National Geographic: The World’s Population & Our Planet

Did you know that in 2011, the world’s population will reach 7 billion people? Did you also know that if we all stood shoulder to shoulder, all 7 billion people could fit in Los Angeles? Did you know that in every second five people are born and two people die? This fantastic 3-minute video by National Geographic assesses the world’s population in a very interesting and effective way.

As they point out so brilliantly, we don’t take up as much space as we might think. So, most of the problems with the environment have nothing to do with there not being enough space. It has to do with balancing the resources that we have access to. By 2045 (our lifetime), the world’s population will be around 9 billion. The question is, will our planet be in a better position to handle all the people then, or will we continue to make poor daily decisions that damage the only Earth we have?

According to what I’ve read, if we could learn to live in colder climates that would create even more space. According to a very well written comment by someone on YouTube, “If you look at the countries that are really big and not populated, they are in the far north. You could fit everyone on Earth in Russia and each person could have 2 acres of land.” What an interesting perspective. National Geographic is beginning a 7 part series in 2011 that faces some of the tough environmental issues head on. Their first in-depth story on the topic will be featured in their March 2011 issue, and it will address humans’ impact on the planet’s geology. I love this. I may have to subscribe to the magazine just so I don’t miss it. I hope you enjoy this insightful video as much as I do.