World population: 7 billion - Childbirth

The world's 7 billionth person will be born into a population more aware than ever of the challenges of sustaining life on a crowded planet but no closer to a consensus about what to do about it.

To some demographers the milestone foreshadows turbulent times ahead: nations grappling with rapid urbanisation, environmental degradation and skyrocketing demand for healthcare, education, resources and jobs.

To others, a shrinking population, not overpopulation, could be the longer-term challenge as fertility rates drop and a shrinking workforce is pushed to support social safety for an ageing populace.

"There are parts of the world where the population is shrinking and in those parts of the world, they are worried about productivity, about being able to maintain a critical mass of people," Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the UN Population Fund, told Reuters.

"Then there are parts of the world where the population is growing rapidly. Many of these countries face challenges in terms of migration, poverty, food security, water management and climate change and we need to call attention to it."

The United Nations says the world's seven billionth baby will be born on October 31.

A pediatrician inspects baby Marcelino Alvarado minutes after he was born in the private Aquamater clinic in Caracas Sept 23, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

A baby gestures minutes after he was born inside the pediatric unit at hospital Escuela in Tegucig! alpa Oct 21, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

A Cuban doctor inspect patient Amareli Suarez, 22, who is 36 weeks pregnant, at a public maternity hospital in Gatire on the outskirts of Caracas Oct 5, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

A Cuban doctor cover the eyes of a premature baby in the natal intensive care unit of a public maternity hospital in Gatire on the outskirts of Caracas Oct 5, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eurozone unemployment adds to gloom ahead of polls

Financial markets are braced for a rocky ride next week if voters in France and Greece strike a blow against the centrally imposed deficit targets that have been at the heart of Europe's response to the debt crisis over the past two year Rising unemployment and plunging business confidence in the euro area revealed the increasingly fragile state of the region's economy on Wednesday, as voters in France and Greece prepare to deliver their verdict on austerity in Sunday elections. Official figures showed that unemployment across the 17-member single currency zone increased by 169,000 in March, for the 11th consecutive month, to hit 17.37m. The unemployment rate was 10.9%, the highest level in its history. Even in Germany, which has so far largely escaped unscathed from the downturn sweep of the labour market, unemployment began to tick up in March, though it remained at just 5.6% of the workforce. There was also evidence that businesses are being hit by what many analysts expect ...
Keep reading

Murdoch daughter joins News board

Shine Television's founder will have similar status in her father's company to her brother James Murdoch when deal is complete Elisabeth Murdoch will join the board of her father's News Corporation and avoid reporting directly to her brother James after News completes the 415m buyout of her Shine Television group. The deal values the 42-year-old's controlling stake in Shine maker of Outcasts and Merlin at close to 200m, once the long-anticipated transaction completes around Easter. Shine will report to Chase Carey, News Corp's US-based deputy chairman, after the purchase completes regulatory approval even though the television producer is based in London. That means Shine will remain outside the direct remit of James Murdoch, the London-based chief executive of News Corporation, Europe and Asia putting the two siblings on a more equal footing at News Corporation. Although James Murdoch the subject of a profile in the New York Times at the weekend is widely see...
Keep reading

PM 'uneasy' over superinjunctions

Prime minister 'uneasy' over superinjunctions and judges' role after high court prevents identification of sex scandal footballer The prime minister has waded into the debate on the use of superinjunctions by the rich and famous to avoid allegations of scandal, declaring that parliament and not the courts should decide where the right to privacy begins. David Cameron said the development of a privacy law by judges based on European rights made him feel "a little uneasy". His comments, made while touring a car factory in Luton, follow judgments in the high court this week that prevent the identification of a married Premier League footballer and someone who works in the entertainment industry, both of whom are said to have had extramarital affairs. Cameron said: "I think there is a question here about privacy and the way our system works. "What's happening here is that the judges are using the European convention on human rights to deliver a sort of ...
Keep reading