African Women Need Choice

Reaching 7 billion in population is a feat worth noting.  However, the true nature of this marking is much more complicated and destructive than we realize.  The current growth rate anticipates 78 million more people each year.  How many is too many we ask? 

The increase in population growth is attributed to the conditions of developing nations.  Africa’s population growth rate is at 2.3%, which doubles that of Asia’s.  The reason for this rapid increase in population lies within gender, believes Tewodros Melesse, Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Foundation.  Being stripped of the freedom to choose whether or not they want to have a child is the root of the problem.

With poor accessibility to contraceptives, lack of education, and pressures of society essential to economic survival, constant reproduction is what becomes of these women.  In many countries, girls are married off at a young age, become pregnant too early, and their education gets cut so that they can care for their young family.

Light needs to be shed on this matter.  Women need empowerment and to know that the number of children they bear does not determine their own self-worth.  Be provided with easier accessibility to resources, medical care, and information when needed.  Ultimately, be given a choice.   

 -Georisa Chang

SOURCE: CNN

The Needs of A Growing Population

Today marks the day when world population reaches its 7 billion milestone.  Are we to celebrate or should we be concerned?  Things have certainly changed since 1999 when world population reached 6 billion.  It was a time when we believed that we could eradicate severe poverty and hunger as well as act in time to avert the worst effects of climate change.  With high confidence, we knew nothing could stop us.  Well things haven’t exactly worked out that way.  Facing a decade of economic distress and lacking progression in our efforts to eliminate global poverty, are we capable of meeting everyone’s needs?  Only time will tell.

It was predicted that fertility rates would continue to fall and population was anticipated to continue to drop.  Now, reaching the 7 billion mark, U.N.’s latest projects indicate that population will reach 10 billion by 2082 and will in fact continue to grow.  Contributing factors such as inability to access contraceptives in developing countries, gender inequality, and child marriage further induces the increase in fertility rates.  By implementing cost effective strategies in developing nations, fertility rates will be reduced and the health and welfare of the impoverished will be improved.

Another challenge arises; will we be able to produce enough food for the predicted population growth?  Enduring two major food crises, shrinkage in food stock and the impact of climate change on our natural resources, has magnified the concern regarding future food production.  Unfortunately, those living in severe poverty will be the most affected.  It is essential that we address the world’s poor first, get to the root of the problem. 

To ensure that population growth doesn’t exceed our Earth’s capacity, focusing our efforts on eradicating hunger, reducing severe poverty, and addressing climate change is vital.  Progression needs to take place or else we are doomed for dire consequences. 

-Georisa Chang

Source: Chicago Tribune

Countdown to 7 Billion

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

World Population May Reach 10 Billion before 2100

If current fertility rates continue to rise at expected levels the world's population is estimated to increase past 9 billion before 2050. This astonishing jump is said to come from "high fertility countries" mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in Asia, Oceana and Latin America. The 2010 Revision of World Population Prospects shows that a small variation in fertility may lead to extensive long term differences in the size of the international population.

While in many countries the populations are aging and will continue to do so as their fertility rates decline, the populations of countries classed as "low fertility" or intermediate fertility" are said to peak well before the end of the century. But at the same time, life expectancy in general is expected to rise across all categories of countries due to improved health care and treatment of HIV/AIDS. This cuts the probability of early death in many sub-Saharan countries. For example, Niger has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world. This is of course seen as a major improvement in global health access and is to be commended, but simultaneously is causing an enormous rise in the global population, which could possibly create further disparities in access to resources.

Currently, the number of people in the world is close to 7 billion and is believed to pass 8 billion in a mere twelve years, in 2023. By 2041 the global population will possibly have reached 9 million, and then 10 billion by 2081. But, the increase in fertility in the above countries could have major consequences and shoot the global population up to an astonishing 15.8 billion by 2100.

-Gabrielle Gurian

SOURCE: UN NEWS