We humans are remarkable creatures. From our humble beginnings in small pockets of Africa, we have evolved over millennia to colonise almost every corner of our planet. We are clever, resilient and adaptable―perhaps a little too adaptable.
In 2015 the world population is more than 7.3 billion people. That’s more than seven billion three hundred million bodies that need to be fed, clothed, kept warm and ideally, nurtured and educated. More than 7.3 billion individuals who, while busy consuming resources, are also producing vast quantities of waste, and our numbers continue to grow. The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.2 billion by 2050.
For most of our existence the human population has grown very slowly, kept in check by disease, climate fluctuations and other social factors. It took until 1804 for us to reach 1 billion people. Since then, continuing improvements in nutrition, medicine and technology have seen our population increase rapidly.The impact of so many humans on the environment takes two major forms:
consumption of resources such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels and minerals
waste products as a result of consumption such as air and water pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse gases
Explanation:
ESSENTIALS
The world population is growing by approximately 74 million people per year
Population growth is not evenly distributed across the globe
Scientists are yet to conclusively determine the human ‘carrying capacity’ of Earth
Population is only one of many factors influencing the environment
We have consumed more resources in the last 50 years than the whole of humanity before us
The 20th century saw the biggest increase in the world’s population in human history
Population growth is the increase in the number of people living in a particular area. Since populations can grow exponentially, resource depletion can occur rapidly, leading to specific environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestation and decreasing biodiversity.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
Our growing population
We humans are remarkable creatures. From our humble beginnings in small pockets of Africa, we have evolved over millennia to colonise almost every corner of our planet. We are clever, resilient and adaptable―perhaps a little too adaptable.
In 2015 the world population is more than 7.3 billion people. That’s more than seven billion three hundred million bodies that need to be fed, clothed, kept warm and ideally, nurtured and educated. More than 7.3 billion individuals who, while busy consuming resources, are also producing vast quantities of waste, and our numbers continue to grow. The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.2 billion by 2050.
For most of our existence the human population has grown very slowly, kept in check by disease, climate fluctuations and other social factors. It took until 1804 for us to reach 1 billion people. Since then, continuing improvements in nutrition, medicine and technology have seen our population increase rapidly.The impact of so many humans on the environment takes two major forms:
consumption of resources such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels and minerals
waste products as a result of consumption such as air and water pollutants, toxic materials and greenhouse gases
Explanation:
ESSENTIALS
The world population is growing by approximately 74 million people per year
Population growth is not evenly distributed across the globe
Scientists are yet to conclusively determine the human ‘carrying capacity’ of Earth
Population is only one of many factors influencing the environment
We have consumed more resources in the last 50 years than the whole of humanity before us
The 20th century saw the biggest increase in the world’s population in human history
Answer:
Population growth is the increase in the number of people living in a particular area. Since populations can grow exponentially, resource depletion can occur rapidly, leading to specific environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestation and decreasing biodiversity.