WORLD POPULATION GROWING AT

UNSUSTAINABLE RATE
The current world population is growing at an ever-alarming rate, having over the 20th century risen
from 1.6 billion people to 6.1 billion people. The impacts of this colossal population increase are
causing or aggravating all environmental problems facing Earth today.

Advancements in many aspects of society including modern medicine and living conditions has led
the way for this population boom that has more than doubled the number of people on Earth from 3
billion to 7 billion within 55 years.

This growth rate has majorly contributed to mass

extinction and environmental destruction, climate
change and famine affecting billions around the
world. With humans destroying the natural
environment at least 1,000 times faster than
natural rates of extinction, Earth losing 200 species
every day and scientists warning that Earths sixth
mass extinction event is underway, when will be
the time for us to react and reduce the population
in order to save the world?

As a result of human demand for oil, gas and coal, world CO2 emissions have grown 12-fold in the
space of 100 years. We have been warned that carbon emissions must fall to 2 tonnes of CO2 to
avoid severe global warming, and yet Australia as an example has an average of 16 tonnes per
person. On top of this, the 1 billion undernourished people on Earth that the World Health
Organisation has reported and the 3 billion struggling to survive on $2 a day as left us with nearly
half of the world population living below the poverty line a direct result of unchecked population
growth and a lack of food, clean water and money to support them.

The only way to change this is with immediate action including voluntary reduction of birth rate
numbers through reproductive healthcare, family planning, education in all nations about
contraception, discouraging child marriages, providing easier access to birth control and most
importantly allowing the conversation of sex, contraception use and family planning to be a norm
within society and the media.

Now is our time to make a change, because its no small world any more.