Global Population Reaches 8 Billion People – Here’s How This Could Impact Malta
The world population surpassed 8 billion on 15th November.
Humanity has enlarged the population by a billion in just 12 years, and with an ever-increasing birth rate, how will humanity be affected in the future and what does it mean for the world, and Malta?
With improved health care systems, cleaner water, and an increased knowledge on hygiene and sanitation, humanity has succeeded in controlling many fatal diseases.
In most countries, more children are being born than people are dying.
However, it is not all sunshine and rainbows; 8 billion people living on earth will influence resources consumption.
Malta is already suffering from commodities increasing in price, due to inflation being at an all-time high.
Both renewable and non-renewable resources will further increase in cost. Renewable resources such as food will need to travel greater distances, prices will increase due to shipping; whilst resources such as fossil fuel cannot be replaced and the high demand for it will results in it becoming more expensive.
Both renewable and non-renewable resources will further increase in cost
Unfortunately, summer in Malta will most probably be hotter next year.
All countries will continue to see a rise in temperature during their summers; more people means more pollution, which leads to increased global warming.
Illnesses and diseases thrive when an area is overpopulated, chance of spreading infections is greater. If healthcare centres cannot keep up with this, there will be a decrease in quality of life. Human Waste will also increase.
Furthermore, overpopulation is one of the primary causes for unemployment, therefore, poverty and homelessness.
What is the next step?
There are some possible solutions for population growth.
The most achievable and arguably ethical is to allow access to reproductive health systems for women, worldwide. Malta is slowly catching up with the rest of the world, with easier access to birth control, and debates and protests happening for abortion.
Increasing education and promoting responsible parenthood, and family planning can also be a good government initiative.
A last possible solution would be the one-child legislation, however, this limits reproductive rights, and borders on the unethical; and leads to forced abortions and sterilisations, which is counter-productive in the reproductive rights movement.
What do you think about the rise in population? And do you have any possible solutions?
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