A fairer world - The Tasmanian Center for Global Learning


Did you know?

    • The earth is growing at the rate of 215,000 people per day.*
    • In 64 out of 105 developing countries, population has growing faster than food supplies.*
    • Depending on future rates of population growth, between 2.6 and 3.2 billion people may be living in water-scarce or water-stressed conditions by 2025.*
    • The 1980s and1990s saw rapid fertility decline in many countries, fertility now stands at 3 children in developing countries.*





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Population
Overpopulation is an important contributor to many of the world’s problems. As our numbers expand we put greater and greater pressure upon our limited resources and the prospect of sustainability becomes increasingly remote. Population growth has had a very serious impact upon our physical environment and now it is beginning to affect our social environment as well. Fortunately, as awareness of the problem has grown, we have started to see significant improvements in response to the development of new initiatives.

World population background and trends


It is generally believed that the rate of global population growth has peaked. Between 1990 and 2002, the average number of children per woman dropped from 3.3 to 2.6. World population is expected to stabilize by 2050, by which time our numbers may have reached about 9 billion.* The following sites offer an overview of world population issues and statistical data.
  • People and the Planet’s Population Pressures page is a good entry point for a view of the big picture, supported by news and fact files.
  • Another source for world population statistics, including projections, is the U.S. Census Bureau.


The impact of population growth on the environment, resources and poverty


As global population continues to increase, the impact upon our planet grows disproportionately. Land, water and species are lost due to human encroachment. Food and energy resources become overexploited in order to fulfill our increasing and generally inequitable demands. The side effects of our increasing numbers can include a growth in global warming, poverty, food scarcity and threats to international security.
  • Population Action International has a good range of articles and fact sheets on population and the environment, plus other issues such as hunger and security. Be sure to check out their Community-based Population and Environment Programs page.
  • The Sierra Club has an excellent Global Population and the Environment page.


Working towards a solution to overpopulation


There are many factors in dealing with this problem, but improved education for girls is generally considered to be the key one. Education combined with family planning and reproductive health programs has had a noticeable effect upon world fertility rates. As a consequence, population growth rates are declining, and this can lead to increased capital becoming available for the reduction of poverty and the building of national infrastructure. Many organisations, international and local are helping in this process of change - but much remains to be done.
  • The INFO Project is a good resource site on family planning and reproductive health. It includes Popline which is a reproductive health literature database.

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