scholarly journals Synchronization of energy consumption by human societies throughout the Holocene

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (40) ◽  
pp. 9962-9967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Freeman ◽  
Jacopo A. Baggio ◽  
Erick Robinson ◽  
David A. Byers ◽  
Eugenia Gayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Systems ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Global Comparison ◽  
Sustained Use ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Energy Consuming

We conduct a global comparison of the consumption of energy by human populations throughout the Holocene and statistically quantify coincident changes in the consumption of energy over space and time—an ecological phenomenon known as synchrony. When populations synchronize, adverse changes in ecosystems and social systems may cascade from society to society. Thus, to develop policies that favor the sustained use of resources, we must understand the processes that cause the synchrony of human populations. To date, it is not clear whether human societies display long-term synchrony or, if they do, the potential causes. Our analysis begins to fill this knowledge gap by quantifying the long-term synchrony of human societies, and we hypothesize that the synchrony of human populations results from (i) the creation of social ties that couple populations over smaller scales and (ii) much larger scale, globally convergent trajectories of cultural evolution toward more energy-consuming political economies with higher carrying capacities. Our results suggest that the process of globalization is a natural consequence of evolutionary trajectories that increase the carrying capacities of human societies.

Sustainable Development

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy N. Gamble
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Living Species

This entry describes how the viability of long-term human social systems is inextricably linked to human behavior, environmental resources, the health of the biosphere, and human relationships with all living species. New ways of thinking and acting in our engagement with the biosphere are explored, with attention to new ways of measuring well-being to understand the global relationships among human settlements, food security, human population growth, and especially alternative economic efforts based on prosperity rather than on growth. The challenge of social work is to engage in socioecological activities that will prevent and slow additional damage to the biosphere while at the same time helping human populations to develop the cultural adaptation and resilience required to confront increasing weather disasters; displacement resulting from rising seas; drought conditions that severely affect food supplies; the loss of biodiversity, soils, forests, fisheries, and clean air; and other challenges to human social organizations.

scholarly journals Global perspectives and impacts on Canada's environment

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. (Bert) Reid
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Sustained Use ◽  
Forest Use ◽  
Population Crisis ◽  
The Impact

The greatest threat to the future world environment is that of the uncontrolled population increase and the resulting severe land and air degradation. Global population in 1990 was estimated at 5.3 billion, and is expected to double to 10 billion early in the next century. The UN Population Fund Report of 1990 stated "we cannot solve the environmental crisis without solving the population crisis". An equal danger to a stable and acceptable global environment are the excessive demands and wasteful use of resources by the Western world's society. Twenty-five percent of the population uses 80% of the worlds resources. Some authorities state that "the impact of each Canadian on the environment is the equivalent of that of 40 to 50 third world residents." Canada will be increasingly impacted by these global environmental issues whether we like it or not. The greatest threat will be that we do not recognize this fact and that we do not prepare ourselves for sustained resource use. However, there are great opportunities for Canadian resource planners and users to play a leading role in adopting a sustained, long term forestry vocation in respect of the use of all its resources; and demonstrate to the global community how essential this is for a stable economy, a moderate lifestyle, and a protected environment. We have the technological capability and the proven expertise to achieve this, if we care to use it appropriately. The major task is "selling" this integrated sustained use or sharing concept to Canadian society because of the required sacrifices in lifestyles, economic costs, and certain environmental degradation. In the short term, progress can be made with public input to commissions, hearings and the like; but in the long term, a rational understanding of sustained forest use and conservation can only be achieved through education in all forms at all ages. An appreciation of global forest and related environmental issues, and their impacts on Canada, can facilitate positive Canadian action to practical sustained use of all forest and natural resources, in both a national and global context.

scholarly journals Agriculture, population growth, and statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Jabran Zahid ◽  
Erick Robinson ◽  
Robert L. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Rate Of Growth

The human population has grown significantly since the onset of the Holocene about 12,000 y ago. Despite decades of research, the factors determining prehistoric population growth remain uncertain. Here, we examine measurements of the rate of growth of the prehistoric human population based on statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record. We find that, during most of the Holocene, human populations worldwide grew at a long-term annual rate of 0.04%. Statistical analysis of the radiocarbon record shows that transitioning farming societies experienced the same rate of growth as contemporaneous foraging societies. The same rate of growth measured for populations dwelling in a range of environments and practicing a variety of subsistence strategies suggests that the global climate and/or endogenous biological factors, not adaptability to local environment or subsistence practices, regulated the long-term growth of the human population during most of the Holocene. Our results demonstrate that statistical analyses of large ensembles of radiocarbon dates are robust and valuable for quantitatively investigating the demography of prehistoric human populations worldwide.

α-Oxoaldehyde metabolism and diabetic complications

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1358-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Beisswenger ◽  
S.K. Howell ◽  
R.G. Nelson ◽  
M. Mauer ◽  
B.S. Szwergold
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Complications ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Protective Mechanisms ◽  
Glycation End Products ◽  
End Products

The factors responsible for variable susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy are not clear. According to the non-enzymatic glycation hypothesis, diabetes-related tissue damage occurs due to a complex mixture of toxic products, including α-oxoaldehydes, which are inherently toxic as well as serving as presursors for advanced glycation end-products. Protective mechanisms exist to control this unavoidable glycation, and these are determined by genetic or environmental factors that can regulate the concentrations of the reactive sugars or end-products. In diabetes these protective mechanisms become more important, since glycation stress increases, and less efficient defence systems against this stress could lead to diabetic complications. Some of these enzymatic control mechanisms, including those that regulate α-oxoaldehydes, have been identified. We have observed significant increases in production of the α-oxoaldehydes methylglyoxal and 3-deoxyglucosone in three human populations with biopsy-proven progression of nephropathy. The increase in methylglyoxal could be secondary to defects in downstream glycolytic enzymes (such as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) that regulate its production, or in detoxification mechanisms such as glyoxalase. Other mechanisms, however, appear to be responsible for the observed increase in 3-deoxyglucosone levels. We present results of our studies on the mechanisms responsible for variable production of α-oxoaldehydes by measuring the activity and characteristics of these enzymes in cells from complication-prone and -resistant diabetic patients. New therapeutic interventions designed to control these endogenous mechanisms could potentially enhance protection against excessive glycation and prevent or reverse complications of long-term diabetes.

A quantitative synthesis of Holocene vegetation change in Nigeria (Western Africa)

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110331
Author(s):  
Matthew Adesanya Adeleye ◽  
Simon Edward Connor ◽  
Simon Graeme Haberle
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
Chord Distance ◽  
Quantitative Synthesis ◽  
Climatic Regime ◽  
Pollen Records

Understanding long-term (centennial–millennial scale) ecosystem stability and dynamics are key to sustainable management and conservation of ecosystem processes under the currently changing climate. Fossil pollen records offer the possibility to investigate long-term changes in vegetation composition and diversity on regional and continental scales. Such studies have been conducted in temperate systems, but are underrepresented in the tropics, especially in Africa. This study attempts to synthesize pollen records from Nigeria (tropical western Africa) and nearby regions to quantitatively assess Holocene regional vegetation changes (turnover) and stability under different climatic regimes for the first time. We use the squared chord distance metric (SCD) to assess centennial-scale vegetation turnover in pollen records. Results suggest vegetation in most parts of Nigeria experienced low turnover under a wetter climatic regime (African Humid Period), especially between ~8000 and 5000 cal year BP. In contrast, vegetation turnover increased significantly under the drier climatic regime of the late-Holocene (between ~5000 cal year BP and present), reflecting the imp role of moisture changes in tropical west African vegetation dynamics during the Holocene. Our results are consistent with records of vegetation and climatic changes in other parts of Africa, suggesting the Holocene pattern of vegetation change in Nigeria is a reflection of continental-scale climatic changes.

Long-term summer warming trend during the Holocene in central Asia indicated by alpine peat α-cellulose δ13C record

2019 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 56-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Rao ◽  
Chao Huang ◽  
Luhua Xie ◽  
Fuxi Shi ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Summer Warming

scholarly journals An Ancient Baboon Genome Demonstrates Long-Term Population Continuity in Southern Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Mathieson ◽  
Federico Abascal ◽  
Lasse Vinner ◽  
Pontus Skoglund ◽  
Cristina Pomilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Papio Ursinus ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
Population Continuity ◽  
High Degree

Abstract Baboons are one of the most abundant large nonhuman primates and are widely studied in biomedical, behavioral, and anthropological research. Despite this, our knowledge of their evolutionary and demographic history remains incomplete. Here, we report a 0.9-fold coverage genome sequence from a 5800-year-old baboon from the site of Ha Makotoko in Lesotho. The ancient baboon is closely related to present-day Papio ursinus individuals from southern Africa—indicating a high degree of continuity in the southern African baboon population. This level of population continuity is rare in recent human populations but may provide a good model for the evolution of Homo and other large primates over similar timespans in structured populations throughout Africa.

scholarly journals Three distinct Holocene intervals of stalagmite deposition and nondeposition revealed in NW Madagascar, and their paleoclimate implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1771-1790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ny Riavo Gilbertinie Voarintsoa ◽  
Loren Bruce Railsback ◽  
George Albert Brook ◽  
Lixin Wang ◽  
Gayatri Kathayat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Intertropical Convergence Zone ◽  
Convergence Zone ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Resolution Data

Abstract. Petrographic features, mineralogy, and stable isotopes from two stalagmites, ANJB-2 and MAJ-5, respectively from Anjohibe and Anjokipoty caves, allow distinction of three intervals of the Holocene in NW Madagascar. The Malagasy early Holocene (between ca. 9.8 and 7.8 ka) and late Holocene (after ca. 1.6 ka) intervals (MEHI and MLHI, respectively) record evidence of stalagmite deposition. The Malagasy middle Holocene interval (MMHI, between ca. 7.8 and 1.6 ka) is marked by a depositional hiatus of ca. 6500 years. Deposition of these stalagmites indicates that the two caves were sufficiently supplied with water to allow stalagmite formation. This suggests that the MEHI and MLHI intervals may have been comparatively wet in NW Madagascar. In contrast, the long-term depositional hiatus during the MMHI implies it was relatively drier than the MEHI and the MLHI. The alternating wet–dry–wet conditions during the Holocene may have been linked to the long-term migrations of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). When the ITCZ's mean position is farther south, NW Madagascar experiences wetter conditions, such as during the MEHI and MLHI, and when it moves north, NW Madagascar climate becomes drier, such as during the MMHI. A similar wet–dry–wet succession during the Holocene has been reported in neighboring locations, such as southeastern Africa. Beyond these three subdivisions, the records also suggest wet conditions around the cold 8.2 ka event, suggesting a causal relationship. However, additional Southern Hemisphere high-resolution data will be needed to confirm this.

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