According to the United Nations Population Fund, the world population reached 7 billion on October 31, 2011. The previous milestone, the six billion mark, had been reached on October 12, 1999. This means that the number of inhabitants increased by one billion in only twelve years, that is, two million seven hundred thirty nine thousand seven hundred twenty six people per day. Although the growth rate has decreased from 2.08 percent in 1970 to 1.13 percent in 2016, by 2024 the population is expected to hit the eight billion mark. So, even with this deceleration in the growth rate, the increase of the human population poses a formidable challenge for the world 's natural resources. First, a growing population, albeit at a slower rate, …show more content…
On the other hand, the continent is facing an acute shortage of food and, base on the current trends, it will be able to satisfy only thirteen percent of its population 's food needs by 2050. Moreover, even in the eventuality that food production increases to the levels needed by 2050, studies suggest that without government intervention the needy and vulnerable could still be undernourished. It is calculated that sixty percent of the world 's chronically hungry people are women and girls, and twenty percent are children under five (WFP Gender Policy: Promoting Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Addressing Food and Nutrition Challenge). The fact that “...over eight hundred million people are considered food insecure and undernourished [suggest] abundant supply does not guarantee affordable access to food for all (Vos, 2015, FAO, Global Agriculture Towards 2015). Serious environmental problems are also looming in the horizon as a result of the demographic changes that have taken place worldwide. The volumes of waste product generated by the human society constitute a major environmental problem. In 2009, U.S. residents businesses, and institutions generated more than two hundred forty three million tons of municipal solid waste. Hazardous solid waste
The global population is expected to reach 9 billion people by the year 2050 and scientific projections indicate that world is on a trajectory towards an environmental and global food crisis. World Leaders, environmental enthusiasts and aid agencies have cause for alarm as they support urgent policies for change, for without them mankind will face unprecedented food insecurity. In 2015 estimates were that there were “some 795 million people” [World Food Programme, 2015], experiencing food insecurity and 3.1 million children under 5 died through malnutrition, while Australians continue to waste an estimated 361 Kg’s of food per person per yr [PMSEIC, 2010, p.44] All the while the earth groans under the weight of Greenhouse Gas Emissions [GHG], deforestation, soil degradation and
Food is a necessary part of ever individual’s daily life. Without food, the body cannot function properly, resulting in poor health, exhaustion, and even death by starvation. Therefore, food insecurity continues to be an international global epidemic. The journal article by Harrigan suggests that the citizens of the Sub-Saharan African country of Malawia are in further poverty due to their lack of food and agricultural resources. The newspaper article from the Guardian tells the real life story of African citizens struggling to farm and find food due to the crop shortages that have spanned Africa for the past two years. This is a current global issue, and the journal and news article prove that there is much to be done in order to help restore
The last but not the least, high food prices make the situation even worse. According to FAO ' s data, the population of undernourishment increased by 75 million, which is higher than it in 2003 to 2005. The scientists analyzed it is caused by the rising food price (FAO, 2008). Additionally, in some countries in African, South American and Asia where average income is very low, to achieve the food security is almost impossible. For instance, Afghanistan is one of the most food-insecure countries. In Afghanistan, with 80% of the population living in rural place, the agricultural industry is most significant to this country. However, the households in Afghanistan still need to spend over 60 percent of their budgets on food. In 2008, it can be easily found in the chart, the wheat flour price experienced a sharp increase from 15 per kg to 45 per kg, which greatly increased the burden of the inhabitants (D’Souza, 2011). When the flour price rises, the local people will certainly spend more percentage of their incomes on wheat flour rather than some high-quality vegetables and meat. Unreasonable diet structure can directly contribute to lacking nutrition and influence their healthy. As a result, a vicious circle is created and makes the
Over seven billion people live on the planet Earth. That is four billion more people on Earth today than around 57 years ago (Smith 1). Over time, humans have had many technological advancements which increased the rapid depletion of renewable and non renewable resources such as water, food, and space. This, causes scientists to believe that the more people on the earth, the more we are going to run out of our resources. Although, many believe that Earth is quickly reaching its carrying capacity from the depletion of resources, that capacity is not within reach because the Earth has enough resources to sustain a much larger population than what is prevalent today.
American citizens sit at the dinner table over consuming while just a few thousand miles away, children younger than five are dying of starvation and malnutrition. With social conflict, gender inequality, and horrible diseases, men and women of all ages in Africa are suffering from starvation and deadly malnutrition. With such abhorrent events happening it can all come to an end if all nations contribute and maintain a committed effort to stop starvation and malnutrition in developing countries.
In America, according to the American Environmental Protection Agency, the average person generates 4.4 pounds of solid waste daily (United States Environmental Protection Agency). This adds up to 250 million tons of solid waste produced in America every year. This total continues to grow, and it grows fast compared to the increase in American population. America reached
The world population will increase another 3 billion to 9 billion in 2044 (Figure 1), with the imbalance growing between population numbers and vital life sustaining resources, humans must actively conserve cropland, freshwater, energy, and biological resources.
Classified as an upper middle income country, Peru is currently undergoing dramatic changes, and its recent economic growth has been commendable. These promising indications notwithstanding, the country is not immune to one formidable challenge of our time—malnutrition—which a great many countries are subject to. The World Food Programme (2016, para.3) emphasized that despite the considerable progress being made, Peru is confronted with rampant chronic malnutrition; more than 5 million people are suffering from a severe food shortage; however, rural women and children account for a larger proportion of the affected population. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (2010) mentioned that “most rural women [in Peru] are poor or extremely poor, even as they play a central role
There are over Six Billion people inhabiting the planet earth today and that number is growing. “In the six seconds it takes you to read this sentence, eighteen more people will be added” (Ehrlich 9). The total population of the World, projected on October 23, 2001 at 6:28:09 pm GMT was 6,181,600,089 people (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Each hour there are 11,000 more mouths to feed; each year more than 95 million. Nevertheless, the world has hundreds of billions fewer tons of topsoil and hundreds of trillions fewer gallons of groundwater with which to grow food crops than it had in 1968.
Can you believe that the global population has been grown up to 3.7 billion in the past 50 years (Baldini, 2015). It still increases at an extremely high rate, and will reach 90 billion in the year 2050. The population is not the only issue which has been increasing rapidly, some negative effects also have increased. In this research paper, I will discuss two major negative effects on the environment that have occurred due to the great number of human population which includes the changing of natural resources, and the effects of living on the earth.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at least 5,000 honor killings are committed every year, mostly in Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities (Gharib). The actual number could be much higher because these killings are rarely reported to the authorities. The murders are often premeditated and accepted by family and community members. Honor killings have been practiced as a punishment for women perceived to have betrayed their family and little has been done to help them. An honor killing is done for several reasons.
There are 6 billion human beings on the face of the Earth. According to our best estimates, there are somewhere between three and seven times more people than this planet can possibly maintain over a long period of time. Non-renewable resources are being used at an incredible rate, and we are destroying the capability of the planetary ecosystem to renew the supply of renewable resources. The worse however is yet to come. We need to realize the necessity of a population plan which will make our future more optimistic. This plan must be based on the fact that the control of the rapid population growth is necessary globally; otherwise, earth’s environment will be put into greater danger, the overexploitation of natural resources will
The Earth’s natural resources are already being consumed at an unsustainable rate. Many of these resources are required to support world health and human life (Donnatelle, 2010). Human population is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade. This, alone, is the greatest threat to life on our planet.
From the beginning of humanity’s long history to the start of the industrial revolution the world’s population rose by approximately one billion, but in the less than two hundred years since then it has grown by over six billion more. This growth has naturally been followed by an increase in exploitation of the earth’s natural resources and agriculturally viable spaces to meet the world 's dietary
The world is facing an overpopulation crisis. In 40 years time, if current growth rates continue, the number of people on the planet will be almost one and a half times what it is today, rising from 6.8 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. As population increases, so does competition for basic resources – land, food, water and fuel – as well as the threat of environmental devastation and endemic disease. Our numbers are going to be unsustainable within a few years.