Northern People, Northern Resources, and the Dynamics of Carrying Capacity

In contrast to other organisms, people relate to environments through a changeable technology, have highly variable resource demands, and can conduct long-distance trade to supplement local resources. Nevertheless, total human demand may exceed, equal, or fall short of "carrying capacity" under particular cultural, economic, political, and environmental constraints. Many northern communities seem to have outgrown local renewable resource limits. They can sustain themselves only by reducing demand, drawing down banked reserves, channeling local natural productivity into items of greater direct utility, accepting subsidies and dole, or agreeing (or selling rights) to development of exhaustible resources mainly with nonlocal capital. Each choice carries costs and benefits. For many communities the loss of identity and self-determination may be the most pernicious problem with the choice to host major nonrenewable resource projects. Key words: carrying capacity, environmental limits, community self-determination