Does Earth have a carrying capacity?
How many humans can Earth support?
Carrying Capacity- the number of individuals an environment can support.
Look at the human population data show below from 10,000 BC to 2000:
Part I: use the graph above to answer the following questions in your journal, in
complete sentences.
1. (a) Describe the rate/amount of growth until about 1000 years ago. (b) Describe the rate
of growth after 1000 AD.
2. (a) What do you notice that happens around year 1400 AD? (b) Why do you think
there was this trend?
3. Mathematically how would you describe the population growth in this graph? HINT:
what shaped curve is it?
4. Do you think human population can or will continue to grow at this rate? Why or why
not?
Part II: view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BbkQiQyaYc. Lights (dots) indicate
areas of most growth. Each dot is one million people. Answer the following
questions in your journal in complete sentences.
1. Describe the distribution and rate of population growth from 1 AD to present
(summarize after viewing).
2. What happens in the last 100 years of time (last few seconds of the video)?
3. Continued exponential human growth is not sustainable over the long-term. Discuss
three potential consequences of continued exponential human growth.
Part III: National Geographic 7 billion: answer questions in blanks below after
viewing video second time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=sc4HxPxNrZ0
1. Before watching video, world population = ______________________________ see
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
2. It would take _________ years to count to 7 billion out loud.
3. Seven billion steps would take you ___________ times around the Earth.
4. About every second ________ people are born and _________ people die.
5. People are living longer too, in 2010 the average person lived _____ years, but in 1960
the average person lived ______ years.
6. Fewer people are living in rural areas and more are living in urban areas. In 1975 there
were only 3 megacities (exceeding 10 million people): Mexico City, Tokyo, and
____________________. Now there are __________ megacities worldwide.
7. Standing shoulder to shoulder all 7 billion people could fit into an area the size of
____________________, so space alone doesn’t seem to be a limiting factor for human
growth. Other resources are in short supply and are not used equally be all:
_____ % consume 23% of the world’s energy.
_____% of us don’t have clean drinking water.
_____% lack adequate sanitation.
8. After viewing video, world population = ________________________________ see
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
9. In your opinion, what do you think will be the limits to human population growth on
Earth?
Part IV: National Geographic: The world’s most typical person. View clip and
answer the following questions in your journal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2xOvKFFz4&feature=relmfu
1. Describe some characteristics of a ‘typical person on Earth’
2. Describe the ways you are typical and the ways you are not typical from the average
person on Earth.
3. Describe what is meant by “our choices make a big difference [when] multiplied by 7
billion’
4. How is Earth’s carrying capacity influenced by ‘our choices’?
TEACHER PAGE
Population Clock: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
World Population:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BbkQiQyaYc
National Geographic ‘7 Billion’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc4HxPxNrZ0
National Geographic ‘Are you typical?’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2xOvKFFz4&feature=relmfu
Terra Nova: http://www.fox.com/terranova/full-episodes/1455291/ (Genesis Episode)