The earth could become unrecognizable by 2050, if a growing affluent global population keeps consuming more resources, researchers in a major US science conference has warned.
Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund observed on Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable if the global population continues to increase,"
The United Nations has predicted that the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, "with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.
Meanwhile, as income is expected to rise over the next 40 years -- tripling globally and quintupling in developing nations, people tend to consume more meat, eggs or dairy products, which would cost more grains to produce, adding more strain to the global food supplies.
"We want to minimize population growth, and the only viable way to do that is through more effective family planning," said John Casterline, director of the Initiative in Population Research at Ohio State University.
It takes around seven pounds (3.4 kilograms) of grain to produce a pound of meat, and around three to four pounds of grain to produce a pound of cheese or eggs.
"More people, more money, more consumption, but the same planet," Jason Clay commented urging scientists and governments to start making changes as to how food is produced.
Population experts called for more funding for family planning programs to help control demographic pressure, especially in developing nations.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of the week.
Love,
Prof. Dr. Alex Abraham Odikandathil
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