7 Billion and Counting...

There will soon be 7 billion people on the planet. When I was born, in 1987, there were 5 billion people. We've gained 2 billion in 24 years. In 1960, still not that long ago, there were 3 billion. 4 billion people in 50 years. 21 cities currently have populations larger than 10 million, and by 2050 that could easily double.
This major population influx is impacting our planet--big time. Our finite resources, such as water, could be depleted. (Check out this cool water use calculator to see how you measure up! ) There are now more mouths to feed, and therefore more crops to grow and animals to raise. There are more houses to build and energy to use and gas guzzling cars on the already jam-packed roads. Many of our largest cities are not equipped with a large enough water system, sewer system, or with habitations and jobs to sustain populations that large.
Several factors play into this population crisis; the population itself is of course a problem, but the side-effect of pollution might be a greater threat to our planet. For example, in cities in India such as Delhi, the problem of population is not necessarily the population, but the poverty...or is it that the poverty is a product of the overwhelming population? Cities such as this are suffering most from poverty--there is not enough to go around, and people are everywhere. The Indian goverment is looking to solve the problem by implementing forced birth control.
Regulated birth control isn't necessarily solving the environment problem, however; in sub-Sahara Africa, where population is growing rapidly but carbon emissions are minuscule in comparison to that of the US, the population problem there is more to do with mothers not being able to support their large familes. China is quite the opposite, and similar to the US in that the birth rate is finally falling, but emissions are at their highest, due to China's economic boom.
Ultimately, the biggest problem with a too-crowded world is the amount of resources being burned up and the amount of waste being produced. We need to seek out alternative forms of energy and use those whenever possible and pay attention to our consumption. This is not to say that the number doesn't matter, because this number impacts how much we eat and how much land we use up as well.


With Earth Day coming up, it's a great time to be mindful of how many other people are using this earth as home. This planet is our home, and we share it among us all. It deserves respect; it's kept and provided for its inhabitants for generations. It is also important to be mindful of our daily habits and the way we use energy and natural resources.
As National Geographic says in their January 2011 issue, "It's too late to keep the new middle class of 2030 from being born. But it's not too late to change the ways we all consume."

Check out the whole National Geographic article "7 Billion" in their January 2011 issue!


--Megan