Land (2024)


Land

© Eric R. Pianka

"Land, they aren't making any more of it" -- Will Rogers

Despite claimsto the contrary, humans cannot live without food and water. One third of Earth's surface is desert which supports very few people. People can visit deserts but long-term survival in desert regions is very tenuous. Cities built in deserts like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tuscon, cannot exist without importing water or pumping groundwater out of deep aquifers. Indeed, they all face serious water shortages. Similarly, humans cannot sustain themselves for very long in mountains, though we often visit these regions on a temporary basis. Humans have occupied almost all of Earth's habitable lands.

Land (1)Some like to assert that everybody on Earth could be fit into the State of Texas, using logic as follows. The area of Texas is about 262,000 mi2. Dividing this figure by the current human population of 7 billion leaves each person with about 1000 square feet, a small plot the size of a big room about 33 ft x 33 ft. Sounds plausible enough, right? Without going into the fact that almost half the State is desert, notice we have not allowed for any roads, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, football stadiums, prisons, sewage plants, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, golf courses, parks, and what else?How much land does it take to support a human being?

Land (2)Boundaries of China superimposed upon those of the USA.

Land (3)Let's do the math again, but this time for the entire planet. The total land surface area of Earth is about 57,308,738 square miles, of which about 33% is desert and about 24% is mountainous. Subtracting this uninhabitable 57% (32,665,981 mi2) from the total land area leaves 24,642,757 square miles or 15.77 billion acres of habitable land.

Divide this figure by the current human population of 7 billion (that's7,000 million people) and you get 2.3 acres (about one hectare) per person. If all the habitable land on Earth were equally distributed among all human beings present on the planet, this is the per capita share of good land per person. Again, however, we have not allowed for any amenities such as highways, schools, hospitals, shopping malls, stadiums, agricultural fields, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, parks, golf courses, etc. Even so, could you live on 2.3 acres?

Efforts have been made to estimate the amount of land needed to sustain an average individual human (link). A person living the profligate lifestyle of an average American requires almost 24 acres, ten times the world per capita share.

Bottom Line: For everyone presently on this planet to enjoy the lifestyle of an average American, we would need about ten planet Earths. We have only one. For everyone to live like an American, Earth can only support about one-tenth as many people. To increase the average quality of life, the number of people on Earth must be reduced.


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Land (2024)

FAQs

Land? ›

a. : the solid part of the surface of the earth. also : a corresponding part of a celestial body (such as the moon) b. : ground or soil of a specified situation, nature, or quality.

What is the simple definition of land? ›

noun. any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands: Land was sighted from the crow's nest. an area of ground with reference to its nature or composition: arable land.

What happened to the husband and son in the movie land? ›

She finally tells him that her husband and son were shot and killed. “You gave me all I want,” he tells her. “You gave me to die in a state of grace.” Edee responds, “You made me want to live again.” In this way, the two are matched, and Edee calls her sister Emma, a marker of her rejoining society.

Why is land called land? ›

The word land derived from the Old English word land, meaning "ground, soil", and "definite portion of the earth's surface, home region of a person or a people, territory marked by political boundaries".

What was the point of the movie land? ›

Parents need to know that Land is a quiet character study about grief, trauma, and isolation. Directed by and starring Robin Wright, it follows Edee (Wright), a melancholy lawyer who nearly dies while attempting to live off the grid.

What is considered land? ›

land-1The solid part of the Earth's surface not covered by water. 2. A specific part of the Earth's surface; country, region.

What does land include? ›

Land includes any natural resource used to produce goods and services; anything that comes from the land. Some common land or natural resources are water, oil, copper, natural gas, coal, and forests.

What was the tragedy in land? ›

Robin Wright directs and stars. It is roughly a two year slice of her life not long after she lost both her husband and her young son in a crime. Other than that we don't learn any backstory.

Is Land a true story? ›

Script is not based on a book or true life story. As opposed to the movie" Into the Wild", which I also found frustrating to watch the main character's stupidity as they go into rugged terrain totally unprepared.

What is the family tragedy in land? ›

Over time they develop a friendship as Miguel continues to join her to hunt, harvest crops, and explore her land. Miguel shares that his wife and daughter died in a car accident eight years prior, while Edee simply reveals that she used to have a family.

What places end in land? ›

Common name:
  • Finland.
  • Iceland.
  • Ireland.
  • The Netherlands.
  • Poland.
  • Switzerland.
  • Thailand.
  • Deutschland (Germany)

How much water is on Earth? ›

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321,003,271 cubic miles is in the ocean.

Why is land so important? ›

Land is an important provider of food. It is constantly cycling nutrients, holding water, soil, and air, and providing stability for organisms to grow. Every day, people can choose to be stewards of the land and care for it, which begins with recognition. We cannot care about that to which we do not pay attention.

What is she grieving about in the movie Land? ›

The film Land, actor Robin Wright's directorial debut, offers a look at one woman's response to shattering grief upon the loss of her husband and child.

What state was the movie Land filmed in? ›

Even with that experience, Land, which was filmed over the course of 29 days atop Moose Mountain in Alberta, Canada, posed extreme challenges. "We lived the movie that we shot," Wright says. She slept in a trailer on the top of the mountain, near Edee's cabin.

Who was Emma in Land? ›

Kim Dickens: Emma

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How do you explain land to a child? ›

The surface of Earth—apart from oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers—is land. Much of it might appear to be unused: mountain ranges, the great deserts, swamps, and vast tracts of forest and jungle.

What is the word that means land? ›

Strongest matches. acreage, area, beach, continent, country, countryside, district, earth, estate, farmland, field, ground, home, homeland, nation, parcel, plot, province, ranch, real estate, region, shore, soil, terrain, territory, tract.

What is the law of the land simple? ›

A quick definition of law of the land:

The law of the land refers to all the valid laws that exist in a country or jurisdiction at a particular time. This includes all the rules and regulations that people must follow. The law of the land is always changing as new laws are made and old ones are removed.

What's the best definition of land quizlet? ›

The Earth's surface extending downward to the center of the Earth and upward to infinity, including permanently attached natural objects.

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