CANBERRA, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Humanity is living far beyond what the Earth can support, according to new research warning of increasing pressure on food, climate, and human wellbeing.
The study shows that continued growth under current patterns of consumption will intensify environmental and social challenges for communities worldwide, a statement from Australia's Flinders University said Monday.
Published in Environmental Research Letters, the study examined more than two centuries of global population records and used ecological growth models to track how population size and growth rates have changed over time.
Researchers identified a major demographic shift in the mid-20th century, when population growth rates began to decline even as total numbers kept rising.
"This shift marked the beginning of what we call 'a negative demographic phase'. It means that adding more people no longer translates into faster growth," said Flinders University's Professor Corey Bradshaw, the study's lead author.
The study shows a strong link between increasing population size and rising global temperatures, larger ecological footprints, and higher carbon emissions during the negative phase.
It projects a global population peak of between 11.7 and 12.4 billion by the 2070s if current trends continue, far above the roughly 2.5 billion people the planet could support sustainably.
The huge gap between that sustainable level and today's 8.3 billion population underscores global over-consumption, hidden for decades by heavy reliance on fossil fuels that boosted food, energy, and industry while accelerating climate change and pollution, the researchers said.
"The planet's life support systems are already under strain," Bradshaw said, urging rapid shifts in how we use energy, land, and food. ■