Estimated World Population to Pass 6,666,666,666 Today

suso writes ""The estimated population of the world will pass 6,666,666,666 today. No doubt an interesting number for people everywhere (not referring to any religion connotations). 5,555,555,555 was passed about 14 years ago. You may not realize that only 80 years ago, the population of the Earth was only around 2 billion. This shows how the population of the world has increased at an alarming rate in recent times, although the growth rate is almost half what it was at its peak in 1963, when it was 2.2%. Unrelated but also an interesting coincidence, the estimated number of available IPv4 addresses is getting very close to 666,666,666. It should cross over today as well.""

Comments

Re:Someone care to estmate

[Trailer Trash]

Probably no time soon. The recent population boom wasn't caused by an increased birth rate, but rather by increased longevity. Birth rates are down in most of the first world, to the point that Japan is worried about a dropping population.

Re:This is going to sound cold

[Anonymous Coward]

You're close, but cold is:
"What's the point of a baby girl?"
In China, that is.

Re:How do they know? What about Burma?

[plague3106]

Those empty spots in Ohio are called "farms." That's where we grow our food. If we reduce the empty space, we reduce the amount of food we can grow. Also, there's a big empty space a bit to the west where we can't grow food and is a bit lacking in water. It would be difficult to live there.

Re:How do they know? What about Burma?

[Scrameustache]

Besides, whats the fear? Its not like this planet cannot support double that if not more. Do people realize just how much arable land is not in use? None. All land is used by the organisms forming its ecosystem. If we double the number of humans, we must destroy their habitat and convert it to our needs, and through that we destroy entire species, simply to spread as much as possible.

Hell on my recent 1600 mile trip to and from Ohio I can tell you this, this country is empty in many spots and I am sure it is in others. Hell I know there are substantial areas of Europe that are essentially empty. Yeah there are villages and towns nearby but its not like we even try to exploit the lands we have. It is not empty. It is full of NATURE.
Unexploited doesn't mean nonexistant.

One thing I have learned in my short time on this planet. Every doomsayer's predictions of over population and food shortages comes to nothing. We always shift how things are done and accommodate it. If we didn't we would not be here today. What you haven't learned yet is that if the predictions are heeded and countermeasures are taken, tragedies are averted.
The doomsayers had been saying for years that if a cat 4 or more hurricane were to hit New Orleans... but nothing was done.
The doomsayers had been saying for years that if Haitians kept clearcutting the hills for fire wood... and their warnings fell on deaf ears.

If you weren't so ignorant, you'd know about all the tragedies that were foretold, and all the ones that were averted.

but its not like we even try to exploit the lands we have. Look at Africa! How much of that is still like America of a hundred if not two hundred years ago?
[...] We actually do very well in this day and age from allowing nature to takes its course. Hypocrite.

Re:Having seen Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico ..

[MadUndergrad]

Having land to stand on isn't the problem. The problem is resources. People need food, water, fuel, electricity, building materials, plastic and metal for their toys, etc. Water especially is a big issue. We're living on borrowed time and resources right now.

From wikipedia: "The Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted at a rate of 12 billion cubic meters (420 billion ft3) per year, amounting to a total depletion to date of a volume equal to the annual flow of 18 Colorado Rivers. Some estimates say it will dry up in as little as 25 years. Many farmers in the Texas High Plains, which rely particularly on the underground source, are now turning away from irrigated agriculture as they become aware of the hazards of overpumping."

Once the Ogallala is depleted, we're going to be facing another dust bowl. We're going to be increasingly relying on desalination in the future for our fresh water, and that's quite energy intensive. This drives our energy usage up even more. Once our fossil fuels run low, where do we get the energy? We're going to have to seriously expand nuclear and renewables to cope. Empty desert doesn't do much to solve these problems.

Re:An update

[fireboy1919]

Two people go into the building at the other side of the street.

A few minutes pass.

3 people come back out.

First the biologist notices this. And he promptly declares that they reproduced.

The engineer, a bit more at his senses, states that obviously there simply was an error in the original measurement of people entering the building

But, the mathematician realizes the obvious truth, and announces "You're both wrong. If now one more person enters the building, there will be no-one left inside"

Fixed it. Who told you this joke in it's less funny fashion?