World Population Approaches 7 Billion

Interesting article on MSNBC exploring the challenges and potential solutions for a world occupied by 7,000,000,000 people. Many different angles briefly explored - population ecology, technology, food and water, natural resources, etc.

I would like to have seen more discussion on the growth rate as opposed to the numerical milestone. Nonetheless, still a thought-provoking article.

Many past human societies have collapsed, with overpopulation playing a significant role. But today, for the first time, a global civilization is in peril, and nothing significant is being done about it in societies insane enough to believe that growth can be perpetual. - Paul Ehrlich

I don't think the rate will decrease, it will continue to rise rapidly so long as our ingenuity to stave off the natural checks (starvation, disease etc) persists. Call me a cynic, but I think at some point it will reach critical mass. At that point, we will either self-destruct as a species, or leave the planet entirely.

Al Gore touched on the population growth aspect of our environmental problem in "An Inconvenient Truth" but then walked away from suggesting any means of population control. Rather he said that "experts" predicted that the population would rise to 9 billion and then level off. Um yeah, at some point there won't be enough food and resources to support the population and people will start dying off in large numbers from starvation, disease or wars over who gets the food and resources that remain. As evidenced by all of past history that's human nature. Population growth is the core reason for our environmental problems yet containing population growth remains the "elephant in the room" that almost no one is talking about.

I am The 0.000000014%

Guy

Hey Guy, there's always soylent green...