According to UN estimates, the population of the world will reach 7 billion at the end of October, 2011.
Since 1968, the world population has doubled. 97 out of every 100 people are born in countries that lack the resources to keep up with the explosive growth rates. Already, we are struggling to manage feeding the current population so what happens when more and more people are added to the mix on a continuous basis? The best answer is to start acting now.
Recently, the United Nations Population Fund has begun to spearhead a campaign called 7 Billion Actions in order to start preparing the world for a growing population. The campaign has identified some important areas to focus on:
- Breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality to curtail population growth
- Engaging youth to transform the world around them
- Protecting reproductive health
- Planning for an increasingly urbanized planet, while maintaining/creating a food production workforce
- Preparing for an aging population
- Developing human capitol by providing education and relevant skills
- Keeping up with current trends in technology
- Providing food and water security
In order to accomplish these goals, global cooperation is needed. Citizens, businesses, NGO's, education and health systems, media, and government all need to start working in solidarity with a shared sense of responsibility. A growing population should also correspond with a growing sense of interconnectedness as we increasingly become global citizens. The people in developing countries should feel a part of this process, too.
-Chelsey Dambro
Source: CBC News Canada
