On Tuesday, the United Nations (U.N.) said that the world population is now more than 8 billion people. The U.N. also warned that life will be difficult in some regions of the world because of climate change.
According to the U.N., the population will grow another 2.4 billion people until 2080. That means there will be less food, batteries and gasoline for everyone.
Stephanie Feldstein, a director at the Center for Biological Diversity says that “every person needs energy, wood, water and a home.” However, it might be difficult to get all of those resources, especially in Africa where the population will grow fastest.
In countries south of the Sahara Desert, about 738 million people do not have enough food, but the population might grow 95% by 2050.
The world population has grown by 1 billion people since 2011. John Wilmoth, the director of the U.N.’s population division, says that this is a sign of human success.
Asia grew the most, adding 700 million people since 2011. India added about 180 million people. It will become the most populated country on Earth next year with more people than China.
Births have been declining in some areas like the US, Europe, and Japan.
The U.N. believes that the world population will peak at around 10.4 billion people between 2080 and 2089.
VOCABULARY
- Population – all the people living in a particular country, area, or place
- Warn – to tell someone about something bad or dangerous that might happen; alert; notify
- Region – a large area of the Earth; an area of land with similar qualities/characteristics
- Climate change – the fast and dangerous change in weather happening around the world
- According to – as ‘someone’ said; as stated by ‘someone’; in the opinion of ‘someone’
- Director – boss, leader, head, manager
- Energy – fuel; electricity; power; oil
- Resource – natural things such as water, wood, food, oil, etc. which are valuable in supporting life
- Especially – to show that something is greater or more important than other things; particularly; notably; specifically; for the most part
- Division – a major section of an organization or company; department; branch; sector
- Sign – a signal that something exists or that shows what might happen in the future; indication; demonstration; mark; proof
- Human – a person; a man, woman or child
- Earth – the planet/world we live on
- Birth – the occasion when a baby comes out of its mother’s body
- Peak – to reach the highest point, value, or level; to reach the maximum; climax
Original story from Reuters below:
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