Climate Justice Gets Harder As World Population Passes 8 Billion

Sharm El-Sheikh: The world population surged past 8 billion people on Tuesday (November 15), the United Nations said, warning that more hardship is in store for regions already facing resource scarcity due to climate change. Whether its food or water, batteries or gasoline, there will be less to go around as the global population adds another 2.4 billion people by the 2080s, according to U.N. projections. “Every single person needs fuel, wood, water, and a place to call home,” said Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Also Read: Opinion: As The Deadlocks At COP27 Persist, Traditional Knowledge And Indigenous Practices Could Provide Food Security

Resource pressure will be especially daunting in African nations, where populations are expected to boom, experts say. These are also among the countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, and most in need of climate finance.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where some 738 million people already live without adequate food supplies, the population is projected to jump by 95% by mid-century, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace. The think tank warned in an October report that much of sub-Saharan Africa will be unsustainable by mid-century.

“A Sign Of  Human Success”

Globally, the 8 billion population milestone represents 1 billion people added to the planet in just the last 11 years.

Reaching 8 billion people is “a sign of human success, but it’s also a great risk for our future,” said John Wilmoth, director of the U.N.’s population division.

Middle-income countries, mostly in Asia, accounted for most of that growth, gaining some 700 million people since 2011. India added about 180 million people, and is set to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation next year.

However, births have been steadily declining in the United States, Europe, and Japan. China, too, has struggled with the legacy of its One Child Policy program and last year urged families to have a second and even third child as it also limited access to non-medical abortions.

Also Read: Not Historical Polluter: India Blocks Attempt To Focus On Top 20 Emitters

Even while the global population reaches ever-new highs, demographers note that the growth rate has fallen steadily to less than 1% per year. This should keep the world from reaching 9 billion people until 2037. The U.N. projects population will peak at around 10.4 billion people in the 2080s and remain at that level until 2100.

Mr Wilmoth said,

A big part of this story is that this era of rapid population growth that the world has known for centuries is coming to an end.

Growing Concern

Most of the 2.4 billion people to be added before the global population peaks will be born in sub-Saharan Africa, marking a shift away from China and India.

“African cities will, on average, grow,” said Deborah Balk, a demographic researcher at the City University of New York. This will leave millions more urban dwellers exposed to climate threats such as rising seas.

Across the world, “the coastal zone is disproportionately urban,” she said. “About one in 10 people live in the low-lying coastal zone.”

The coastal Nigerian city of Lagos, for example, is projected to become the world’s largest city by century’s end.

Rapid population growth combined with climate change is likely to cause mass migration and conflict in coming decades, experts said.

Also Read: Long-Term Goal Of Paris Agreement Requires Phase Down Of All Fossil Fuels: India At COP27

And having more people on the planet puts more pressure on nature, as people compete with wildlife for water, food and space. But how much they consume is equally important, suggesting policymakers can make a big difference by mandating a shift in consumption patterns.

Carbon emissions of the richest 1 percent, or about 63 million people, were more than double the emissions of the poorest half of humanity between 1990 and 2015, according to a 2020 analysis by the Stockholm Environment Institute and non-profit Oxfam International.

Humanity’s impact on the natural world “has more to do with how we behave than how many we are,” Mr Wilmoth said.

Also Read: Adaptation Must Be At Forefront Of Development Interventions: Secretary, Ministry Of Environment Forest And Climate Change

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.