Yesterday (15 November 2022) the United Nations celebrated humanity as we reached a new milestone in history. A baby born in the Global South, marked the eighth billion human to grace the worldwide population. In celebration of the big milestone, the UN has coined it ‘The Day of 8 Billion.’
Pexels
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, says the following in a statement from the UN:
“The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.”
It’s true. We’ve made incredible advancements here on Earth. We’ve diversified, we’ve seen tremendous growth in industries like public health, medicine and technology, we’ve scaled up global development, and we continue to learn more about ourselves through the eyes of our fellow brother and sister sapiens.
But, the growing responsibility that comes with a population that only keeps climbing, does become a niggling thought. The world, as it now spins, currently faces a plethora of serious issues like climate change and the grasp of financial turmoil in low-income countries and beyond.
According to the UN, countries with the highest fertility rates are those with the lowest income. This means that global growth in population is highly concentrated in the world’s poorest countries, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
On the other hand, countries with high consumption of resources, emissions and greenhouse gases, tend to have a higher income per capita but not a rapid growth in population compared to the Global South.
In order to really celebrate a growing population, we need to consider the threats we face as humanity today. The stark economic inequality present in the world, and the environmental threats posed on our planet will only grow as the population does, unless we do something about it.
Humanity reached the 7 billion mark 12 years ago. According to the UN, the rate of global population is slowing, and we can expect to reach the 9 billion mark in a projected 15 years. By 2037, humanity may reach its next notch on the almanac of existence.
Before then, let’s do our best to share with our fellow ‘human beans.’ Whether it’s information we’ve learned ourselves on how to live sustainably, or making space to provide equal opportunity for those beyond our own personal spheres. A conscious, kind humanity always finds a way.
ALSO SEE:
Finalists for Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022 announced
Feature Image: Unsplash
