Tag Archives: population growth

Thinking in Shades of Gray

BY GARY JOHNSON
Reprinted from Loose Change (TCBMag.com)

So how does it feel living right smack dab in the middle of the Anthropocene Age, the newly named era of history where “man,” by virtue of his sheer numbers, seems to have become the dominant influence on our physical world?

And how’s that working for you, my Man?

One thing is for sure: Regardless of the geologic ages we’ve weathered, humanity still seems unable to grasp the “greys,” the sometimes incongruous and always complex issues that require not only deep dives but a whole lot of transparency, particularly when it comes to addressing problems that literally affect the survival of our species. Continue reading

The 7 Billionth Person

BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the FeeheryTheory.com

According to the United Nations, the 7 billionth person came into the world the other day. I was wondering why it felt kind of crowded around here.

The 1 billionth person arrived when Thomas Jefferson was president. No. 2 billion came when Calvin Coolidge was president, the 3 billionth when Dwight Eisenhower was president, the 4 billionth when Nixon was getting impeached, the 5 billionth when Reagan was in his second term, the 6 billionth when Clinton was in his second term, and now Obama is president with No. 7 billion.

If it seems like the pace is picking up, well, you are right. At this rate, we will hit 10 billion by 2050.

Most of the growth is occurring in Asia, Africa and South America. The United States and Europe are expected to stay fairly flat in their population growth, but that doesn’t mean that Europeans and Americans won’t be profoundly affected by the population explosion in other parts of the globe.
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