Population and Resources Explained: People and Our Planet (Grade 6 to 8 Science)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. There are now more than eight billion people on Earth. Every person needs food, water, energy and space. Today we will explore how population and resource use affect our planet.

The human population grew slowly for thousands of years. Then, with better medicine, farming and clean water, it grew very quickly. It took until about eighteen hundred to reach one billion, but only two centuries more to pass eight billion.

Resources are things from nature we use. Renewable resources can be replaced naturally, like sunlight, wind and trees. Nonrenewable resources take millions of years to form, like oil, coal and natural gas.

Impact depends on two things, how many people there are and how much each person uses. One person who uses lots of energy and goods can have a bigger impact than several people who use little.

More resource use can cause problems. Forests are cleared for farms, rivers can run low, and burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide to the air, which warms the climate.

People are finding solutions. We can switch to renewable energy, use water wisely, waste less food, recycle, and design efficient buildings and cars. Small choices multiplied by billions make a big difference.

Now it's your turn. A town replaces its coal power plant with wind turbines. Does this increase or decrease its use of nonrenewable resources? Pause and try. It decreases, because wind is renewable.

Great job! Remember, a growing population and rising use of resources increase our impact on Earth. Renewable energy and wise choices reduce it. Practice population and resources in the Science Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!