The present doubling time for the human population is on the order of: A) years, B) decades, C) centuries, D) millennia, E) is unknown. Choose the letter that represents the best answer.

Question

The present doubling time for the human population is on the order of:  A) years,  B) decades,  C) centuries, D) millennia, E) is unknown. Choose the letter that represents the best answer.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating the present doubling time of the human population, we need to consider the timescale over which the global population number has been increasing.
Option A: 'years' would imply a doubling time on the order of just a few years, which is far too short given historical growth patterns and current demographic trends. Population doubling in mere years would require explosive growth inconsistent with observed fertility rates and resource constraints.
Option B: 'decades' corresponds to roughly 25–60 years, which aligns with many demographic studies that estimate the global population doubling time around the mid-20th century to late-21st century, depending on the specific baseline and projection model. This is the most widely cited order of magnitude for present doubling time.
Option C: 'centuries' would imply 100+ years for a doubling, which is longer than current global growth estimates suggest in most models; while some regions experience slower growth, the global aggregate typically does not double on such a long timescale.
Option D: 'millennia' would mean thousands of years per doubling, which is far too slow a rate given ongoing population increases and the momentum from prior population growth. This is not supported by contemporary demographic data.
Option E: 'is unknown' would be inaccurate because researchers do have estimates and well-supported ranges for doubling time, even if projections vary; there is sufficient statistical basis to give an order-of-magnitude estimate.

In light of these considerations, the most appropriate choice is Option B, since decades capture the current global doubling time scale more accurately than the other provided options. The other choices misrepresent the observed pace of population change either by implying unrealistically fast doubling (years) or by suggesting much slower growth (centuries or millennia) or by denying any known estimate (unknown).

GEOL1104851.1251 ESS Lab Final Exam

The present doubling time for the human population is on the order of: A) years, B) decades, C) centuries, D) millennia, E) is unknown. Choose the letter that represents the best answer.

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GEOL1104851.1251 ESS Lab Final Exam

The present doubling time for the human population is on the order of: A) years, B) decades, C) centuries, D) millennia, E) is unknown. Choose the letter that represents the best answer.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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