Human Population Growth
Running Head: HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH
Human Population Growth
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[Course]
[Professor]
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Human Population Growth
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Assignment
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What is the current estimate of the worldwide human population at this moment?
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Describe how this number is changing moment-to-moment, day-to-day, and from
one year to the next.
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Describe how the human population growth issue has and will impact the
ecosystem.
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Cite all references in APA format
Human Population Growth
There are several different estimates of the current world population, which vary slightly
based on some assumptions about population estimates in different countries. Most
census data for various countries is at least two years old (and may be older). Population
models have to account for growth since that data was collected. They also have to
adjust for some errors in that data (miscounts, birth and death rates, migration, etc.).
Given the variability of the base numbers and the differing estimates of errors, it is not
unexpected that there are slightly different numbers.
According to the US Census Bureau’s International Data Base (IDB) population clocks,
at 17:05 GMT (EST+5) Feb 13, 2009, the world population was World 6,760,296,593.
Thirteen minutes later, at 17:18 GMT (EST+5) Feb 13, 2009, the Census Bureau’s world
population estimate was 6,760,298,598.
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That means, that in just 13 minutes, according to the US Census Bureau, about 1,005
more people existed on Planet Earth, or births outnumbered deaths by that number.
Depending on the source of the estimate, there is a net gain of up to 10,000 people each
hour, or about 3 per second.
Sometime in 1999, the world population passed 6 billion people. Exactly when that
happened can’t be known, as we don’t have a count of every single person on earth – and
who has just died and just been born. The Census Bureau estimates that the 6 billion
mark was reached on April 21, 1999, at about 1:40 PM GMT. They warn, however, that
the estimate will surely change as they get additional data from census counts, birth and
death rates, and related information.
In a year from now, given an estimated net growth rate of 1.3, about 81 million people
more people will be alive than now. That means the global population will be in the
neighborhood of 6,841 million people (or about 6.8 billion people.)
The impact on the ecosystem of this many people can be dramatic. Humans consume
large amounts of food – and alter landscapes to produce that food. Greenhouse gas
emissions from farming activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and methane
production from animal wastes, have a major impact on climate change. Plant and
animal species are displaced by food production (farming, fishing, hunting), and many
species are driven to extinction. The question of how many people can the world
ecosystem support is very relevant. The world carrying capacity is finite, and unless
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human population growth levels off (and possibly becomes negative), the planet will not
be able to sustain the large numbers of humans – let alone other animal and plant species.
Eventually a population crash will come, if human population growth remains
unchecked, and food production systems are unable to increase or maintain global food
supplies.
References:
(2009) Population Clock. US Census Bureau. Retrieved from
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
(2008) Population Clock. World Population. Retrieved from
http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop