Population
We may never rival the biomass of beetles, but mankind is still growing at a pretty good rate. The world population doubled from 3 billion to 6 billion during the last 40 years. By the year 2040, the world population is projected to grow to 9 billion, a gain of 50 percent.
To put that in some historical perspective, in 1 AD, total population is estimated to have been somewhere around 200 million people, less than the population of the United States in the 1980's. By the early 1800's mankind had crossed the 1 billion mark.*
It is not just how many of us there are but where we live that is so significant in terms of climate change. Nearly 1 out of every 10 persons on the globe lives in a low-lying area. That's about 600 million people. According to the report issued by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 23 percent of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast and less than 100 meters above sea level.
A recent study released by the National Institute of Aging adds another twist to the climate change picture: A rapidly aging global population.
“In 2006, almost 500 million people worldwide were 65 and older. By 2030, that total is projected to increase to 1 billion—1 in every 8 of the earth’s inhabitants. Significantly, the most rapid increases in the 65-and-older population are occurring in developing countries, which will see a jump of 140 percent by 2030.”
The report also noted that the fastest growing portion of many national populations is people aged 85 and older. (For the first time in history, and probably for the rest of human history, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under age 5.) And within 10-15 years chronic non-communicable diseases (heart disease, cancer, and diabetes) will cause more deaths than infectious and parasitic diseases. All of this will take place within the context of declining overall populations in many countries.
*Thanks to a sharp-eyed reader for catching my mistake on some of the historical figures. I'm pretty sure I got it right this time around.--g j lau
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