7 Billion People – Can The Earth Cope?

What can we do? (It might NOT be what you think!)

 

OK, so we all know that there are now 7 billion people alive on the planet now.

7 billion peopleIt’s a huge number – and it’s too big for me to imagine.

I think of the most crowded cities I’ve visited, and I still can’t imagine 7 billion people.

But even though I can’t imagine the number, I worry about how we can support so many people and still treat the Earth sustainably.

What does 7 billion people really mean?

I read an interesting article from National Geographic Traveller (I’m a huge fan of National Geographic).

The author was saying that the statistic of 7 billion people didn’t really mean much to her either, until she read that, until the 20th century, no human had ever seen the world population double during their own lifetime.

I found that quite an amazing thought.

Today, there are some people alive who have seen the world’s population triple within their lifespan!

(If you want to get some fascinating facts on 7 billion people, complete with interactive maps and informative videos, as well as the great photography for which National Geographic is famous, check out National Geographic’s app for the iPad called 7 billion).

What Can We Do?

If we want to make a difference, and want to treat the planet more sustainably, what can we do now that we have 7 billion people on the planet?

You might think that having fewer children could be the answer.

Apparently not, because smaller families are now the norm in most parts of the world – global fertility on average is on the decline.

According to National Geographic, living in cities can be a good solution.  On average, people in cities use more public transport and live in smaller homes which are easier to heat, cool and light.  It is often easier, more efficient and cheaper to provide services (such as sewage, phone lines, electricity, and rubbish and recyclables collection) to people living in a city than in a suburban or rural area.

We have the perception that cities are “concentrated piles of damage” when compared to the countryside.  Yet, if everyone wanted the back-to-the-land lifestyle, it could be disastrous.

Cities allow half of humanity to live on about 4 percent of the arable land, leaving more space for open country, according to urbanization champion Stewart Brand.

In many of the major cities in developed countries, energy use and carbon emissions are lower per head than the national average – New York is an example of this.

What Else Can We Do?

According to the United Nations, the rearing of livestock for food causes more damage to our planet than all forms of transportation.  So reducing our demand for meat can be very beneficial.  Movements such as Meatless Mondays help us to do this easily, and as I’ve said before in this column, it’s turned out to be a lot easier than I had originally imagined.

So there you have it.  To reduce the problems caused by our population of 7 billion people, we can help by

  1. Embracing city life
  2. Eating less meat (even one day a week makes a difference).

I thought that with 7 billion people now on the planet, we were going to be told to have fewer children.  City life and meatless Mondays are relatively easy!

 

 

Photo Credit ngm.nationalgeographic.com


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  • Having been in Shanghai (20m) and other Chinese cities, I can see where half of humanity living on 4% of land comes from. In many parts of the world though the city infrastructure simply cannot keep up with urbanisation and this needs to be addressed also.

  • I have tried to be more intentional about what I eat this past year. It just makes sense. And giving up meat one day a week does not sound like much of a sacrfice!
    Sonya Lenzo

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