-
-
Diary: Colorado River drought
The south-western US is suffering its eighth consecutive year of drought. There are concerns that the Colorado River, which has sustained life in the area for thousands of years, can no longer meet the needs of the tens of millions of people living in major cities such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
We cannot continue to waste water as we are doing. We are turning the Western US into a desert. The south-western US is suffering its eighth consecutive year of drought. There are concerns that the Colorado River, which has sustai... more -
London is world's most expensive parking spot
As if rising gasoline prices weren't enough, motorists are being hit by higher parking charges, with London coming up tops as the world's most expensive city to park your car, according to a survey.
Parking your car in the City, London's financial district, costs on average $68.07 a day, or $1,166.87 a month, while parking in the popular West End entertainment district cost $1,135.76 month, according to an annual survey by real estate firm Colliers International that was conducted in June.
Sydney, Australia, came in second, with parking costing $774.76 a month, closely followed by Hong Kong at $742.40 a month. Perth, also in Australia, was fourth at $610.42 a month.
In the United States, New York City's Midtown was the priciest place to park at $585 a month, followed by the city's Downtown at $462 a month. As if rising gasoline prices weren't enough, motorists are being hit by higher parking charges, with London coming up tops as the worl... more -
Fertility Decline Could Cause Global Security Crisis, New Study Says
A recent study by a prestigious national security think tank warns that "rapid and extreme" demographic change due to falling birth rates in the industrialized world may increase security risks in the coming decades. The study also warns that such demographic changes could undermine the "ability of the U.S. and its allies to maintain global and national security." The report says the world is irreversibly headed for "demographic transformation of historic and unprecedented dimensions" that will not be corrected "in our lifetime."
A recent study by a prestigious national security think tank warns that "rapid and extreme" demographic change due to falling birth ra... more -
Population boom will pressure forests
Booming demand for food, fuel and wood as the world's population surges from six to nine billion will put unprecedented and unsustainable demand on the world's remaining forests, two new reports said on Monday.
The reports from the U.S.-based Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) said this massive potential leap in deforestation could add to global warming and put pressure on indigenous forest dwellers that could lead to conflict.
RRI is a global coalition of environmental and conservation non-government organizations with a particular focus on forest protection and management and the rights of forest peoples.
Booming demand for food, fuel and wood as the world's population surges from six to nine billion will put unprecedented and unsustaina... more -
Condoms for climate change!
There are too many people on this planet producing harmful, global-warming related carbon, eating its food and damaging its environment and the number of us just keeps on growing. In short, we are becomming unsustainable. So what's the solution?
Well, let's go back to the beginning and talk about sex. This is the topic addressed by environmentalist and author Robert Engelman in his new book 'More: Population, Nature and What Women Want". Engelman argues that better sex education and access to contraception can be the key to easing many of the world's problems, from social and economic instability to climate change.
For an activity that's done about 215 million times every day, producing more babies than the planet can handle, maybe it's about time we get everyone to bring discussion about sex out from under the covers, and into the open. There are too many people on this planet producing harmful, global-warming related carbon, eating its food and damaging its environmen... more -
World population to hit 7 billion by 2012
The world's population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global community struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural resources, according to a new government projection. The world's population will reach 7 billion in 2012, even as the global community struggles to satisfy its appetite for natural resour... more
-
there are 6,674,807,459 people in the world
50%live in cities
-
Japan's sales tax may rise due to aging population
In short, the current 5% sales tax will not be enough to pay for the influx of people that will be eligible for aid next fiscal year. The Financial Minster pushes the idea to increase the national sales tax to combat the costs as soon as possible. Prime Minister Fukuda expresses similar concern. Tokyo is already the second most expensive city in the world to live in-- imagine after the tax!
Sooner more than ever, travelers should shop duty-free! In short, the current 5% sales tax will not be enough to pay for the influx of people that will be eligible for aid next fiscal year. ... more -
Basic numbers for self understanding
You are not alone, my friend.
-
It's the POPULATION stupid.
What does it mean to overpopulate planet Earth. We're eating up the planet and coverting what goes in to pollution of air, water and commons. It's not just too many people in one place but too many people living in where there are dwindling resources - not sustainable. It's occuring now - more and more populations are without basic resources (food and water). And this is futher problematic due to a few rich nations continuing to take these critical resources (water, wood, food) from the highly populated and poorer nations. We each not only need to reduce our carbon foot print we all need to rethink completely how we live. If we want there to be any viable life for those who inherit life on this planet from us, we are required to make dramatic changes in our way of living. Vying this, we must admit we care not if humanity and other life continue. That's it. What can you do?
STOP drinking bottled water - use the tap.
DRIVE as little as is possible.
Recycle.
Convert your lawn/garden to indeginous plants.
If you must mow - use a hand mower.
Don't use a dryer in the summer - hang your clothes out to dry.
Plant trees wherever you are able.
Turnoff the TV - and read a non-fiction book that gives you ever more better ways of living sustainably on our little green globe.
What does it mean to overpopulate planet Earth. We're eating up the planet and coverting what goes in to pollution of air, water and ... more -
Oxfam GB :: Reshaping our world - Poverty
Click on the categories above to find out what kind of shape the world is in on some of the big poverty-related issues Oxfam works on.
Ever wondered what extreme poverty on a global scale looks like? It’s not a pretty sight – as you can see on our clever interactive map. Oxfam is busy fighting poverty with partners and poor communities in more than 70 countries worldwide to reshape our world for the better. Click on the categories above to find out what kind of shape the world is in on some of the big poverty-related issues Oxfam works on.... more -
Stop having babies?
Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, wants the UK to remain "progressive" on immigration but thinks this can be done with a policy of "zero net immigration" and no further population growth.
His argument is that many of the huge problems the world faces are symptoms of one root problem - over population of the planet. He believes that family planning should be much higher on the political agenda so that the world isn't faced with having a population of 9 billion by 2050.
His stance on this isn't the most popular of positions amongst many politicians; is he on to something and breaking out of a politically correct silence or is his opinion not liked for a reason? Jonathon Porritt, chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, wants the UK to remain "progressive" on immigration but thinks t... more -
World Food Crisis - Are Obese People to Blame?
The BBC Reports:
Obese people are contributing to the world food crisis and climate change, experts say.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine calculated the obese consume 18% more calories than average.
They are also responsible for using more fuel, which has an environmental impact and drives up food prices as transport and agriculture both use oil.
The result is that the poor struggle to afford food and greenhouse gas emissions rise, the Lancet reported.
It comes as the World Health Organization predicts the obese population will double by 2015 to 700m.
The BBC Reports: Obese people are contributing to the world food crisis and climate change, experts say. ... more -
Happy 6,666,666,666 day!
The world population of humans should reach 6,666,666,666 sometime in the next day. I'm buying a round for everyone! (Put it on the Underhill's bill.) The world population of humans should reach 6,666,666,666 sometime in the next day. I'm buying a round for everyone! (Put it on the ... more
-
Presidential Election of 2004, Electoral and Popular Vote Summary — Infoplease.com
Data from Infoplease.com
See which states votes Democrat in 2004.
States that voted Republican include Iowa, North Carolina, and Colorado, Utah by 72%, Georgia and Alabama by 62.5%.
Obama won those states in the primary, but Republicans win them in November.
_________________
from your friends at TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com Data from Infoplease.com See which states votes Democrat in 2004. ... more -
US Census Press Releases
Census Bureau Projects Population of 303.1 Million
As our nation prepares to ring in the new year, the U.S. Census Bureau today projected the Jan. 1, 2008, population will be 303,146,284 -- up 2,842,103 or 0.9 percent from New Year’s Day 2007.
In January, the United States is expected to register one birth every eight seconds and one death every 11 seconds.
Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person every 30 seconds. The result is an increase in the total U.S. population of one person every 13 seconds.
____________________
from your friends at TouchArt.net and OneEarthBlog.blogspot.com
Census Bureau Projects Population of 303.1 Million ... more -
World in the balance: Global impact of overpopulation
PBS' Nova has produced a documentary about the impact of population trends on the planet. The supporting website provides interviews with researchers, interactive tools and trailers of the two part series.
- World population expected to reach nine billion by 2050
- 98% of growth will occur in the developing world
- Only 2.5% of Earth's water supply is fresh. U.N. reports that the scarcity of fresh water due to overuse and contamination will be the second most pressing global concern of the 21st century, after population growth.
- Human activities are releasing more carbon dioxide than the world's plants can process.
- In the next 100 years the Earth's temperature will increase 11 degrees Fahrenheit worldwide resulting in a sharp reduction of rivers and lakes, causing severe flooding in cooler regions, shifting agricultural zones and threatening hundreds of plant and animal species with extinction.
- 40% of the world's remaining forests are endangered.
- Human-induced factors are diminishing the abundance of agricultural topsoil.
- Half of the world's reefs may be gone by 2030 PBS' Nova has produced a documentary about the impact of population trends on the planet. The supporting website provides interviews ... more -
England's population to grow by a third
YAY more people!
Experts predict that England's population will grow from 50 million to 68 million by 2056.
London, the figure could rise from 12,377 to 13,910 over the next 20 years.
In response to these predictions, Conservatives are asking for restrictions on migration levels. HAHA. What about not having more babies? Wrap it up!!
YAY more people! Experts predict that England's population will grow from 50 million to 68 million by 2056. ... more -
The Food And Climate Crises: Getting Population On The Agenda
This animated video states what should now be the obvious as far as global warming is concerned, albeit in a very entertaining way. However one Australian physicist, Phil Chapman, thinks we should be worrying about climate change in the other direction, as he touts the possibility of a return to an Ice Age.
Chapman cites an 11-year low in sunspot activity, and says that our plant actually cooled by 0.7 degrees Centigrade between January 2006 and 2007. "This is the fastest temperature change in the instrumental record," notes Chapman in an article that appears in today's Australian.
As the ice caps melt before our Googled eyes, critics have accused Chapman of cherry picking data, but regardless of whether we should be reaching for the sun tan lotion or for another layer of warm clothes to prepare for the future, living a green life still makes sense. There are so many reasons beyond global warming for ending our reliance on fossil fuels.
A recent study has concluded that even short-term exposure to smog can be linked to premature death. Our ever increasing appetite for oil funds wars and corrupt regimes, and is contributing massively to the food crisis we now face. The latter, which is caused, in the most part, by the fact that rising fuel prices are raising the cost of food production and transportation beyond what many consumers can afford, is ALREADY pushing many here at home over the poverty line into privation.
While experts can't agree on the extent and exact direction of climate change (two recently released reports claim that global warming may be far worse than the U.N. had previously predicted), there is a general consensus that the food crisis will bite before global warming does. And since the causes of both global warming and the food crisis are the same, namely over use of fossil fuels and over population, working towards a comprehensive solution should be a no-brainer.
In the scheme of things the dire problems we now face are so easily fixed. We already have the know-how to replace oil power with renewable, clean energy. We also know that cutting down rainforest and turning away from food crops in order to produce biofuel is "profoundly stupid," to recycle the words of Professor John Beddington, the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor (who, unlike our scientific advisers, at least has the benefit of talking real, unabridged science with his boss).
The issue of the planet’s burgeoning population is a little trickier. While environment and sustainability issues are now firmly on the agenda, population control is the other side of the coin, and the elephant in the room that few in the West like to talk about (unless it’s in terms of “pro-life,” a policy that ironically, in global terms, results in more death). Again, it's not like we don't have the methods, but motivation is a problem, which is compounded by religious beliefs and our delicate sensibilities. How ironic that China, with their birth control already in place, may ultimately look enlightened where this issue is concerned.
Their one kid per couple policy may seem harsh by our standards, but five kids, with two more mechanical gas-guzzlers in the garage, is not a sustainable existence. We really have to learn one very simple lesson: we can't have it all. But next to the possible oblivion of our planet and/or our race, a little compromise and a lot of enlightenment, and action, seems like a small price to pay. For now, let’s at least get population control on our “to do” list alongside ending war, hunger, poverty, pollution and oil reliance, since these issues cannot be dealt with in isolation, and require a holistic approach. This animated video states what should now be the obvious as far as global warming is concerned, albeit in a very entertaining way. Ho... more -
Hunger. Strikes. Riots. The Food Crisis Bites
It is the constant sensation of hunger that makes Kamla Devi so angry. She argues with shopkeepers in New Delhi over prices and quarrels with her husband, a casual labourer, over his wages - about 50 rupees (60p) a day.
'When I go to the market and see how little I can get for my money, it makes me want to hit the shopkeepers and thrash the government,' she says. A few months ago, Kamla - who is 42 - decided she and her husband could no longer afford to eat twice a day. The couple, who have already sent their two teenage sons to live with more prosperous relatives, now exist on only one daily meal. At midday Kamla cooks a dozen roti (a round, flat Indian bread) with some vegetables fried with onions and spices. If there are some left, they will eat them at night. The only other sustenance that the couple have are occasional cups of sugared tea.
'My husband and I would argue every night. In the end he told me it wouldn't make his wages grow larger. Instead we went down to one meal a day to cut costs.'
It is a grim, unsettling story. Yet it is certainly not an exceptional one. Across the world, a food crisis is now unfolding with frightening speed. Hundreds of millions of men and women who, only a few months ago, were able to provide food for their families have found rocketing prices of wheat, rice and cooking oil have left them facing the imminent prospect of starvation. The spectre of catastrophe now looms over much of the planet.
In less than a year, the price of wheat has risen 130 per cent, soya by 87 per cent and rice by 74 per cent. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, there are only eight to 12 weeks of cereal stocks in the world, while grain supplies are at their lowest since the 1980s.
For the Devi family, and hundreds of millions of others like them, the impact has been calamitous, as Robert Zoellick, the World Bank President, warned at this weekend's G7 meeting in Washington. Brandishing a bag of rice, he told startled delegates from the world's richest nations that the world was now perched at the edge of catastrophe.
'This is not just about meals forgone today, or about increasing social unrest, it is about lost learning potential for children and adults in the future, stunted intellectual and physical growth,' he said. Without urgent action to resolve the crisis, he added, the fight against poverty could be set back by seven years.
end of excerpt.
~~~~~~~~
Is this a true catastrophe in the making brought on by overconsumption? Or a manipulation of the poor by world governments to find an excuse for their new world order? It is the constant sensation of hunger that makes Kamla Devi so angry. She argues with shopkeepers in New Delhi over prices and quarre... more
-
related topics
Population
Contributors (204)
Population
