We, The Seven Billion

 RAJENDRA P SHARMA                                                                                                                              
A few days back, at the end of October 2011, earth’s population reached 7 billion. This unique moment in human history represents both an achievement and a challenge, and it will have an impact on every single person on the planet.  A world of seven billion has implications for sustainability, urbanisation health services and youth empowerment. However, it also offers a rare call-to-action to renew global commitment for a healthy and sustainable world. Although people are living longer and healthier, huge inequities persist. The current pace of population growth may add about 78 million more people every year — the same as the population of Canada, Australia, Greece and Portugal combined. Gaps between rich and poor are growing, and more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity, water shortages and weather-related disasters. Meanwhile, many rich and middle-income countries are concerned about low fertility, declining populations and ageing. 

Whether the people from rich and poor countries can live together on a healthy planet will depend on the decisions we take now. In a today’s world of 7 billion, there are a large number of people now in their reproductive years, 3.7 billion, which means world population will keep growing for several decades. The average life expectancy worldwide has increased by 20 years since 1950, from 48 to 69 years today. Meanwhile, the death rate has steadily declined, as medical breakthroughs and access to health care have saved millions of lives.

The world total fertility rate has declined by nearly half in 50 years from 5 children per woman in 1950 to 2.5 in 2011, albeit with wide country variations. If current trends continue, world population will reach 9 billion by 2050 and more than 10 billion by the end of the century. Fertility levels matter a lot for population management. For example, Germany at 82 million people and Ethiopia with 83 million are now similar in population size. But Germany’s fertility rate is 1.4 children per woman and Ethiopia’s is 4.6. By 2050, Germany’s population will likely decline to 75 million while Ethiopia’s will nearly double, to 145 million.

The impact of population growth can be observed on poverty and inequalities. First, in the poorest countries, extreme poverty, food insecurity, inequality, high death rates and high birth rates are linked in a vicious cycle. Reducing poverty by investing in health and education, especially for women and girls, can break this cycle. Second, youth below 25 years make up 43 percent of world population and 60 percent of the population in least-developed countries. Investing in young people, thus, creates a pathway for accelerated development.

Likewise, too many women, too often, die giving life. The statisticians say one dies every 90 seconds. This year, an estimated 5.8 million new-borns will die before reaching their first birthday. The risk is greatest for women in poor countries and for poor women in all countries.

A paramount challenge of this century is to meet the needs of 7 billion humans — and the billions to come — while protecting the intricate balance of nature that sustains life as demands for water, food and fossil fuels will only increase with the growth in population. 

An increased global population will affect us all, so it is in everyone’s interest to do something about it. In this context, providing quality reproductive health care and other economic and social encouragements for safe motherhood is the most cost-effective strategy. 

Similarly, investing in women and girls is cost-effective and essential to solving the world’s most challenging problem —‘gender imbalance’—because when women are healthy and educated and can participate fully in society, they trigger progress in their families, communities and nations. In light of this historic moment, it is time to take socially positive actions in our communities and around the world for a healthy and sustainable world. Everyone has an opportunity and a responsibility to make a world of 7 billion a better place for all.




Author: Rajendra P Sharma

Chief Executive Director, Rural Urban Development Foundation

Posted and Published on: OP-ED, The Kathmandu Post, 2011-11-03 09:11

Link the page as it appeared in the Kathmandu Post: 

http://epaper.ekantipur.com/ktpost/showtext.aspx?boxid=2049906&parentid=14301&issuedate=3112011