By | Business Connect
In the year 2000, the population of earth was 6.11 billion people.
According to the US Census Bureau’s World Population Clock, that number is now 7.49 billion.
The UN anticipates world population to increase to just shy of 10 billion people by the year 2050.
Without any context, those numbers are just that, numbers.
However, framed against the backdrop of earth’s finite resources and whether the planet can sustain a species that consumes faster than it can replenish, it’s clear why overpopulation is a growing concern for many.
But is overpopulation, with the many other challenges we face every day, really something that humans should worry over?
We’ve made it this long, so why wouldn’t we be able to continue to stretch the resources and technology available to accommodate our growth.
To adequately answer that question, let’s explore where this rapid rise in population originated, the potential impact to our planet, and ultimately if the earth can sustain us.
The Population Goes Boom
In broad terms, overpopulation relates to whether our planet is capable of sustaining humans as our numbers increase and resources decrease. Overpopulation though can also occur at a micro level.
Individual countries can experience overpopulation, and many developing areas face the hardships that come with this crisis more so than developed nations.
Make no mistake though, whether it’s just one individual or 1 billion or a modern country or one that remains underdeveloped, we all need the optimal conditions that earth provides to survive.
How did we get to this point of stretching our only home so thin? There are several factors.
Birth Rate Versus Death Rate
First and foremost, the population of earth is a simple numbers game.
Let’s go back to the US Census clock and take a look at US numbers. In our country, there is a birth every 8 seconds. Every 12 seconds a death occurs. Not accounting for immigration, that means we are adding 2½ people every minute to the populace.
On a global scale, the numbers are higher. Four births each second versus two deaths, means 30 people are added to the world’s population every minute.
Though global births have seen a decline over the past several decades, they continue to outpace deaths at a steady rate.
