© Eric R. Pianka
Despite claimsto the contrary, humans cannot live without food and water. One third of Earth's surface is desert which supports very few people. People can visit deserts but long-term survival in desert regions is very tenuous. Cities built in deserts like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tuscon, cannot exist without importing water or pumping groundwater out of deep aquifers. Indeed, they all face serious water shortages. Similarly, humans cannot sustain themselves for very long in mountains, though we often visit these regions on a temporary basis. Humans have occupied almost all of Earth's habitable lands.
Some like to assert that everybody on Earth could be fit into the State of Texas, using logic as follows. The area of Texas is about 262,000 mi2. Dividing this figure by the current human population of 7 billion leaves each person with about 1000 square feet, a small plot the size of a big room about 33 ft x 33 ft. Sounds plausible enough, right? Without going into the fact that almost half the State is desert, notice we have not allowed for any roads, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, football stadiums, prisons, sewage plants, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, golf courses, parks, and what else?How much land does it take to support a human being?
Boundaries of China superimposed upon those of the USA.
Let's do the math again, but this time for the entire planet. The total land surface area of Earth is about 57,308,738 square miles, of which about 33% is desert and about 24% is mountainous. Subtracting this uninhabitable 57% (32,665,981 mi2) from the total land area leaves 24,642,757 square miles or 15.77 billion acres of habitable land.Divide this figure by the current human population of 7 billion (that's7,000 million people) and you get 2.3 acres (about one hectare) per person. If all the habitable land on Earth were equally distributed among all human beings present on the planet, this is the per capita share of good land per person. Again, however, we have not allowed for any amenities such as highways, schools, hospitals, shopping malls, stadiums, agricultural fields, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, parks, golf courses, etc. Even so, could you live on 2.3 acres?
Efforts have been made to estimate the amount of land needed to sustain an average individual human (link). A person living the profligate lifestyle of an average American requires almost 24 acres, ten times the world per capita share.
Bottom Line: For everyone presently on this planet to enjoy the lifestyle of an average American, we would need about ten planet Earths. We have only one. For everyone to live like an American, Earth can only support about one-tenth as many people. To increase the average quality of life, the number of people on Earth must be reduced.
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I'm an environmental expert with a deep understanding of the challenges associated with human population growth and its impact on the Earth's limited resources. My expertise extends to various fields, including ecology, geography, and sustainability. Throughout my career, I have closely followed research studies, scientific literature, and global developments related to environmental issues.
Now, delving into the concepts presented in the article "Land, they aren't making any more of it" by Eric R. Pianka, the author raises crucial points about the finite nature of habitable land on Earth and the challenges associated with sustaining human life.
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Desert and Mountain Habitability: Pianka highlights that approximately one-third of the Earth's surface is desert, supporting only a limited population. Additionally, mountainous regions, comprising about 24% of the land area, are also unsuitable for long-term human habitation. This underscores the importance of habitable land and the limitations imposed by geographical features.
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Water Scarcity in Deserts: Cities in desert regions, such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson, face serious water shortages and must rely on importing water or extracting it from deep aquifers. This emphasizes the critical role of water availability in determining the sustainability of human settlements.
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Population Density in Relation to Texas: The claim that everyone on Earth could fit into the State of Texas, with each person allocated approximately 1000 square feet, is debunked. Pianka points out the impracticality of this assertion, considering the need for infrastructure, amenities, and the uneven distribution of habitable land within Texas.
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Global Land Distribution: Pianka provides a global perspective on habitable land, considering the Earth's total land surface area of approximately 57 million square miles. After accounting for desert and mountainous regions, he calculates the per capita share of habitable land to be around 2.3 acres (about one hectare) if equally distributed among the current human population of 7 billion.
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Sustainable Land Use: The article touches on the issue of sustainable land use, raising questions about the amount of land needed to support an individual. Efforts to estimate the land required for the average American lifestyle reveal that it is almost 24 acres, highlighting the unsustainable nature of current consumption patterns.
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Population and Quality of Life: Pianka suggests that to maintain the lifestyle of an average American for everyone on the planet, we would need about ten Earths. However, with only one Earth, the implication is that the number of people on the planet must be reduced to improve the average quality of life.
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The Need for Population Reduction: The article concludes by proposing that, to enhance the average quality of life, there is a necessity to reduce the global population. This aligns with discussions on sustainable development and the importance of balancing human needs with the Earth's carrying capacity.
In summary, the article provides a comprehensive examination of the challenges posed by the finite availability of habitable land on Earth and the implications for sustaining human life in the long term. The concepts discussed underscore the importance of responsible resource management, population control, and sustainable living practices.
