The email sent will contain a link to this article, the article title, and an article excerpt (if available). For security reasons, your IP address will also be included in the sent email.
TERRA DAILY
London (AFP) Oct 26, 2011
The world's population of seven billion is set to rise to at least 10 billion by 2100, but could top 15 billion if birth rates are just slightly higher than expected, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
In a report ahead of ceremonies on October 31 to mark the seven billionth human alive today, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned demographic pressure posed mighty challenges for easing poverty and conserving the environment.
"This is a challenge and a call to action. The issue of population is a critical one for all humanity and for planetEarth," Babatunde Osotimehin, the UNFPA's executive director, said at the launch of the report in London.
But he said that the world should focus on how to make the world a better place to live instead of worrying only about numbers.
"This is not a matter of space, it's a matter of equity, opportunity and social justice," he told journalists.