RECENT ENTRIES |
- • Flooding in Britain - 02.14
- • Sochi 2014 Olympics: Reaching the podium - 02.13
- • The 2014 Westminster Dog Show - 02.10
- • 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Soch - 02.07

Translate into:
(Hint: Use 'j' and 'k' keys to move up and down)
October 28, 2011 |
World Population: 7 Billion
On October 31, 2011, the United Nations is expected to announce a projected world population figure of 7 billion. This global milestone presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the planet. While more people are living longer and healthier lives, says the U.N., gaps between rich and poor are widening and more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity and water shortages. Because censuses are infrequent and incomplete, no one knows the precise date that we will hit the 7 billion mark - the Census Bureau puts it somewhere next March. In the last 50 years, humanity has more than doubled. What could the next decade mean for our numbers and the planet? In this post, we focus on births, but we'll be back with population-related content including it's affect on the environment and our food supply. -- Paula Nelson (47 photos total)

A Cuban doctor inspects patient Amareli Suarez, 22, who is 36 weeks pregnant, at a public maternity hospital in Gatire on the outskirts of Caracas, Oct. 5, 2011. The hospital is part of the 'Barrio Adentro' program, which is a collaboration between the governments of Venezuela and Cuba, where highly trained Cuban doctors help provide publicly-funded health care for poor and marginalized communities in Venezuela. (Jorge Silva/Reuters) #

Obstetrician Ana Lara carries baby Diego Alejandro, born by caesarean in the private Aquamater clinic in Caracas, Sept. 10, 2011. Aquamater opened in 1999 and is the first centre specializing in waterbirths in Venezuela. It aims to advise couples, who pay a fee, on techniques for breastfeeding, pain relief and different ways of giving birth. (Jorge Silva/Reuters) #

A premature baby sleeps in an incubator in the natal intensive care unit at a public maternity hospital in Gatire, Oct. 5, 2011. Highly trained Cuban doctors help provide publicly-funded health care for poor and marginalized communities in Venezuela as part of the 'Barrio Adentro' program (Jorge Silva/Reuters) #

A Cuban doctor checks on a pregnant woman at a Barrio Adentro clinic in Naiguate in the state of Vargas, Oct. 6, 2011. The Barrio Adentro' program, which is a collaboration between the governments of Venezuela and Cuba, brings highly trained Cuban doctors to help provide publicly-funded health care for poor and marginalized communities in Venezuela. (Jorge Silva/Reuters) #

Chen Yiming talks to his wife as she is carried to the operating room before a cesarean section in Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, Oct. 24, 2011. China, the world's most populated country with more that 1.34 billion people, introduced a law that limits most urban families to one child. The policy is meant to avoid over-population, but as families shrink and the population structure moves towards an inverted pyramid, many demographers worry that a shrinking pool of young people won't be able to support and care for their elders. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) #

Nurses watch as Yang Huiqing has a cesarean section, October 24, 2011. Yang and her husband Chen Yiming, both born under the one-child policy, had their first baby as the world population was about to reach the seven billion mark. China introduced a law that limits most urban families to one child. The policy is meant to avoid over-population. (Carlos Barria/Reuters) #
More links and information
Seven Billion - NYTimes.com, 10/23/11
Can the Planet Support 10 Billion People? - NYTimes.com, 05/04/11
US and World Population Clocks - census.gov, 10/11
World Population - Wikipedia entry