Is the rising population an imminent threat to humans?
“The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.” – Thomas Malthus
World Population Day was first observed in1989 by the United Nations, inspired by the celebration of ‘Five Billion Day’ on July 11th when the world population reached five billion. The significance of this day is to raise awareness among people about the consequences of the increasing population growth today. Overpopulation has become a global crisis as the world’s resources are depleting at an unsustainable rate. It has also become critical that people must be well informed about reproductive health needs and its governing policies.
“A world of 8 billion: Towards a resilient future for all – Harnessing opportunities and ensuring rights and choices for all”
This year that is theme for World Population Day. As the count has nearly touched 8 billion by now, for the greater good everyone has to step ahead together and forge a resilient world.
The Population Growth
By 2022, the world population has increased to 7.96 billion people, which means seven billion nine million people to be fed, nurtured, educated and clothed. This also means 7.96 billion people are to be consuming resources while simultaneously producing waste on a humongous scale. It has been estimated by the United Nations, that the population of the world will hit 9.2 billion by 2050, and by 2100 it will hit 10.8 billion. These huge numbers are because of the falling mortality rate as those of us who live today will most likely outlive the years our ancestors had probably lived. Lack of female education is also a major cause as the numbers are so disturbing that nearly touches 130 million girls. Thus, by educating more female children, early marriages could be avoided thereby decreasing the fertility rates.
Globally the average population density is 61 people per km2, but there are huge differences across countries as the distribution of people is widely unequal.
For several centuries, China has been the world’s most populous country. But not for long: it’s expected that India will overtake China within the next decade. Following China and India, there is the United States (333 million), Indonesia (276 million), and Brazil (214 million). To Explore more about the official data regarding World Population Growth. Click here.
Global Challenges
These facts are more than just numbers. An increase in the population is directly proportional to the increase in demographic issues to a greater extent. The destructive consumption habits, excessive consumption of the resources, population distribution, and composition can affect the environment drastically. All these could contribute to economical degradation, reduced resilience in the face of climate change, exacerbation of resources, increased conflicts, and a higher risk of large-scale disasters like pandemics. Thus, it is important for us to address the elephant in the room.
Still, humanity’s demand for renewable resources remains 68 percent higher than what the planet can renew. Think about it 30 years down the line. Then the ecological footprint would be so high that it will break the resilience of our planet, making it vulnerable.
Billions of Planets, One Earth
The concern is real and if this carries on, we will need 3 Earths to live as we have. But the problem here is, where are the other 2 Earths? The solution for decreasing the demographical vulnerabilities lies in technical innovation, sustainable living, change in education and policies, and most importantly bringing the population issues into the conversation. It’s still possible, yet it would take a lot of combined efforts from individuals, society, and the government to make it. We can’t turn a blind eye as this affects us all. This year, on World Population Day, let’s take a step toward sustainable living and gift the upcoming generations a beautiful world to live in.
If you want to share anything on a topic you care deeply for, send us your submission. Here are the guidelines.
