A Crowded Kitchen

Did you know the human population is 7.7 billion people as of 2019? It is expected to grow by close to 100 million people a year. At some future point, we could outgrow our planet.

Every environment has a carrying capacity, or maximum number of individuals it can support. You may be able to fit 50 people in your kitchen. But if you are trying to prepare and eat a sandwich, you may not be comfortable with more than two or three people sharing the space. Why is that?

Think about what you need in your kitchen. You need space to move around--to find the jelly, bread, and peanut butter. You also need cabinets to store your dishes and peanut butter, and a refrigerator for the jelly. If you like toasted bread, you'll need a toaster or an oven. You'll need room for other resources, too. You may pull the jelly knife from a drawer, make your sandwich on a countertop, and sit on a chair at a table to enjoy your sandwich. With 50 people crowded in your kitchen, you wouldn't be able to do these things. You would have exceeded the carrying capacity of your kitchen.

With rapid human population growth, we could eventually exceed the carrying capacity of Earth. Even though we actually could fit all the humans on Earth right now into just the state of Texas, we wouldn't have much room to move around or do the things we need to survive and be happy. Try the activity below to see a cool way you can demonstrate this idea.

Activity (optional)

1. Click the Activity button to access the Apple Earth Demonstration worksheet.
2. Find an adult to help you with the demonstration.