The global population has recently surpassed 8 billion people. This number grows by 2.6 every second.
"In a few hours, the world population will be 8 billion," said one tweet. The person shudders and asks, "Where are all these people going to fit in?"
Year 1. I would like to see that year. It's the time when the rivers are gushing, the trees are bursting with fruit, and people are breathing in oxygen. The world population that year was estimated to be between 150 and 300 thousand people. That's difficult for me to imagine. I'd like you to consider the land per capita rate. What would our ancestors think if they saw the world today? Yes, we made your beautiful world like this. Not because of the people, but maybe we will be unable to walk because of the many buildings.
The rapidly increasing population projections since the first year are also concerning. The fact that our population grows by one billion every ten years, especially after the 1950s, sheds light on future growth rates. We will surpass 9 billion people in 2037 and 10 billion in 2058. While China and India have the largest populations, they almost compete. It is predicted that India will soon outpace China. The United States is third, followed by Indonesia and Pakistan in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy have the most people in Europe.
It would not be incorrect to blame industry and technology for this population growth. People died earlier in the past than they do now. Before the discovery of antibiotics, wars, attacks by wild animals, and diseases that we now consider simple were among the leading causes of human death. Technological advancements have resulted in improvements in industry and medicine, which have decreased young-age mortality and hastened population growth. It is estimated that between 45 and 125 billion people have lived on Earth since 50,000 BC. Of course, we would have accomplished much more if we had used this number from the start.
Should we be concerned?
Yes. Scientists predict that by 2100, the world's population will be so large that we will require three worlds to sustain our current lifestyles. In 80 years, how do we find two more worlds? According to The World Counts, we currently require 1.79 worlds, increasing by the second. So why do we need to discover two more worlds by 2100? Our resources and area of land are both limited. Scarcity, water and energy limitations, inflation, air, water & land pollution, medical restrictions, difficulty accessing medicine and doctors, and climate problems are the significant issues we will face in the future.
What are our options?
We must educate ourselves and our children about birth control and adoption. We should be aware of the effects of population growth and raise environmental awareness by supporting organizations prioritizing this issue. We must highlight family support programs and strengthen the global right to equal education. Child marriage must be outright prohibited everywhere in the world. With more measures than we can list here, we can at least slow the population growth for a while.
However, the future appears to be unavoidable. The world is dying as a result of wars and irresponsible resource depletion. We will be swallowed by the monster we created with our hands sooner or later. We must band together and end wrongdoing for future generations and our children. But, no matter what, never give up hope.
Bonus: Can We Save The Planet?
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