By Suzanne York. We live in an increasingly urbanized world. The growth of megacities – urban areas with a population of over 10 million – is a reflection of the rapid pace of urbanization in countries across the world. In 1990, there were 10 megacities across the globe. By 2030, the number is expected to
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China’s population growth has been popping up in the news recently.  It seems the government’s concern about too much population growth has now swung in the other direction – today the issue is a shrinking labor pool. The Chinese labor force has already peaked and its population will shrink after 2030, though some experts  think
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org “Can Earth Handle 29 Billion People? Easy.” Where to begin with this statement?  Actually, it’s the title of an editorial in the Financial Post of Canada by one Lawrence Solomon, described as “one of Canada’s leading environmentalists.”  This editorial was preceded by another on the same theme and is based on
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Overconsumption, as most people are aware of, is having a tremendous effect on the planet.  But fewer think of this in terms of diet, where intensive meat and dairy production is also a strain on the environment. A new report – Meat Atlas – has just been published by Friends of
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The studies keep coming, and our society ignores them at its own peril.  This time, the issues are endangered species and loss of biodiversity. In June, scientists at Ohio State University warned that a still rapidly growing human population poses a threat to hundreds of mammal and bird species with extinction
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Another day, another warning by scientists that human beings are pushing the planet to a tipping point. At the “Water in the Anthropocene” conference last week in Germany, 500 leading water scientists declared that water is becoming one of the most serious factors that could limit human development this century, with
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org As we celebrate Earth Day this year, it is a good time to think about how we can improve not just the environment but also peoples’ lives.  In the face of globalization and the push for endless economic growth, our societies need to determine the best way to grow and where and when it’s needed.
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It is estimated that globally, every two seconds, two people move into cities. Currently twenty-two percent, or 1.5 billion people, live in 600 cities around the world. Africa is home to the fastest growing countries in terms of population growth. It is projected that the continent will double from 1.1 billion
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