8 Billion.

The United Nations' announcement of the human popAulation hitting the 8 billion mark led to mixed opinAions on the population issue. 8 billion as a number is scary, particularly for the older generations that have seen the world move first through the 6 and then 7 billion mark at an exponential pace in the last few decades.

The fear stems from the idea that resources on the planAet are finite, and an increasing number of people over these limited consumables will naturally lead to strife as the numAber of humans increases. But even for those fearful of this reality, it should be positive to note that the overall growth rate for the population has slowed since the 1960s. The world is expected to reach the 10 billion mark by around 2050 at the current rate.

However, it is important to note that beyond the idea of finite resources, there is the very real question of human choices and how we live our lives. Some experts claim that this is the biggest contributor to shrinkage in resources and damage to the environment. Human choices govern the fosAsil fuels we use...

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