{"id":146,"date":"2017-05-08T10:18:22","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T09:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/?p=146"},"modified":"2017-05-08T10:18:22","modified_gmt":"2017-05-08T09:18:22","slug":"what-is-the-carrying-capacity-of-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/what-is-the-carrying-capacity-of-the-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the carrying capacity of the Earth?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The carrying capacity of the earth is measured by its ecological footprint. This tells us how much area of biologically productive land and water an individual, population, or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates, using the prevailing technology and resource management practices.<\/p>\n

The unit of measurement is the ‘global hectare’. These are hectares of land (2.471 acres) weighted for productivity as not all pieces of land are equal in what they can provide. So, dividing all the world’s hectares by their total biological productivity in any given year we get an average: the global hectare. Source: http:\/\/www.footprintnetwork.org\/resources\/glossary\/#global-hectare-gha<\/a><\/p>\n

For the planet as a whole, humanity started using more productivity than the planet can provide \u2013 i.e. it went into defecit \u2013 in 1969. To support the current population, 10bn global hectares of land are required. Humanity is now using twice this \u2013 20bn global hectares according to the Global Footprint Network. Source: http:\/\/data.footprintnetwork.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2016 [source: http:\/\/assets.wwf.org.uk\/custom\/lpr2016\/<\/a>], humanity currently needs the regenerative capacity of 1.6 Earths to provide the goods and services we use each year.<\/p>\n

There were about 12 billion hectares of biologically productive land and water areas on Earth in 2013. Dividing by the number of people alive in that year (7 billion) gives 1.72 global hectares per person.<\/p>\n

Per capita Ecological Footprints of several developed countries (e.g. North America, Qatar, Luxembourg, Australia) are as much as six times larger than this. Conversely some of the world\u2019s poorest countries’ are less than half that figure. If everyone in the world were to live in the manner of the richest countries, we would need six Earths like ours.<\/p>\n

The biocapacity of ecosystems \u2013 in a given hectare of land \u2013 to regenerate what people demand \u2013 biological materials, absorbing waste material generated by humans \u2013 can be improved by the right land management.<\/p>\n

The amount we need can be reduced by changing the way we live and reducing consumption.<\/p>\n

One Planet Development<\/a> aims to achieve both of these things.<\/p>\n

WWF’s Living Planet Report says: “The Ecological Footprint does not address all environmental pressures and consequences that are related to human consumption, such as pollution and loss of habitat. It provides insight on a minimum condition for sustainability: whether or not human consumption activities fit within the biological threshold defined by the Earth\u2019s biocapacity.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The carrying capacity of the earth is measured by its ecological footprint. This tells us how much area of biologically productive land and water an individual, population, or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8HWPV-2m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":235,"url":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/what-is-one-planet-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":146,"position":0},"title":"What is one planet development?","date":"11\/24\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Something special is happening in Wales. The country is using legislation to shift itself into a very different direction from England. The Welsh Government has said that it wants to be more sustainable, by reducing its \u2018ecological footprint\u2019 to a level that\u2019s fair compared to the rest of the planet\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ecological footprinting"","img":{"alt_text":"David Thorpe's book about the One Planet Development policy in action","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.lowimpact.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/footprints5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":134,"url":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/what-is-one-planet-development-in-wales\/","url_meta":{"origin":146,"position":1},"title":"What is One Planet Development in Wales?","date":"12\/16\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Above: the One Planet Council 2015 annual gathering The Welsh Government has a unique policy to support One Planet Development. 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The trouble is that currently there is a paucity of validated research\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Planning"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sustainablecitiescollective.com\/sites\/sustainablecitiescollective.com\/files\/imagepicker\/566036\/SEEA-infopyramid.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/feeding-future-cities-within-the-limits-to-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":146,"position":4},"title":"Feeding future cities within the limits to growth","date":"08\/18\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By the end of the century there will be about 11.2 billion human beings on the planet, around 70-80% of whom may well be living in cities. How will we feed them without destroying our life-support system? What should be the 'one planet' approach?\u00a0 How to feed ourselves properly is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Architecture"","img":{"alt_text":"Toronto Food Strategy, Canada","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-gLNlPEqGklM\/WZFgkNxj8jI\/AAAAAAAAEKs\/dCqERgyrYogNIYbpLMPjFrSM9HI3E-L-gCLcBGAs\/s400\/Toronto.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":157,"url":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/harmony-in-food-and-farming-blueprint-for-a-revolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":146,"position":5},"title":"Harmony in Food and Farming \u2013 blueprint for a revolution","date":"07\/13\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A review of the Harmony in Food and Farming conference on 10-11 July 2017 in Llandovery College, Wales. Agriculture is responsible for 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We need to feed a growing population a better diet, more sustainably. This conference explored how. 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