Human Carrying Capacity of the Earth

Introduces thermodynamic problems for human habitats, whether to make the Earth's surface uninhabitable, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), eliminating the greenhouse effect using sequestration, the thermal structure of the human habitat, the Earth population limit of heat, thermodynamic bottlenecks, and the conclusion.

Discusses energy generation technologies, passive vs active, considers conventional nuclear power, geothermal, terrestrial solar power, space-based solar power (SBSP), the energy required per person, the Earth population limits of geothermal and terrestrial solar, the challenges of a space-based solar power constellation, and SBSP scaling

Introduces elemental limits, and analyzes Oxygen, Silicon, Calcium, Iron, Aluminum, Nitrogen, Carbon, Chromium, Copper, Potassium and Phosphorus. Addresses waste management and recycling.

Explains indoor agriculture, compares indoor vs outdoor agriculture, and emphasizes the omnivorous diet.

Describes water management, the water required per-person and the Earth population limit of water.

Covers the square-cube law, the volume required per person, a moderate scenario using only already-inhabited land, the habitable space of the Earth, and the Earth population limit of habitable space.

Describes the purpose and approach of this analysis, provides a timeline of population growth, and lists all of the bottlenecks it will consider.

Explains and addresses environmental concerns, offers space colonization as the solution to conservation concerns, and keeps the focus on the limit analysis of human carrying capacity on Earth.

Welcome to Human Carrying Capacity of the Earth! This chapter covers the question, what carrying capacity is, what sustainable is, and describes previous work with other estimates of the human carrying capacity of the Earth.