altimood
- 573
- 143
Today, you are one of 7 billion people on Earth.
By Rajesh Kumar Singh, AP
Global population is expected to reach 8 billion by 2025, according to the United Nations.
This historic milestone is rekindling age-old debates over birth control, protecting natural resources and reducing consumption. It also has many wondering whether the Earth can support so many people.
About half were added just in the past 40 years, and 3 billion more are expected by 2100.
Global population has swelled in record time since 1987, when it hit 5 billion.
"Currently, world population is growing at the most rapid pace in history," says Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. "In 1900, we were at 1.6 billion. In 99 years, we flipped the numbers to 6.1 billion."
The world is adding more people in less time but the annual growth rate is slowing down — from 2.1% in the late 1960s to 1.2% today — reflecting lower birth rates.
"In 1999, when we passed the 6 billion mark, the world economy was in hyperdrive," says Robert Lang, urban sociologist at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. "Now we pass the 7 billion mark in a recession and there's much pessimism."
Recessions and depressions tend to slow population growth, especially in developed nations. Currently, growth is highest in poorest countries where health care advances are keeping people alive longer while birth rates are still relatively high.
The result is a yawning age gap. The share of the population 65 and older is at 21% in Germany and 23% in Japan. In countries such as Gambia and Senegal, only 2% are in that age group.
Many of the programs to reduce population growth have been successful, Haub says.
"I can only imagine what population size would have been today if that had not happened," he says.
However many more people are added in the next century, more will live in cities. Even in developing nations, a growing share of the population lives in urbanized areas, a shift that is leading to denser living and putting more pressure to reduce energy use and build new infrastructure .
"Seven billion people are 7billion good reasons for sustainable infrastructure development," says Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO of Siemens Industry, a leading supplier of transportation and building technology.
Only 28.8% of the world's population lived in urban areas in 1950. Today, just over 50% do, and the United Nations projects that almost 69% will by 2050, when the population is expected to reach 9.3 billion. The number of people who live in cities by then will almost equal today's world population.
That's why Siemens created the Infrastructure and Cities Sector this month.
"From a city's perspective, what this is doing is putting additional pressure to be competitive in the world," says Dulaney, who heads Siemens' new division in the USA. "Global companies can go anywhere. If America is going to compete to attract businesses … the way they compete is with infrastructure, a good quality of life."
Cities in developing nations have an edge of sorts because they're building from scratch and can apply the latest green technologies. In developed nations such as the USA, the challenge is to retrofit old buildings, power grids and roads.
Many are doing it. Siemens installed 40,000 new lights in Houston's traffic signal system, cutting energy use and saving $1.4 million a year, Dulaney says. Dallas is getting a smart grid that will integrate water, electrical and other services.
"With 19th-century technology, the planet could not have handled 2 billion people," Lang says. "It would have consumed every stick of wood, which was a principal source of fuel."
Groups such as the Population Institute, an organization that advocates family planning around the world, are calling for more international support to reduce births.
"People in the developing world are on the front line of climate change and food insecurity," says Robert Walker, executive vice president. "Of all the very significant challenges that we face in the world today, many of those issues appear to be almost insurmountable challenges. Population growth is not."
LOL! Well farmers, better grow some more herb.
By Rajesh Kumar Singh, AP
Global population is expected to reach 8 billion by 2025, according to the United Nations.
This historic milestone is rekindling age-old debates over birth control, protecting natural resources and reducing consumption. It also has many wondering whether the Earth can support so many people.
About half were added just in the past 40 years, and 3 billion more are expected by 2100.
Global population has swelled in record time since 1987, when it hit 5 billion.
"Currently, world population is growing at the most rapid pace in history," says Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. "In 1900, we were at 1.6 billion. In 99 years, we flipped the numbers to 6.1 billion."
The world is adding more people in less time but the annual growth rate is slowing down — from 2.1% in the late 1960s to 1.2% today — reflecting lower birth rates.
"In 1999, when we passed the 6 billion mark, the world economy was in hyperdrive," says Robert Lang, urban sociologist at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. "Now we pass the 7 billion mark in a recession and there's much pessimism."
Recessions and depressions tend to slow population growth, especially in developed nations. Currently, growth is highest in poorest countries where health care advances are keeping people alive longer while birth rates are still relatively high.
The result is a yawning age gap. The share of the population 65 and older is at 21% in Germany and 23% in Japan. In countries such as Gambia and Senegal, only 2% are in that age group.
Many of the programs to reduce population growth have been successful, Haub says.
"I can only imagine what population size would have been today if that had not happened," he says.
However many more people are added in the next century, more will live in cities. Even in developing nations, a growing share of the population lives in urbanized areas, a shift that is leading to denser living and putting more pressure to reduce energy use and build new infrastructure .
"Seven billion people are 7billion good reasons for sustainable infrastructure development," says Daryl Dulaney, president and CEO of Siemens Industry, a leading supplier of transportation and building technology.
Only 28.8% of the world's population lived in urban areas in 1950. Today, just over 50% do, and the United Nations projects that almost 69% will by 2050, when the population is expected to reach 9.3 billion. The number of people who live in cities by then will almost equal today's world population.
That's why Siemens created the Infrastructure and Cities Sector this month.
"From a city's perspective, what this is doing is putting additional pressure to be competitive in the world," says Dulaney, who heads Siemens' new division in the USA. "Global companies can go anywhere. If America is going to compete to attract businesses … the way they compete is with infrastructure, a good quality of life."
Cities in developing nations have an edge of sorts because they're building from scratch and can apply the latest green technologies. In developed nations such as the USA, the challenge is to retrofit old buildings, power grids and roads.
Many are doing it. Siemens installed 40,000 new lights in Houston's traffic signal system, cutting energy use and saving $1.4 million a year, Dulaney says. Dallas is getting a smart grid that will integrate water, electrical and other services.
"With 19th-century technology, the planet could not have handled 2 billion people," Lang says. "It would have consumed every stick of wood, which was a principal source of fuel."
Groups such as the Population Institute, an organization that advocates family planning around the world, are calling for more international support to reduce births.
"People in the developing world are on the front line of climate change and food insecurity," says Robert Walker, executive vice president. "Of all the very significant challenges that we face in the world today, many of those issues appear to be almost insurmountable challenges. Population growth is not."
LOL! Well farmers, better grow some more herb.
