Which of the following describes the long-term outlook if natural resource consumption is not addressed?

• A. Both population and resource availability will remain stable.
• B. Either per-person consumption will drop, population will decrease, or both.
• C. Per-person consumption will rise dramatically.
• D. The environment will fully recover without policy changes.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that resources are finite and systems respond to scarcity. If natural resource use isn’t addressed, you don’t reach a stable situation because demand will eventually outpace supply. As a result, the long-term outcome tends to be that either the amount each person can consume falls, the population declines, or both, since prices rise, efficiency and rationing appear, and carrying capacity is challenged. This is why the best answer says consumption per person, population, or both would drop or shrink rather than remaining constant, allowing the system to adjust. The other possibilities ignore the reality that continuous use of finite resources without changes leads to limits, not automatic recovery or unlimited per-person growth.