World estimated to hit 7 billion people in less then a week
154 replies, posted
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[TD][URL="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/26/world/world-population/index.html?hpt=hp_c2"][IMG]http://mattroloff.com/speaking/images/logo_cnn_r.png[/IMG][/URL][/TD]
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[TD][SUP]October 26, 2011 -- Updated 1443 GMT (2243 HKT)[/SUP][/TD]
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[TD][IMG]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44722719/A.png[/IMG]s the global population hits 7 billion in the coming days, nations can take steps to tackle critical challenges and prepare for the arrival of billions more people this century, the United Nations said Wednesday.
The milestone is expected to be reached on October 31.
"With planning and the right investments in people now ... our world of 7 billion can have thriving, sustainable cities, productive labor forces that can fuel economic growth, youth populations that contribute to the well-being of economies and societies, and a generation of older people who are healthy and actively engaged in the social and economic affairs of their communities," UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said in a new report.
Among the steps the report focuses on are empowering young people with economic opportunities; planning for the growth of cities; developing programs to share and sustain the Earth's resources; and improving education, including sexual education.
A U.N. report published in May predicts a global population of 9.3 billion by 2050, and more than 10 billion by the end of this century.
"With only a small variation in fertility, particularly in the more populous countries, the total could be higher: 10.6 billion people could be living on Earth by 2050 and more than 15 billion in 2100," says the Population Division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Much of the increase will come in Africa and Asia.
In light of growing concerns about the global economy, the new UNFPA report highlights financial dangers facing people in industrialized and developing nations.
"While labor shortages threaten to stymie the economies of some industrialized countries, unemployed would-be migrants in developing countries are finding more and more national borders closed to them and the expertise they may have to offer. And while progress is being made in reducing extreme poverty, gaps between rich and poor are widening almost everywhere."
The 7 billion mark is a huge spike from less than a century ago. In 1927, the global population was 2 billion.
It was only 13 years ago that the population was at 6 billion, the United Nations says.
Changing demographics are quickly reshaping the world in numerous ways.
People under the age of 25 make up 43% of the world's population, the United Nations says.
About half of the world's population lives in cities. Within about 35 years, two-thirds will, it says.
While reaching 7 billion in 2011 has long been predicted, the new U.N. report Wednesday -- "State of World Population 2011" -- highlights changes and trends to offer a complex picture.
In a summary of the report, the agency notes that "women are on average having fewer children than they were in the 1960s."
The number of children a woman is expected to have dropped from an average of 6 to 2.5, the report says.
But there are far more women than there were in the 1960s.
"In some of the poorest countries, high fertility rates hamper development and perpetuate poverty, while in some of the richest countries, low fertility rates and too few people entering the job market are raising concerns about prospects for sustained economic growth and the viability of social security systems," the summary says.
A few more facts and figures from the report:
--Today there are 893 million people over the age of 60; by the middle of the century, that number will rise to 2.4 billion.
--Asia will remain the most populous area this century, but Africa "will gain ground as its population more than triples, increasing from 1 billion in 2011 to 3.6 billion in 2100."
--The combined population of other areas -- including the Americas, Europe, and Oceania -- is currently 1.7 billion, and is expected to rise to nearly 2 billion by 2060, "then decline very slowly."[/TD]
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Glad someone's optimistic.
EDIT: [B]7 billion[/B] has been reached.[/TD]
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[B]STORY HIGHLIGHTS[/B]
• [SUP][B]NEW: [/B]World population could surpass 15 billion by the end of the century, the U.N. says[/SUP]
• [SUP]In 1927, the world's population was 2 billion[/SUP]
• [SUP]People under age 25 make up 43% of the current population[/SUP]
• [SUP]Africa's population is expected to more than triple this century[/SUP][/TD]
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Oo, this is like watching the odometer on a car roll over when it reaches a high value.
We need to implement population limits before its too late
Currently the population is
6 999 074 449
[QUOTE=meppers;32976406]We need to implement population limits before its too late[/QUOTE]
So 2 children per couple?
We are quickly approaching our stable limit on people.
[QUOTE=valkery;32976437]We are quickly approaching our stable limit on people.[/QUOTE]
Not really, there is still plenty of room and resources to last the human race. Some countries actually have a negative population growth now (Such as Japan and Hungary I believe).
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;32976425]So 2 children per couple?[/QUOTE]
At the most, 2 children per couple would stop population growth and keep it stable.
Unfortunately, social aid programs are often non-existent in developing countries which means they will continue to have as many children as possible...
And as it's the developed countries that tend to have the negative growth factor, things aren't looking good.
Even more so for smaller countries like Estonia. Our ethnic group is quickly dying as Estonians simply don't feel like breeding much and are far more interested in improving their lives pretty much all the time. We have an average of 1.3 children per family, which translates to the slow dying of the race.
For our people to remain viable, we would have to start having AT LEAST 3 children per couple but even so it'd take over a hundred years for the damage to heal.
I entirely understand the lack of desire for children as I myself don't feel like getting one at all anytime soon. But at the same time it makes me mourn the very likely fate of my people...
[QUOTE=valkery;32976437]We are quickly approaching our stable limit on people.[/QUOTE]
[img]http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/272711-15229-33.jpg[/img]
alright lads
[QUOTE=meppers;32976406]We need to implement population limits before its too late[/QUOTE]That is a horrible and atrocious idea and you should feel bad.
[editline]26th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=valkery;32976437]We are quickly approaching our stable limit on people.[/QUOTE]Yeah... that is not true at all.
[QUOTE=mac338;32976422]Currently the population is
6 999 074 449[/QUOTE]
I can agree on the 6999 part but after that you can't be sure. Many people aren't really counted.
One step closer to the imperium of man
AND CHAOS!
We need a new plague.
[QUOTE=Ardosos;32976757]We need a new plague.[/QUOTE]
What you mean like AIDs? The most deadly and destructive disease in history?
2.1 million people died in 2007 alone.
[QUOTE=NoDachi;32976798]What you mean like AIDs? The most deadly and destructive disease in history?
2.1 million people died in 2007 alone.[/QUOTE]
Something that can match this population growth rate at least.
"With planning and the right investments in people now ... our world of 7 billion can have thriving, sustainable cities, productive labor forces that can fuel economic growth, youth populations that contribute to the well-being of economies and societies, and a generation of older people who are healthy and actively engaged in the social and economic affairs of their communities,"
That is the optimistic case scenario but let's not forget an artistic worst case scenario
[img]http://www.trdefence.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ww3.jpg[/img]
I'm pretty sure we've already passed the 7 billion line. Alot of countries lie about their population size, especially China.
[QUOTE=NoDachi;32976798]What you mean like AIDs? The most deadly and destructive disease in history?
2.1 million people died in 2007 alone.[/QUOTE]
If you take it as a figure, sure. If you take it as a percentage, hardly. I mean, it's a horrible thing, but it's only the most destructive because of how long it's been around, and how large the population is.
I think he meant something more like the Black Death that kills a huge percentage of people. Still, it's a stupid thing to say and I'm sure he's just trolling.
[QUOTE=Marbalo;32976837]Excuse me but how can you accurately count the amount of born people on this planet in countries like China, or maybe in remote African villages each second?[/QUOTE]
It's all "estimates". And that alone makes all this very unreliable.
I know someone with six kids. Shit get hectic.
[quote] more than 15 billion in 2100[/quote]
That's so fucking unlikely
It's virtually a consensus that population growth should start to level off by 2050s
[QUOTE=NoDachi;32976798]What you mean like AIDs? The most deadly and destructive disease in history?
2.1 million people died in 2007 alone.[/QUOTE]
AIDS isn't really a plague since it's pretty easy to avoid contracting if you don't have it.
Also, I plan to have 6-8 kids despite this news sometime in the future. Whether my wife wants to or not :v:
[QUOTE=meppers;32976406]We need to implement population limits before its too late[/QUOTE]
okay we can get rid of you first
[editline]26th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;32977063]AIDS isn't really a plague since it's pretty easy to avoid contracting if you don't have it.[/QUOTE]
Uh
What about being born with it
[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;32976480]That is a horrible and atrocious idea and you should feel bad.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it's easy to take the moral high ground but harder to find a solution to the problem.
Watch as just as we hit one number below 7 bil.
Meteor strike, kills 80% of the total population.
[QUOTE=Contag;32977051]That's so fucking unlikely
It's virtually a consensus that population growth should start to level off by 2050s[/QUOTE]
It's not "fucking unlikely", it's just as likely as any of the other alternatives.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/World-Population-1800-2100.png/587px-World-Population-1800-2100.png[/img]
[QUOTE=demoguy08;32977104]Yeah, it's easy to take the moral high ground but harder to find a solution to the problem.[/QUOTE]Err, what? To what problem? Overpopulation is a bullshit myth. You're trying to find a answer to something that isn't a problem.
[QUOTE=Ardosos;32976826]Something that can match this population growth rate at least.[/QUOTE]
Yeah lets start with you
[QUOTE=demoguy08;32977104]Yeah, it's easy to take the moral high ground but harder to find a solution to the problem.[/QUOTE]That sounds like what rightists say when they want to cut welfare.
[QUOTE=meppers;32976406]We need to implement population limits before its too late[/QUOTE]
That would be REALLY hard to police without doing some morally corrupt shit
Maybe one day in the distant future it will be necessary but not within our lifetimes
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