4 May 2020

20,000,000

All the time we have been hiding in our houses, all the time we have been dodging strangers, all the time we have been checking COVID 19 statistics, the world's population has continued to increase. Some of you may remember that back on February 2nd of this year, I recorded that the population of Earth was 7,762,009,632.

As I write this sentence, three months later, the population of our planet is now 7,782,017,290. Therefore there are over 20 million more earthlings than there were at the start of February. COVID 19 has had virtually zero impact upon the relentless population increase.

20 million people! That's more than the population of Romania or Chile or Ecuador or Malawi or The Netherlands. At this rate in another three months the world's population will have increased by at least 40 million since February. 40 million - that's roughly like adding the population of Iraq and it is far more than Canada.

When I have highlighted this issue before, a few visitors have responded with a degree of annoyance - even challenging me to suggest solutions. But that is not what this focus on population growth is about.

All that I am doing is highlighting - illustrating something that many would argue should be of great concern to all human beings and to our associated governments and international organisations. Perhaps it is too big a problem to tackle. Perhaps it is simply easier for us to bury our heads in the sand as ostriches allegedly do. After all, we've got COVID 19 to deal with.  Incidentally, worldwide and at this present moment in time 247,970 have died with the corona virus. R.I.P..

25 comments:

  1. When I was a little kid the population of Canada was less than 9 million. that's the way I would like it today. So what's with the population increase? Money. More people to consume stuff. More people to make stuff. More money in the fat cat's pocket.

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    1. Well, Red, thanks for the laugh. Puts a whole new spin on why people procreate. Who knew the reason for when the urge overcame me. I put myself out for the purpose of the Apple of my Eye stuffing a fat cat's pocket? Wow. Thanks for that. On a practical note: What do you suggest: Mass sterilization? Enforced? So that Canada has enough breathing space for you?

      U

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    2. Perhaps Red - like me - isn't in a position to provide a "solution" and feels no compunction to do so. He is simply bewailing the huge population rise in his lifetime and trying to get his head round why this has happened.

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  2. I am fascinated by your fascination with numbers. Not least because those numbers mean little without context.

    Your "COVID 19 has had virtually zero impact upon the relentless population increase" has me perplexed and makes me smile since you don't appear to know what you are saying: What a disappointment that Covid-19 has proven to be. Still, YP, do not fear, the Virus may hog the headlines, there are plenty of people who die of other diseases and/or fall off a ladder.

    As to Ostriches: They put their head into the sand for prudent reasons. Namely to dig a hole to protect their eggs and rearrange them every so often as to a satisfactory outcome! Oh the irony, don't you think?

    U

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    1. In popular culture, the notion of an ostrich burying its head in the sand is connected with a refusal to engage with an issue. I am slightly perplexed about your singling out of that sentence. May I assure you that I knew exactly what I was saying.

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  3. Relentless growth, isn't it? I'm pretty sure that without the social isolating that has been put in place we'd be looking at much higher numbers of deaths around the world from COVID-19. Indeed we could yet see those as the virus hits countries where either lockdowns are not put in effect, citizens don't heed them, or health care is critically deficient -- or all three.

    I have been saying for years to anyone who will listen (which unfortunately is pretty much just my husband and family) that overpopulation underlies just about every misery that plagues our planet, from poverty to environmental destruction and everything in between. There are some organizations working on it, but I'd like to see your kind of steady focus become a political and social norm.

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    1. You are of course right that over-population is at the heart of this planet's troubles. It's interesting that at this moment in time the virus hasn't impacted massively on the world's poorest countries. I wonder if this is partly to do with their limited ability to diagnose and calculate accurately.

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  4. I put it down to television poverty. It is well know that once one purchases a television the household population stops growing.
    .

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    1. If everybody had a polytunnel, the planet's population would plunge like a high board diver.

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    2. Perhaps the slogan should be: Don't procreate, propagate?

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    3. You could have Pope Francis saying that in a TV commercial. I wonder if that guy ever smiles?

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    4. A farmers wife is sat in bed and the farmer sits on the bed and takes off his wellingtons and shirt. Then he takes off his trousers and long johns.

      Farmer's wife: "Ooh are you wearing one of those flavoured condoms?

      Let me guess. Cheese and onion?"

      Farmer: "I'm not wearing a condom".

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    5. May I remind you that this is a family friendly blog!

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  5. I thought that I was doing my bit to help keep down the numbers by not having any children, but then my sister produced four of the blighters.

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    1. She had your quota then JayCee. In my opinion, couples should be actively encouraged to have no more than two children because of overpopulation.

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  6. Overpopulation is a problem but so is corruption, inequity, greed and the oppression of women.
    I had more than my quota of kids but I did the best I could to raise good, thoughtful, forward thinking people.

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    1. The world has lots of problems but it might easily be argued that overpopulation is the big daddy of them all.

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    2. Well said, kylie. In fact, I'd say that greed is the major factor leading to the corruption, inequity and in great part to the oppression of women, which leads to much of the overpopulation. There's also the not inconsiderable fact that the most reliable birth control wasn't invented until the sixties, and hasn't yet reached third world countries in any substantial way. We baby boomers didn't create the boom (ourselves), but lack of access to birth control in our earliest childbearing years means we're still hearing that echo of the boom.

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  7. 7,762,009,632 is an extraordinarily precise number.

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    1. So is 7,782,201,959 which is the world's population as I write this response.

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  8. Just to be controversial, I had three children and wish that I had raised more. Bringing up my family was the happiest time of my life.
    Yes YP, I'm still alive, just about thinking that it's high time I did a post. lol
    Briony
    x

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    1. I keep going over to C.C.C. hoping to see a new post but the cupboard is always bare. I guess that you and Tom have got too much on your plate just now - all those business meetings via "Zoom" and transatlantic phone calls!

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  9. I have no kids. I've done my part!

    Seriously, it IS a huge problem. My only solution is to elect people more likely to POUR money into international development (including family planning) in the hopes that elevating the lives of people (and women in particular) will help stem the flow of babies. Educated women with opportunities have fewer children, as has been proven worldwide.

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    1. Some religions appear to promote reproduction. They can be big hurdles too. Thanks for your typically intelligent response Steve.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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