What kind of problems does the worlds growing population bring?
Richer countries with ageing populations face the challenge of providing support and medical care for the elderly. Poorer countries with growing birth rates, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, face the problem of having too many mouths to feed and not enough resources. In general, more people on the planet increase the pressure on our environment – for example forests being chopped down, in order to use the wood and farm the land. But before poor people are blamed for the world’s problems, remember that it is the richer, developed countries which consume the bulk of the world’s food, fuel and water and cause the most environmental damage. Can the world support six billion people? Yes. In theory, our planet can support many more billions of people than are expected to be living in the next century. But only if we make some changes. Experts warn we are wasting and polluting too many of our resources. There is more than enough food in the world to feed everybody. Humans need 2,000 calor
