The world’s population has reached a staggering eight billion people.
The United Nations confirmed the news on Tuesday (15 November), warning the milestone poses ‘great risk for the future’.
John Wilmoth, the director of the UN’s population division, said that although reaching a world population of eight million is a ‘sign of human success’, it’s also ‘a great risk for our future’.
According to Marca, planet earth’s eight billionth baby was born in the Dominican Republic and named Damian.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterre also released a statement about the birth of the world’s eight billionth person, saying in part: “The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.”
Guterre continued: “Billions of people are struggling; hundreds of millions are facing hunger and even famine. Record numbers are on the move seeking opportunities and relief from debt and hardship, wars and climate disasters.
“Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and have-nots, we are setting ourselves up for an 8-billion-strong world filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict.”
Guterre added: “The facts speak for themselves. A handful of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world. The top one percent globally pocket one fifth of the world’s income, while people in the richest countries can expect to live up to 30 years longer than those in the poorest.
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“As the world has grown richer and healthier in recent decades, these inequalities have grown too.
“We are heading straight for climate catastrophe, while emissions and temperatures continue to rise. Floods, storms and droughts are devastating countries that contributed almost nothing to global heating.”
The UN’s latest predictions suggest the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion by 2030 and a whopping 9.7 billion by 2050.
By the 2080s, the UN predicts the population will peak at approximately 10.4 billion people and remain at that level until 2100.
The agency has also predicted that India will overtake China as the most populous country next year and that until 2050 the following countries will lead global population growth: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
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Speaking ahead of Damian’s birth, Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said: “The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional.”
Liu added: “Rapid population growth makes eradicating poverty, combating hunger and malnutrition, and increasing the coverage of health and education systems more difficult.”
Topics: World News, Environment