This October the human population is projected to reach 7 billion people. India accounts for 20% of births, the most of any nation, making it more likely that the 7 billionth person will be Indian than any other nationality.
Many things are the fuel for sustainability policies but nothing more than rising world population. Water, energy, and climate pressures rise with rising population.
Wow 7 billion. A staggering number. And we only passed 6 billion in 1999. 1 billion people in 12 years. On top of that, there has been a major shift toward a western-style high consumption life style in China, India and other parts of the world. This increase in consumption may actually put more stress on the planet than increasing the number of people. I read somewhere that the average American consumes about 30 times more resources than the average person in the world. And everyone wants to live like Americans or at least like Europeans (who consume somewhat less than Americans but still probably 15-20 times more than the world average).
ReplyDeleteSomething's gotta give at some point!