WORLD POPULATION
The world's population has reached 8 billion people, because of longer life expectancy,
)fewer maternal and child deaths and increasingly effective health care systems. Many declare that more
human beings will only exacerbate climate change. The truth is that population in developed nations
has levelled off, with fertility rates dropping below replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. Most
of the ongoing growth is occurring in developing nations in Africa and Asia, which produce relatively
few carbon emissions.
It was in 1798 that Thomas Malthus warned in an infamous essay that further growth beyond
the 8 million people then on the planet would lead to widespread famine. But so far our ability to feed
ourselves has grown faster than our population has.
(from "THE WEEK" December 2, 2022
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