Читать книгу Climate Change For Dummies - Elizabeth May - Страница 93

The world’s growing population has been a key factor in the increasing levels of GHGs in the atmosphere. Earth’s population was 1.2 billion in 1850, when the Industrial Revolution was taking place in its infancy. In the past 50 years alone, the population has doubled from 3 billion to more than 6 billion; today the population is nearly 8 billion. Even if the per capita use of fossil fuels had remained relatively stable, the amount of GHGs would have increased. And, of course, use keeps on growing.

Population growth is slowing and should level off. (The bad news is that this isn’t expected to happen until around 2100 as the Earth’s population reaches 10.9 billion people, according to Pew Research.) Nevertheless, the estimate of population numbers leveling at 10.9 billion is a better outcome than some growth curves that put the Earth at exponential growth to more than 12 billion. It all depends on reducing fertility rates, which all depends on improving the economic, educational, and political status of women and girls.