Earth's Carrying Capacity

Yes, I do believe that Earth has a carrying capacity and that humans will exceed it.

Certain factors help increase the human population. Medically, new discoveries are being founded every day increasing health, chances of finding a cure for a disease and healthier babies. Health care is also expanding to smaller towns and civilizations where treatment can become available to them. Technology helps living conditions become more comfortable and more relaxed, provide buisnesses to produce more products and help other proffesions such as Hospitals and fishing. Also, with the exception of evolved machinary, farmers are able to produce more food with advanced engines. With these humans become healthier, more relaxed, receive more food and increase in size.

However, if this happens there is a possibility of side effects. The earth could lose whatever natural resources needed for human survival. All of it will become extinguished from past years or of more demand. There is also a chance of over population, where one area becomes to crowded and food scarce. This can cause a decrease in the population. Also, with the high number of people and closer living quaters, disease and other inffections have a more possible way of getting around. Hospistals wont be able to hold every sick person. So with the coming of increase, there is also a coming of decrease at some point and time.

PRO or CON?

In America oil is scarce, causing high gas prices and dependant imports from foreign countries. There is however, one solution: drilling of oil in Alaska. Here, roughly 16 million barrels of oil lie. Most people think that drilling oil from part of Alaska wildlife refuge will harm the environment. This is not completely true.
First of all, the drilling will not harm wildlife as much as people think. Only a small fraction will be infected. The caribou have not decreased but increased since the opening of the oil fields. Their populations have grown. Polar bears in which only one or two, that come in this area to hibernate are not affected what so ever. The birds are also hardly harmed, since only one or two nests locations have been found in the area. Both animal and machines have found a way to work with each other. ‘There is no scientific evidence to suggest that oil development will harm caribou.’(Governor Frank Murkowski (Republican, Alaska) page two)
Secondly, hardly most of the space is being used for drilling. In fact only 8% is being used for drilling oil, leaving the rest for wildlife. Compare it to a small amount of the land, the size of a stamp, compared to the wide range of a normal backyard, will be drilled. The mining is done during the winter, where there are lesser caribou, leaving no traces when the snow melts. The animals see no danger to the machinery and have learned to adapt to the changes. Also, precautions are being made to insure the safety of wildlife. By having double pipes (elevated elbows) the oil fall between the elbows if there is ever an oil leakage.
Thirdly, drilling for oil in Alaska is supported by local inhabitants who have seen first hand what drilling has done to the environment. Some Americans also support it, knowing that jobs would be more available and gas prices would lower nationwide. Scientifically there is no evidence that oil exploration will do harm to the environment and neither the caribou. Along with that, new technology helps to lessen the worry of any wildlife damage.
Oil in Alaska will help both people and animals. It will provide jobs for many people worldwide and lowers gas prices, making it easier on the daily American driver and for overseas affairs to become independent. Most Alaskans support the idea of drilling who have first hand experienced what drilling can do to the land. Scientific utilization shows that oil exploration in Alaska can ‘get along’ with the environment there. Again, I say that drilling should be done in Alaska. True some wildlife will be lost, but not enough to permanently affect the caribou or other animals that live there.

Source citation:
Governor Frank Murkowski (republican, Alaska). “The Alaskan Wilderness: A debate; Opinion Piece I: Pro-Drilling.” Biology Exploring Life: Chapter 35 online activity Science, Technology, & Society. Prentice Hall. 2 November, 2005 <www.phsuccessnet.com>