World, climate can’t handle 8 billion people

Published 1:30 am Monday, October 9, 2023

I was curious of what the world’s population was in the year I was born in 1939. According to Google it was 2 billion. The world’s population is today is 8 billion!

This means that the world’s population has doubled to 4 billion and then redoubled to 8 billion in my relative short lifespan of 84 years.

In my opinion this population explosion has greatly contributed to our climate crisis!

Here are just a few examples :

• Millions of autos and trucks sit in congested traffic on freeways and streets all over the world spewing out millions of tons of carbon dioxide each day.

• Millions of tons of gadgets are shipped around the world from on old inefficient, diesel fume-gushing freighters; semi-trucks; and train engines.

• 6 billion more people need millions of new housing, therefore forests are mowed down; streets are paved with asphalt,using more oil products). All causing unmanageable traffic congestion all over the world .

• Millions of high-rise buildings and apartments built in the world cities store heat

from the sun, increase the heat index daily, and expel that heat in the evening.

There are many ways to start encouraging birth control around our fragile

world. For example, I believe religious leaders should encourage their followers to practice some form of birth control.

I am simply concerned about this population explosion and the negative affects to our beautiful, God-created planet.

Bill Rowlands

Clinton