Six Billion: A Warning To All
Have you noticed more people walking, driving, and standing around nowadays? Well you should, because there are a lot more people on this planet today than there was at the beginning of this century. How many more people you ask? In 1900 the population was estimated at 1.5 billion. On October 12, 1999 the population hit six billion. This date is referred to as "Y6B" or "The Day of Six Billion." Just to give you an idea, one billion is equal to one thousand million. When the math is done, we come up with the number six thousand million. Are the numbers clear yet? The numbers have major significance and seem to be an accomplishment of human ingenuity, but they also raise questions. How many people can this planet support? Is the planet and the current population prepared for the next six billion people to come? These are all good questions, only to be answered with time. I believe that we need to take initiative to keep the population from growing out of control.
Why is the population growing at such an enormous rate? Well, the sheer number of people on this planet is the main cause. A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report says that one-sixth of the people on this planet are of the ages 15-24 the prominent childbearing years.1 People are also living longer. "Since 1950, average life expectancy has risen from 46 to 66 years."1 This means people are aging on the planet longer than ever. Even though the birth rate has fallen from "on average 6.5 to 2.2 children per family,"2 the number of women producing children on this planet is enough to keep the population growing. "The number of women in their childbearing years in developing countries is now growing by about 24 million each year."2 According to the UNFPA, the global population has quadrupled this century. To prevent the population from exploding, precautionary measures need to be taken.
Human intellect and technology must also be implemented to help control population...
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