Population Explosion Scrutinized

Researchers increasingly link population with global problems like climate change and declining resources as basic as fresh water, and the UK national academy of science will launch a study on what others regard as an overused term and needless concern. Fertility rates in most nations are falling, but the planet’s population is estimated to grow from 6.8 billion to more than 9 billion by 2050 – the equivalent of adding two more Chinas or eight more Americas to the world, reports Steve Connor for the Independent. Advances in medicine, energy and food production have spurred much recent population growth. About half the world’s nations consume more natural resources than they can produce themselves, one study notes. International trade provides some relief, but most population growth is in the world’s poorest nations that have limited access to trade. – YaleGlobal