Today In History: World Population Reaches 8 Billion

On November 15th, 2022, the world's population reached eight billion people, with the largest concentrations living in China and India, followed by the United States. Over the last 12-13 years, the population grew by by one billion, with an increase in global life expectancy to 73 years of age. According to the World Economic Forum, the rapid increase is due to rising fertility rates and advances in medicine and agriculture. With more humans inhabiting the Earth, the toll on environment, and the effects of climate change come serious concerns for sustainability: there is increased demand for food, water, housing, healthcare, and energy, among other needs -- in turn causing shortages, poverty, pollution, pandemics, and other problems, despite access to resources, cultural diversity, and economic growth in overpopulated places.  Greater access to education and family planning services may help address overpopulation, though by 2100 we could see as many as 10.9 billion of us.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning:

• Levey, R. (1977, Oct 10). Living: World Population: From Boom to Doom. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Cattani, R.J.  (1978, Aug 23). Scientists Say World Population Growth Slows: 'Zero Growth By 2025, Peak Near 8 Billion'. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Trends: World Population in 2034 Projected to Top 8 Billion. (1984, Apr 15). Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• World Population Estimated at Nearly 4.8 Billion: Survey Estimates 6 Billion People By End of Century. (1984, May 08). The Hartford Courant (1923-) 
• Haub, C. (1990, Jul 08). 2050: Standing Room Only?: It's the Wrong Time to Be Optimistic About World Population. The Washington Post (1974-) 
• Fornos, W. (1996, Nov 12). The Food Crisis Won't Be Solved Without Stabilizing World Population: Focus of Summit Should Go Beyond Simply Producing More Food. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• There Could Be 11 Billion of Us 2200 Says UN. (1998, Feb 05). The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Abu-Nasr, D. (1998, Sep 01). Water Crisis Looms as World Population Grows: Now Is the Time to Conserve Fresh Water and Eliminate Pollution. Philadelphia Tribune (1912-) 
• World Population Set to Touch 8 Billion Mark by 2026. (1999, Apr 03). The Times of India (1861-2010) 
• O'Sullivan, K. (2020, Jul 15). World Population Set to Shrink After 2050, Prompting Major Power Shifts: Improved Access to Contraception for Women Will Force Change, Says Study. The Irish Times (1921-) 

Tips:

• Francis, Roy G. The Population Ahead. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1958. e-book
• Homer-Dixon, Thomas F. Environment, Scarcity, and Violence. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1999. e-book
• Teaching Methodologies in Population Education. Bangkok: Population Education Programme Service, UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific, 1984.  Stacks ; LB1027 .T44 1984
• Yadav, S. S. (Shyam S.). Crop Adaptation to Climate Change. [1st ed.]. Chichester, West Sussex ; Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. e-book
• Sloan R. Wayland Collection, Teachers College Digital Collections

Images:

• World Population Growth, 1700-2100, 2019 Revision, by Max Roser, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
• Poster Image:  Cityscape, Courtesy, Pxhere

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