It’s #WorldPopulationDay!

Did you know there are 7.9 billion people in the world today?

World Population Day is all about raising awareness of controlling the population, and the risks and consequences of a disproportionate population-to-resources ratio.

Here are a few reasons why World Population Day MATTERS:

* POPULATION AFFECTS EVERYONE.
If you live in a first world country like the United States, you probably don’t think of population issues having that much of an effect on your life. However, the more people are added to the population, the more power and food is needed to sustain all of them. It’s hard to keep up that food and power production at the rate that the population is growing, and efforts to do so are contributing greatly to climate change, which affects you no matter where you live.

* IT ENCOURAGES US TO LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE. World Population Day obviously reminds us to look at the current population and population issues that influence how people live now. However, it’s really focused on the future, and what efforts it will take to slow population growth. The most important thing to think of is what the world will look like for your kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, etc. if the population continues to grow at this rate.

* IT DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE DIFFERENCES IN HOW POPULATION ISSUES AFFECT VARIOUS COUNTRIES. Population issues disproportionately affect people in developing countries. For instance, did you know that people in very poor countries have a life expectancy that’s about 20 years shorter than people in rich, developed countries? How about that 1/3 of population growth is due to unplanned pregnancies, which often happen when people are lacking education and family planning services? World Population Day is a good reminder to step outside ourselves and focus on these important issues.

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