Population and Environment is a journal that is published four times a year and reviewed by experts before publication. It focuses on research about how population, natural resources, and the environment influence each other. The journal was first created in 1978 under the name Journal of Population and changed its name to Population and Environment in 1980.
The biocapacity of an ecosystem is a measure of how much it can produce, such as natural resources, and how well it can absorb and filter materials like carbon dioxide from the air. Biocapacity is used with the ecological footprint to show how humans affect the environment. Both tools were created by the Global Footprint Network and are used in studies about sustainability worldwide.
Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) is the date when humans use more natural resources in a year than Earth can replace by that same year. In 2025, this date was July 24. The term “overshoot” means that humans use more resources than Earth can sustainably provide.
Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) is the date when humans use more natural resources in a year than Earth can replace by that same year. In 2025, this date was July 24. The term “overshoot” means that humans use more resources than Earth can sustainably provide.
The Global Footprint Network was created in 2003. It is an independent organization that studies and provides ideas about how to protect the environment. It was first started in the United States, Belgium, and Switzerland, and it operates as a nonprofit organization in each of these countries.
The ecological footprint shows how much of Earth’s natural resources humans use to support people and their economies. It uses a system to track how much nature is needed for human activities. This system compares the area of land and water people use to meet their needs with the area of land and water available in a place, country, or the whole world (called biocapacity).
A diversity index is a way to measure how many different types, such as species, are in a group of data, like a community. These indices show different parts of biodiversity, such as how many types there are, how evenly they are spread out, and which ones are most common. In ecology, the types studied are usually species, but they can also be other groups, like genera, families, or functional types.
Umbilicaria cylindrica, also called fringed rock tripe, is a leafy lichen that grows in cold, high-altitude, and polar regions around the world. It forms round-shaped structures called thalli, which are 2–10 centimeters in size. These thalli have a dark top surface surrounded by a border of tiny, hair-like projections.
Diatomaceous earth filtration is a method used to remove tiny particles from liquids. This process uses a layer made from the fossilized remains of microscopic water organisms called diatoms. These diatoms are mined from diatomite deposits, which are found on Earth’s surface because they have built up in sediment from moving water bodies.
The Macroinvertebrate Community Index (MCI) is a tool used in New Zealand to measure the health of freshwater streams. Scientists look at the types and numbers of macroinvertebrates, such as insects, worms, and snails, in a stream to understand how clean or polluted the water is. Each species is given a score based on how sensitive it is to pollution.