Final answer:
The human population has grown exponentially due to environmental alterations like the excessive use of fossil fuels, leading to industrialization and improved living conditions. However, this has caused habitat destruction, unsustainable resource use, and a decline in biodiversity, posing long-term risks to the environment and humanity itself.
Step-by-step explanation:
Humans have indeed altered environmental factors that have allowed the human population to grow exponentially. An example of such an environmental alteration is the excessive use of fossil fuels, which has significantly impacted Earth's ecosystems and, consequently, its carrying capacity for humans.
The combustion of fossil fuels has led to industrialization, which supports higher population densities by increasing food supplies through mechanized agriculture and by improving medical care. This has allowed our species to optimize the environment for our survival and growth. However, this has come at a cost, including habitat destruction, unsustainable resource use, and the decline of biodiversity due to anthropogenic climate change and pollution.
It is essential to recognize that while these activities have enabled the human population to thrive, they have also caused global environmental issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer, desertification, topsoil loss, and a widespread change in climate patterns. These global-scale changes have the potential to threaten not just various animal and plant species, but human societies themselves, with the risk of famine, disease, and social unrest.
Technological advancements, especially in energy, have allowed humans to change the carrying capacity of their environment. However, the long-term consequences of this growth, coupled with unsustainable practices, may eventually limit further population increases and decrease the quality of life, if not addressed through sustainable development and conservation measures.