Earth's Carrying Capacity In the year 2011, Earth reached a huge milestone. The human population rose to 7 billion people. This growth seems incredible. The population was just 6 billion in 1999. This means the population increased by 1 billion people in only 12 years!
However thrilling this news may seem, it also has people worried. Many scientists doubt that the planet can support so many people. They think that Earth may be reaching its carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is another way of saying maximum population. The idea was first introduced by Thomas Malthus in the 18th century. Carrying capacity has to do with balance. Just as a pond can only have so many fish, Earth can only have so many humans. The planet has a limited amount of air, food, and water. When these things are easy to get, the human population grows. When these things become scarce, or hard to find, Earth reaches its carrying capacity.
Sadly, there is proof that today's population levels are already harming the Earth. But it is important to remember that carrying capacity is not a fixed number. By taking better care of the planet, we might be able to support future population growth. Which of the following does the author use to support the belief that population growth could be a problem?
A. an account of the life of Thomas Malthus
B. an estimate of Earth's remaining water supply
C. a definition of the term "carrying capacity"
D. a fact about how the population has decreased

what: when quoting a source, use the author’s words verbatim, or word-for-word. this means you shouldn’t change any grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. put quotations around the words to tell your reader where the quote begins and where it ends.

you also need to acknowledge the author. for example, if using mla format for your research paper, you should have in-text citations with the author’s name and page number listed at the end of each quote.

when: use quotations to provide concrete examples to support your claims. using direct quotations is a great way to build your credibility on the subject. it’s also a good idea to quote your source when the author states things in a powerful way. if you think he or she said it best, then use the exact words to share the ideas.

example: in the short story “a jury of her peers”, mrs. hale compares mrs. wright to her caged bird, saying “she—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. how—she—did—change” (glaspell).

paraphrasing

what: paraphrasing differs from quoting because you restate the passage in your own words. since you don’t use the author’s words, you don’t need to use quotation marks. however, you still need to acknowledge the author for his or her ideas.

when paraphrasing a text, you should communicate the full meaning of the text; don’t change the meaning. it can be a condensed version of the text, or it could end up being longer than the source it’s paraphrasing.

when: you use paraphrasing when you take notes, or explain a chart or diagram to someone. paraphrasing highlight the important parts of a larger text. it also allows you to simplify the ideas for your readers.

example:

original: “it was no ordinary thing that called her away–it was probably further from ordinary than anything that had ever happened in dickson county. but what her eye took in was that her kitchen was in no shape for leaving: her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted” (glaspell).

paraphrase: as mrs. hales walks around mrs. wright’s home, she notices that the kitchen is in disarray as if she was in the middle of baking bread (glaspell).