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The planet will reach 7 billion people by the end of this October.
That鈥檚 the most recent calculation from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Yesterday, as with every July 11th since 1987鈥攚hen the number of world inhabitants reached 5 billion鈥攚e celebrated , 鈥渁n occasion to mark the significance of population trends and related issues,鈥 according to UNFPA. It鈥檚 a huge milestone, but what does it mean for the environment?
Figuring that out is one of the goals of UNFPA鈥檚 鈥溾 launched yesterday. 鈥淒emands for water, trees, food, and fossil fuels will only increase as world population grows,鈥 states the campaign. 鈥淗uman activity has altered every aspect of our planet, including its climate. Shortages of clean water and arable land are already a problem, while species loss continues. The resilience of ecosystems鈥攆rom fisheries to forests鈥攊s threatened.鈥
In fact, 17,000 plant and animal species risk extinction by habitat loss, invasive species, high consumption, and climate change, reports the UN Department of Public Information. That鈥檚 hardly likely to decrease, especially when you consider these numbers from the UK-based :
- The world population increases annually by about 80 million people
- That equals about 1.5 million weekly
- That鈥檚 also approximately 10,000 people every hour of every day
The point of 鈥7 Billion Actions鈥 isn鈥檛 to scare or threaten people, but rather to motivate people to action and to promote open dialogue about the implications of having so many bodies on the planet. Some environmental groups suggest as a solution better contraception; others say we need to better use the resources we have. Naturalist Sir David Attenborough says the first step is removing the taboo of the topic.
鈥淭he sooner we stabilize our numbers, the sooner we stop running up the down escalator,鈥 he said in a March 2011 . He closed the talk with this thought: 鈥淓very one of these global problems, social as well as environmental, becomes more difficult and ultimately impossible to solve with ever more people.鈥
What solution do you think will make a difference?