n1zm0
10-31-2011, 11:56 AM
Many of us awoke this morning to learn that the world’s seven billionth citizen had supposedly been born. Or, rather, three seven-billionth babies: Because of competition among UN agencies and charities to mark this world-population milestone, we wound up with a Baby Seven Billion in the Philippines, another in India and a third in Russia.
The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations, which says this global milestone presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the planet. While more people are living longer and healthier lives, says the U.N., gaps between rich and poor are widening and more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity and water shortages.
As if the world’s odometer had turned over and displayed a long row of zeroes, these births have elicited a storm of analysis, doomsaying, counter-doomsaying and debate over the magnitude of population growth. Such a noise has not been made since the birth of Baby Six Billion (Adnan Nevic of Bosnia, in 1999) or Baby Five Billion (Matej Gaspar of Croatia, in 1987).
But does the human race really fructify itself past the seven-billion mark on Halloween morning? Well, no. Or rather, maybe. Which is to say: We have no idea.
It could, in fact, have happened a year ago. Or it could happen in 2013. Or any time in between: We really have no idea how many people are born in any country, never mind the whole world, in any given year or day; we also have little idea how many people have died, which has as much effect on population.
The United Nations Population Division, the agency that keeps track of the number of humans, decided earlier this year to declare Oct. 31, 2011 ‘Seven Billion Day,’ to draw attention to their latest World Population Prospects report, which estimates and predicts world population growth.
Its officials are happy to admit that the day was completely arbitrary: “The 31st October is a symbolic date, which is based on interpolated data from the original 5-year period estimates prepared by the Population Division,” they write.
The problem is that those estimates are mainly based on the national census data of 141 countries that produce them, and “official estimates” – that is, informed guesses – for another 89. The problem is that the countries with the fastest population growth and therefore the most profound effect on the pace of change are by definition very poor countries (Afghanistan and Somalia have among the fastest-growing populations) and therefore have the worst statistics. Many of them have not conducted a census in 10, 15 or sometimes 20 years, and a few never really have at all.
So the UN officials say publicly that their figures could be off by a margin of six months in either direction if those statistics are assumed to have a margin of error of one per cent.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/worldview/the-world-at-7-billion-not-so-fast/article2219956/?from=sec434
i thought this too, how can we really know the exact number, but anyways cool to reflect upon if we are more or less around that #, kind of crazy to see some of the estimate facts amongst other things like what # were you in the history of humans on earth:
http://www.7billionandme.org/about-you.php
a more generic one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515
i got:
When you were born, you were the:
4,799,578,050th person alive on Earth
79,589,165,091st person to have lived since history began
The world's population will reach seven billion on October 31, according to projections by the United Nations, which says this global milestone presents both an opportunity and a challenge for the planet. While more people are living longer and healthier lives, says the U.N., gaps between rich and poor are widening and more people than ever are vulnerable to food insecurity and water shortages.
As if the world’s odometer had turned over and displayed a long row of zeroes, these births have elicited a storm of analysis, doomsaying, counter-doomsaying and debate over the magnitude of population growth. Such a noise has not been made since the birth of Baby Six Billion (Adnan Nevic of Bosnia, in 1999) or Baby Five Billion (Matej Gaspar of Croatia, in 1987).
But does the human race really fructify itself past the seven-billion mark on Halloween morning? Well, no. Or rather, maybe. Which is to say: We have no idea.
It could, in fact, have happened a year ago. Or it could happen in 2013. Or any time in between: We really have no idea how many people are born in any country, never mind the whole world, in any given year or day; we also have little idea how many people have died, which has as much effect on population.
The United Nations Population Division, the agency that keeps track of the number of humans, decided earlier this year to declare Oct. 31, 2011 ‘Seven Billion Day,’ to draw attention to their latest World Population Prospects report, which estimates and predicts world population growth.
Its officials are happy to admit that the day was completely arbitrary: “The 31st October is a symbolic date, which is based on interpolated data from the original 5-year period estimates prepared by the Population Division,” they write.
The problem is that those estimates are mainly based on the national census data of 141 countries that produce them, and “official estimates” – that is, informed guesses – for another 89. The problem is that the countries with the fastest population growth and therefore the most profound effect on the pace of change are by definition very poor countries (Afghanistan and Somalia have among the fastest-growing populations) and therefore have the worst statistics. Many of them have not conducted a census in 10, 15 or sometimes 20 years, and a few never really have at all.
So the UN officials say publicly that their figures could be off by a margin of six months in either direction if those statistics are assumed to have a margin of error of one per cent.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/worldview/the-world-at-7-billion-not-so-fast/article2219956/?from=sec434
i thought this too, how can we really know the exact number, but anyways cool to reflect upon if we are more or less around that #, kind of crazy to see some of the estimate facts amongst other things like what # were you in the history of humans on earth:
http://www.7billionandme.org/about-you.php
a more generic one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515
i got:
When you were born, you were the:
4,799,578,050th person alive on Earth
79,589,165,091st person to have lived since history began