July 11th
World Population Day
World Population Day is an international holiday on July 11. It aims to raise awareness of global population issues. It was established by the Board of Governors of the United Nations Development Program in 1989. It was preceded by the "Day of Five Billion", when in 1987 the exact number of inhabitants on planet Earth was recorded at 5 billion. That was a long time ago...
The population on Earth is constantly increasing, bringing many challenges that humanity has never faced before. Over the past 100 years, the population on Earth has quadrupled, reaching 7 billion people in 2012. This marked the end of the period of the fastest population growth between 1975 and 2011, during which three billion people were added. Since then, the growth rate has been slowing down, and according to experts, this downward trend will continue, albeit at a slower pace. This development confirms the theories of the demographic revolution, with humanity now entering the final phase. Quality healthcare and improving living standards are among the most significant drivers of this transformation. Although population growth is slowing down, there are still more and more people, while our planet remains just one. More people mean greater consumption of everything - food, water, land, oil, metals, and other resources. Many of these resources are non-renewable, with finite quantities. Once we consume them, we will have to learn to live without them. Excessive use of some resources can also damage or even destroy them. To preserve our planet for future generations, we must use its resources wisely. This is where the concept of sustainable development comes in. Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
