The world’s population reaches a record high of 8 billion people.

The world’s population reaches a record high of “8 billion” people

Last Novemberthe world population surpassed the “8 billion” barrier according to a report issued byUnited Nations, and the report says: “The population is expected to double in many countries in southern Africa desert between 2022 and 2050, which puts additional pressure on already exhausted natural resources, and the increase challenges policies aimed at reducing poverty.” The report also expected that the world population would reach about “8.5 billion” in 2030, “9.7 billion” in 2050, and “10.4 billion” in 2100.

Continuous depletion of resources

Rapid population growthalso means more competition for scarce water resources, and more families facing hunger, as climate change increasingly affects crop production in many parts of the world.

However, experts say: The greatest danger to the environment is consumption, which is highest in developed countries that are not witnessing significant increases in population. “Global evidence shows that a small portion of the world’s population uses most of the Earth’s resources and produces most of its greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past 25 years, the richest 10% of the world’s population were responsible for more than half of all carbon emissions.”

According to the United Nations, the population in sub-Saharan Africa is growing at a rate of 2.5% annually, more than three times the global average. Women in sub-Saharan Africa have an average of 4.6 children, double the current global average of 2.3.

Families become larger when women start having children early, as 4 out of every 10 girls in Africa are married before they turn 18, according to United Nations figures. In addition, the rate of teenage pregnancy on the continent is the highest in the world, as half of the children born last year are to mothers under the age of twenty all over the world.

The role of ideas and policies

The United Nations said in its report: Any effort to reduce family size now will come too late to significantly slow down growth expectations in 2050. The report concluded that this growth would occur even if childbirth in high-fertility countries today declined immediately to about two births per woman.

There are also important cultural reasons for large families. In sub-Saharan Africa, children are seen as a blessing and a source of support for the elderly. The more sons and daughters there are, the more comfortable they will be in retirement, even though some large families may not have what it takes to feed them. Her children, which leads to many problems.

The policies of countries play a dangerous role. For example, in Tanzania, politics played a dangerous role for six consecutive years, as former President John Magufuli, who ruled the East African country from 2015 until his death in 2021, discouraged efforts Birth control, saying: A large population is beneficial to the economy, but it seems that his successor, Samia Sulu Hassan, has adopted a different policy. In her statements last October, she said, “Birth control is necessary so that it does not overwhelm the country’s public infrastructure.”

Even with the increase in population in some countries, the United Nations says that growth rates are expected to decline by 1% or more in 61 countries. For example, the population of the United States now stands at about 333 million, according to data from the US Census Bureau, but The population growth rate in 2021 reached only 0.1%, which is the lowest level since the founding of the country.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that human wealth is the basic wheel of development for any country, but the rapid and steady increase in population numbers, the weakness of policies for exploiting human power, and the spread of financial and administrative corruption in many developing countries in particular, have diverted this wealth Humanity is transformed from a gift to an ordeal that requires us to deal with it in various ways. This is to relieve pressure on natural resources, maintain the quality of infrastructure, and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All for the sake of a better world for all, a world in which true social solidarity is achieved.