人口增长等方面提出了可持续发展对策 ,为芜湖市建立稳定、协调、持续发展的人地关系提供科学的理论依据     

Development of an educational model for sustainability science: challenges in the Mind–Skills–Knowledge education at Ibaraki University

Modern society confronts multiple sustainability challenges, including population growth, resources limitations, and a deteriorating environment. As a response, sustainability science education plays a major role in developing human capacity to manage these issues. This paper proposes the concept of “sustainability science education across Mind–Skills–Knowledge” as well as the competencies to be acquired and its pedagogy. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of such an educational system and its method of implementation using the example of the Graduate Program on Sustainability Science (GPSS), which was started at Ibaraki University in 2009.