A World with 8 Billion People. What's Next for Humanity?

Last Tuesday, the United Nations announced that the planet’s population has reached 8 billion. How did we get here, and what does this shocking number mean for us and the future of humanity on Earth?

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The population growth we are experiencing is quite remarkable—especially considering that the same number was a billion less just 11 years ago. Even though the pace of growth has slowed down, and is predicted to be even slower from now on, estimations say that we will surpass 10 billion in 2058. António Gutierres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations commented that this milestone was an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements—and this number really is the result of several achievements in medicine and public health. Some of the most important contributions include the improvement of sanitation, the invention of vaccines and antibacterial drugs, and wider access to clean drinking water. Such advancements have lowered death rates and extended average life expectancy, leading to the unprecedented growth of the population we have been experiencing in the past decades.

This number, however, does not only give us reasons to celebrate. As the UN Secretary-General also added, humanity should now consider their shared responsibility for the planet as well. Overpopulation is not to be taken lightly, as it has severe implications for humanity’s future on Earth. Environmental consequences include climate change, water and food shortage, pollution, deforestation, and a loss of biodiversity. We are currently using up much more natural resources than we should—if we continue like this, the almost 10 billion people on the planet would need three Earths to survive by 2050. 

As the United Nations explained, most of this huge population growth comes from the world’s poorest countries. Some reasons behind this are the lack of empowerment and choice for women combined with a lack of (sexual) education, and the inaccessibility of reproductive health care and products. However, the contribution of developed countries to the issue should not be ignored. The source of the problem is not simply the 8 billion inhabitants, but the combination of this huge number with our wasteful consumption habits—and unsustainable patterns of consumption are more common in countries where the average household income is higher.

What, then, is the solution to overpopulation? One thing could be a change of policies relating to birth rates. Currently, several countries—such as Turkey or Japan—seem to favour the encouragement of having more children over the lowering of birth rates despite the environmental implications. Policies on the other end of the scale are not always successful either; the one-child policy of China as an attempt at population control actually backfired in many ways. What could be used instead is more ethical, targeted family planning plans. Another important thing would be the removal of factors that cause birth rates to skyrocket in developing countries. This would include providing quality education, equal rights to women, and access to healthcare and contraception everywhere around the globe. Developed countries should, in addition, lead the improvement in terms of more sustainable economies and less wasteful consumption habits.