Christmas is around the corner. Some people wish for material things, while others are hoping for something deeper and more meaningful. But what if earth wishes something from the humanity? What it might be? Mother earth is excited for every birth, how about the birth of the 7 billionth inhabitant? Every birth means a new hope, but what if the continuous birth will bring lots of concerns to the world’s overpopulation?
Countries around the world marked October 31, 2011 as a red letter day: the day when the 7th billion person arrived. Though it is hard to say who was the exact lucky baby, symbolic babies born from different nations were given applauses and special citations. Babies who symbolize hope and challenges.
Population by numbers – Demographers say it took until 1804 for the world to reach its first billion people, and a century more until it peaked to 2 billion. The twentieth century was described as the era of population explosion: 3 billion in 1959, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987 and 6 billion in 1998. United Nations estimates that by 2025 there will be 8 billion people and in 2083 population will balloon to 10 million. Overpopulation remains one of the major challenges to social and economic development, according to Li Bin, China’s director of the State Population and Family Planning Commission. China, with its 1.34 billion people, still sticked to their three decade law of the One-Child policy, demographers say that in the near future, there won’t be enough Chinese to support its aging population. Yet, overpopulation remains one of the major challenges to social and economic development of the country according to Li Bin, China’s director of the State Population and Family Planning Commission.
On ecological challenges – As population grows, what concern more is the aging earth’s readiness to be occupied by more births. Developed cities were easily congested with the migration; of migrants seeking for better jobs or people changing sites due to disasters in their place of origin. With this on hand, nature, with its limited resources will have to face a vis-à-vis catastrophe: natural or man-made, cannot guarantee a supply to the overflowing demand. Not to mention the ecological crisis; the product of the crime against nature.
Responsibility on hand – With each birth, one thinks that it is the only responsibility of parents alone. It’s not more on numbers of birth alone, but also on the capacity of the parents to raise their child in a favorable manner. Sad to say, there are more births on undeveloped countries. True enough, this booming population should be an imaginary mirror to reflect the society on what is happening and what are the possible effects in the future. UN have been religiously campaigning for the population control not to mention each country’s government commitment to do their own. But still, it all remains the same, crowded, polluted and crying earth. The question is whether humanity is getting too big and is it endangering not only themselves but also the planet.
Global Footprint Network warns that we are already living beyond the earth’s capacity to regenerate resources, (sad to say, abusing it), and forty years from now, people need two planets to keep pace with the population and the rising consumption. In order to supply the growing population, farmers should be working overtime, planting and harvesting while overcoming several hurdles including the rising cost of materials, hot and cold temperature as well as the problem of urbanization or the industrialization of former farmlands.
Now let’s ask ourselves, will this Christmas be different from previous years as we think more on our commitment to save Mother Earth and regulate the world’s population? Or will we remain dumb and continue multiplying without any positive plans for life ahead?
Michelle Bucu-Torres
WeWrite, anno II, n. 11, dicembre 2011
