National Population Day

Happy National Population Day! Since it doesn’t actually specify what population we are to celebrate, I’d like to pick on the GLOBAL population.

As I write this there are currently 7 164 336 123 people alive on the planet! Pretty crazy, eh? It’s hard to comprehend that. In fact, I find it quite overwhelming…kind of like the ocean and space (but I digress…).

It’s hard to believe that not that long ago, the population was significantly less – like 1.6 billion in 1900.  That’s a lot of people in just over a hundred years! The thing that really gets me about population is where are all of these people, and how do we feed them! A popular way of thinking is that the Western world makes up 20% of the global population, but consumes 80% of the resources. How is this possible? I don’t want to rant and rant about inequality, but really, why aren’t we enraged or ashamed by this statement?! Furthermore, how many more humans can this planet support before we can no longer provide for anyone? Can you imagine a few more billion people sharing everything? It just blows my mind to think, because we don’t encounter many people in the run of a day in terms of this 7 billion number! But, perhaps the answer to this problem is becoming more engaged and making an effort to interact with more people, particularly outside of our neighbourhoods, offices, schools, towns, etc. If anything positive can come from globalization, its allowing many the opportunity to do just that – seek alternative and foreign cultures and populations within the global one!

So today, in honour of National Population Day, take a minute or two to let it sink in just how insignificant we all are as individuals, but also just how much we can change if we all come together to work towards positive solutions to many of the problems we are currently facing or that may present itself in the future. Are you in the 20% of the population, or the 80%? What does that mean to you and how does that idea influence the way you live your life?

While you’re thinking of those things, why not head to the daily poll?! Click here. 

In conclusion, there are now 7 164 338 401 people living on the planet. Therefore, in the time it took me to write and rant, an additional 2278 people were added to this wonderful planet we all to often take for granted!

(Image found at: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2012/12/20/the-science-of-the-real-end-of-the-world/)