World Population Hits 7 Billion

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Photo Credit: NASA

Can you believe that the global population reached the 7 billion mark on Monday?

When my grandfather was born in 1927, the population had just reached 2 billion. If he lives to be 100, he could see it reach 8 billion. Now if I live to be 100, the population could reach 10 billion during my lifetime—the theoretically “leveling off” point. A population of 10 billion won’t be pretty…

People will starve. There won’t be enough water. Areas will be so densely populated that disease will spread like wildfire. Think about global warming. When the polar ice caps melt, ocean levels will rise and we’ll have even les s usable space.

How do we change this without taking a step backwards?

An estimated 215 million women around the world would like to delay or prevent pregnancy, but lack access to contraceptives. Let’s empower women to take control of their lives. Give all women (and men!) access to education, higher-salaried jobs, and modern contraceptives. Population growth will slow down.

What else can we do? No matter how much we can slow population growth down, it’s inevitable that it will reach 10 billion at some point. We have to make sure that there are enough resources to support everyone. It’s possible, but not with the way we currently live.

A few ideas:

  • Recycle
  • Conserve water
  • Reduce pollution
  • Improve farming practices
  • Reduce meat consumption

How much has the population grown during your lifetime?

You can read more here.

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