The United Nations says the world’s population reaches 8 billion as growth poses more challenges for the planet

CNN
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The world’s population will reach 8 billion on Tuesday, marking a “milestone in human development” before birth rates begin to slow, according to a projection from the United Nations.

The United Nations said in a statement that the figure means adding one billion people to the world’s population in just 12 years.

This unprecedented growth is due to the gradual increase in human lifespan due to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine. It is also a consequence of the high and persistent levels of fertility in some countries.”

Middle-income countries were represented, mostly in Asia most growth Over the past decade, it has gained about 700 million people since 2011. India has added about 180 million people, and it is set to exceed China as the world’s most populous country next year.

But even as the world’s population reaches new highs, demographers note that the growth rate has steadily declined to less than 1% annually. This would prevent the world from reaching 9 billion people until 2037. The United Nations predicts that the world population will peak at around 10.4 billion people in the 1980s and will remain at that level until 2100.

According to the United Nations, most of the 2.4 billion people that will be added before the world’s population reaches its peak will be born in sub-Saharan Africa, marking a shift away from China and India.

Reaching out to the world’s 8 billion people is “an occasion to celebrate diversity and progress, taking into account humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the UN statement.

Having more people on Earth puts more pressure on nature, as people compete with wildlife for water, food, and space. Meanwhile, rapid population growth coupled with climate change is likely to cause mass migration and conflicts in the coming decades, experts say.

Whether it be food or water, batteries or petrol, there will be less to move around as the world’s population grows. But how much they consume is just as important, suggesting that policymakers can make a big difference by forcing a change in consumption patterns.

The carbon emissions of the richest 1%, or about 63 million people, were more than double those of the poorest half of humanity between 1990 and 2015, according to a 2020 analysis by the Stockholm Environment Institute and international non-profit organization Oxfam.

Experts say the resource pressure will be particularly dire in African countries, where populations are expected to increase. These are also among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate, and most in need climate Finance.