Final answer:
Exponential growth cannot continue indefinitely in the real world due to limited resources. Population growth exacts a toll on the earth as more people use more environmental resources. Humans have enabled their population to grow exponentially by increasing their own carrying capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the real world, with its limited resources, exponential growth cannot continue indefinitely. Exponential growth may occur in environments where there are few individuals and plentiful resources, but when the number of individuals gets large enough, resources will be depleted, slowing the growth rate. Eventually, the growth rate will plateau or level off. This population size, which represents the maximum population size that a particular environment can support, is called the carrying capacity, or K.
Human population will continue to grow until it either crashes due to the depletion of resources or stabilizes at a sustainable carrying capacity. Population growth exacts a toll on the earth as more people use more environmental resources. The areas most immediately affected by increased populations include forests (a fuel resource and a source of building material), fresh water supplies, and agricultural soils. These systems get overtaxed, and their depletion has serious consequences.
By increasing their own carrying capacity, humans have enabled their population to grow exponentially.