Crowded Planet: Global Population hits 7 billion

[Drick]

On Monday 31 October 2011 the UN says the world population will hit 7 billion people

a whole host of articles on the Guardian website

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...net-population


including this link, which will tell you the population of the 3rd mall from the sun in the year you were born.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2011/oct/24/how-big-worlds-population-born

[Cathal]

2.3 billion people have been born since I was born.

[NiallGK]

Almost 4 billion (the majority) since I was born.

[McCloud]

Wish I hadn't hit that link makes me feel old


On the plus side I've been around to help in the increase

[i_like_cake]

Just looking at the population of Earth by continent....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population

we have a serious problem on this planet....

[Hugged Rugger]

Not to worry, mars will be ready soon

[McCloud]

Nothing that a global war cannot sort out.

[Viigand]

It will more likely be a flu pandemic.

[NiallGK]

Not good enough, the last one in 1918 only killed between 50 and 100 million. In 1918 the world population was approx. 1.8 billion, thus an estimated 1/25th of the worlds population died. A similar pandemic would probably kill a maximum of 300 million today.

Even this is not likely as advances in medicine, treatments and vaccine development would probably keep the figure to under 100 million.

McCloud's suggestion, although interesting may nevertheless leave the whole planet to the cockroaches.

[Viigand]

A flu without a vaccine would spread a lot faster given how interlinked global transportation is though, so I think it would claim a lot more lives than 300mm. Alternatively, HIV may someday mutate into an airborne virus which could have a more devastating effect should it happen.

[NiallGK]

A flu without a vaccine would spread a lot faster given how interlinked global transportation is though, so I think it would claim a lot more lives than 300mm....

I would doubt it Viigand, at the time when the 1918 sub-type H1N1 strain appeared (which probably originated in Kansas) it spread around the world within six months. Massive troop movements and the concentration of soldiers in trenches contributed. By the time of the spike in infections in October/November 1918 the disease had spread as far at the Arctic and the islands of the Pacific.

Furthermore, the majority of the deaths were caused by secondary infection of pneumonia, a condition which is now easily treated through the use of antibiotics.

[Hugged Rugger]

I'd expect a virus of some sort myself to do some serious damage

[SecondRowGal]

I would doubt it Viigand, at the time when the 1918 sub-type H1N1 strain appeared (which probably originated in Kansas) it spread around the world within six months. Massive troop movements and the concentration of soldiers in trenches contributed. By the time of the spike in infections in October/November 1918 the disease had spread as far at the Arctic and the islands of the Pacific.

Furthermore, the majority of the deaths were caused by secondary infection of pneumonia, a condition which is now easily treated through the use of antibiotics.

Antibiotic restistance is a BIG issue Niall. There is not only MRSA but VRSA, which is the next/last line of defence in antibiotics. There have been no really "new" antibiotics (i.e. not updated versions of a family, but a new family of antibiotics) in nearly 30 years.

My first step would be to ban all of those anti-bacterical products everywhere except hospitals, etc. They definitely should not be in general usage. I have banned them from work!! Our immune systems are fecked from not having to deal with common colds, minor infections, etc. Clean dirt, as Mammy SRG would say.

[Old Dog]

Antibiotic restistance is a BIG issue Niall. There is not only MRSA but VRSA, which is the next/last line of defence in antibiotics. There have been no really "new" antibiotics (i.e. not updated versions of a family, but a new family of antibiotics) in nearly 30 years.

My first step would be to ban all of those anti-bacterical products everywhere except hospitals, etc. They definitely should not be in general usage. I have banned them from work!! Our immune systems are fecked from not having to deal with common colds, minor infections, etc. Clean dirt, as Mammy SRG would say.

This attachment comes on every email that I get from the HSE:-

"If you have a cold or flu this winter - remember - antibiotics just won't do. Taking antibiotics when you don't need them is a waste, can harm your health and increases antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are wasted on colds and flu. For more information http://visitwww.hse.ie/go/antibiotics "

So why do doctors continue to prescribe them, surely they could prescribe a placebo with a fancy name instead?

[mr chips]

Not only that, but the routine use of antibiotics as a "preventative measure" against illness in the livestock whose meat we consume has accelerated the decline in their effectiveness. Hence my preference for organic meat, milk, cheese etc, and part of my reason for substantially reducing my overall intake of farmed meat.

[i_like_cake]

http://www.seashepherd.de/news-and-m...-101027-1.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz28CTfiq00