To analyze the relationship between the management of coal resources and human populations, we need to carefully examine the provided data regarding population growth rates, conservation tactics, and the number of years before the population runs out of coal.
The data table consists of five different scenarios:
1. No population growth and no conservation tactic: The coal lasts for 340 years.
2. Average population growth and no conservation tactic: The coal lasts for only 150 years.
3. Average population growth with the construction of a wind power plant: The coal lasts for 175 years.
4. Average population growth with the construction of a wind power plant and public energy conservation education: The coal lasts for 250 years.
5. High population growth and no conservation tactic: The coal lasts for just 100 years.
From these data points, we can make the following observations:
- Without any conservation efforts, the number of years coal lasts decreases significantly as the population growth rate increases from none (340 years) to average (150 years) to high (100 years).
- Introducing a conservation tactic like building a wind power plant (for a population with an average growth rate) increases the number of years the coal lasts from 150 years to 175 years.
- Implementing additional conservation measures such as educating the public about energy conservation further extends this duration from 175 years to 250 years for the same average growth rate population.
Based on these observations, the data clearly show that conservation efforts can significantly extend the availability of coal resources for a population. Specifically, the data illustrate that:
- Conservation tactics, such as building sustainable energy sources and educating about energy conservation, effectively prolong the period before coal resources are exhausted despite increasing population pressures.
Therefore, the conclusion that aligns with these findings is:
D. Conservation can extend how long coal resources are available to a population.
