- Since 2000, older people have outnumbered young people
- Since 2007, more people have been living in urban areas than in rural areas
- In 1950, less developed regions had double the population of more developed ones
- Nine nations, including the United States, will be responsible for half of the global increase in population through 2050
- Some models predict economic gains, while others predict widespread poverty
- concerns about overpopulation can be seen from as far back in history as 1600 B.C.
- Because different types of people have different lifestyles, the carrying capacity of the Earth becomes more of a question about values
- Cities must be planned to keep sanitation in mind to prevent disease
- Care for older people will become more difficult as more of their children work in the city
- Cities must be planned to keep sanitation in mind to prevent disease
Big changes in the human population's demographic are happening. By 2050, the divide between developed and developing countries will be bigger. The world's population will be older, bigger, more urban, and slower-growing. Many of the world's developed countries will experience drops in populations, while the populations of developing countries will explode. Many governments have failed to recognize this trend, but many are now working to prepare and adapt. Models of the effect of this population change on the world economy vary greatly because of the complex nature of the global economy. Humans have been worrying about overpopulation since ancient times. Very long ago, some went as far as to try and predict the carrying capacity of the Earth. Unfortunately, the carrying capacity of the Earth is nearly impossible to predict. In fact, it's more of a question of values than statistics. What should be the quality of life for everybody? Where should we compromise? What are our priorities? What steps will we take? What will we do to change? Despite all of this uncertainty, many are confident that we will find the right path.
ReflectionThis article was very helpful in summarizing the predicted future trends in human population. I knew that Germany's population was decreasing, but I didn't know that this was a trend that could be seen across most developed nations. I also didn't know that immigration was the main reason that the United States population was growing. Because a lot of the population growth will be taking place in cities, it will certainly be interesting to see how urban planners attempt to solve the problems described in the article. However, I think that the article didn't focus enough on decreasing the birth rate in developing countries. While trying to prepare for the worst-case scenario is always a good idea, prevention-first is a better attitude to have than preparation-first. Again, this falls back to education, which is usually slow (yet effective). That's probably why