Population

One billion people is about what the earth can support when it is run on a non-industrial basis (Kunstler, p6). Personally, I think we would be wise to aim at a stabilised [world] population of about half to one billion (Lovelock, 2007, p181). By any reasonable assessment, the earth has already exceeded its carrying capacity for humans: every basic means of life support (including the world’s oceans, topsoils, and fresh water systems) appears to be in the beginning stages of collapse (Heinberg, 2004, p174). Click here for current world population.