By Kamarya Buckley, Staff Writer
Over the course of human history, millions of people have been living and dying, but now there are officially 8 billion on the planet, as of November 15, 2022. We are approaching our carrying capacity as a species, and developed first-world countries are on the verge of decline with family planning and women’s decisions being increased. Regarding this, you are one out of eight billion people and not one of them is the exact same.
According to NBC News, our human carrying capacity is nine to 10 billion people. We are nearing that, and scientists are trying to find a way to regulate the population so it is sustainable. This can only be possible through education and awareness of struggling 3rd world populations. They are actually increasing in population and births per capita because the child mortality rate is higher than first world countries. Countries like Nigeria, South Sudan, and Uganda are increasing in population.
Sophomore Zahra Tekhar presumed, “ I definitely think that India is increasing the most.” Weirdly enough India had a less than 1 percent increase in 2021- 2022 they are still growing little by little as their birth rate is still higher than the death rate.
Baraka Ndirtui predicted “ my country is most likely growing,” referring to Kenya. Although Kenya’s fertility rate is less than half of what it was decades ago, the country still experiences rapid population growth of over 1 percent. Due to high fertility rates in the past, Kenya has many more families than it did in the past, so women are having fewer children, but there are more families. This is the case for many developing countries.
Some believe, like sophomore Cathy Whitney, that “ I think Chinese people are increasing the population.” This is inaccurate: According to Weforum.org China, one of the world’s biggest populations, is actually declining because the total fertility rate (births per woman) dropped to just 1.15 in 2021, much below the 2.1 necessary to maintain the population. This is one of the first-world countries that we suspect stabilizes the overall human population.
On the other hand, an 11th grader JJ Smith hypothesized that “ probably [Cacusians] are making a lot.” Although Caucasians are in some cases likely to be wealthy, have kids, and be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle, they have other options like a family planner, and women’s decisions and opportunities are increasing. Women are able to decide whether they have children since they now have career paths they are able to pursue; many may stop having children or have fewer.
Zehra and JJ both said they were not going to have kids when they mature.Zehra mentioned “I want to focus on my career more than on building a family and by the time I get successful I don’t think kids would be in the picture”. This is happening in so many developed countries because they have the option and opportunity to do so because of money and the longer life expectancy.
Students have so much time to think about whether they want to have children or not. It is a big decision and carries a lot of responsibility but everyone deserves to have an option and an opportunity to find happiness. Sophomore Diamond Jade exclaimed, “I am not having kids any time soon because I want to find my career and make money.” With careful consideration, this may be the best option for society for sustainability.