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This week's Focus Earth looks at the impact that the human population explosion is having on the planet. With almost an additional 80 million people every year, the world's population could reach 11 billion by 2050. The potential pollution, destruction of land for development, and depletion of natural resources that could result beg the question, just how long can the earth support us? And what can we do to prevent its collapse?
First, Bob Woodruff looks at what the expanding human footprint is doing to the planet. New projections forecast 7 billion people by 2011, and a larger population means a greater demand for natural resources, and animals are going extinct faster than ever. Bob interviews a population expert, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, and author Jared Diamond to dig deeper into the issue. Societies throughout history have collapsed under overpopulation and environmental neglect, and today, the peril is global. If we keep going at the current rate, the realities we face will become ever more grim.
Next, Focus Earth looks across the globe to crowded countries and communities where fights are already escalating over dwindling natural resources. Bob Woodruff talks about water scarcity and international security with experts in the field, and looks at places already in conflict over access to water sources, like Darfur, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Security experts predict even the U.S. will face similar resource wars in the future. How bad will it get as our population continues to grow? The U.S. and foreign governments are planning for the worst as the number of humans on the "hot, flat, crowded" planet keeps jumping.
Then, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement is spearheading the idea that the only way to save the planet is to vacate the premises. Bob talks with Les Knight, the head of the movement, who is among a growing number of people who say we should voluntarily die out before we do so much damage to the planet that it happens involuntarily. He calls for an end to childbirth, an idea bolstered by a new Oregon State University study showing that having just one child can have a massive carbon footprint. It finds that choosing not to have a child is 20 times better for the planet than recycling, driving a hybrid, or using energy efficient appliances. Bob also interviews a woman who, like a growing number of believers in zero population, had her tubes tied for the "greater good of the planet."
Finally, there are people who firmly believe the opposite. Future generations may be the ones to provide solutions for the planet's worst scenarios, and Bob talks with parents who feel their children will be able to make a difference--as well as his own four children, in whom he sees an environmental awareness that his own generation never knew. Watch Bob talk with his kids about recycling, composting, and other ways to reduce our impact on the planet.
Eco Quiz:
How many people are born in the world each day?
a.) 50,000 b.) 200,000 c.)300,000
Answer: b) 200,000, according to the U.N. Population Division & U.S. Census Bureau. That's about 7 babies born every second!
Watch Videos of Focus Earth: Population Overload
Dig deeper into these issues:
Overpopulation 101: What's Wrong With Too Many People?
Focus on Focus Earth: Can Children Solve the Environment Crisis?
Human Extinction: the Next Environmental Movement?
More People + Fewer Resources = Growing Conflict
