Population to Hit 7 Billion in 2012
The world’s population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global
community already struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural
resources. The world’s population surpassed 6 billion in 1999, meaning
it will have taken only 13 years to add a billion people. By
comparison, the world’s population didn’t reach 1 billion until 1800.
The reason for this rapid and perilous growth is simple: medical and
nutritional advances in developing countries led to a population
explosion following World War II. And although cultural changes are
starting to slow the growth rate, it remains high in many countries and
continues to place unsustainable demand on scarce resources.