October 25, 2019
The global population has reached 7.7 billion this year according to the World Health Organization’s report. This means that between 1980 and 2015 there has been an average increase of 400 million people every five years. Furthermore between 2015 and 2019 there has been an increase of almost 100 million people every year.
However, there is no sign of population growth slowing down. In fact, experts predict the world will have 8 billion people by 2023, 9 billion by 2037, and 10 billion in 2057.
China and India are currently in the lead for most populous countries with 1.430 billion people living in the former and 1.370 billion in the latter. But the rate of population increase is faster in India and it won’t be long till they overtake China as the number one most populous nation.
Naturally, this exceptionally high population boom carries with it it’s own problems and challenges. The first major obstacle is hunger as experts point out it will become increasingly difficult to provide enough food and water to the global population. People are giving birth faster than food production and distribution can keep up with.
So too do energy supplies and natural resources fail to meet increasing demands. On the other hand, human destruction of the natural environment has not decreased a bit. Only a small fraction of the world’s population actually adheres to environmental conservation and its related activities.
The modern lifestyle of the increasing human population will also bring with it increased pollution to the land, water and air of the Earth. Back in 2014, scientists made various calculations on the Earth’s sustainability in the face of its increasing human denizens and estimated the limit at 10 billion. This means we have roughly 40 years left until we reach that limit and we must work hard to prevent possible difficulties from arising.
The first step to resolving this issue is for everyone alive to understand the issues we have as critical problems that concerns every living being on this planet. This line of thinking will usher in individual respect for nature and a willingness to preserve it.
An important point of note is that the population crisis and its consequences may be felt within our lifetime. As it is a global phenomenon, the problem cannot be relegated to just one nation or body of authority. It requires the collective effort of all human beings from all corners of the globe to figure out sustainable solutions for our shared future.
