Eight billion reasons to stop being selfish

THIS week we celebrated the population of the Earth surpassing the 8 billion mark.

Some celebrated the milestone, others did not.

There are those who believe that the planet is overpopulated and no longer has the resources to support that many human beings.

We can certainly see and feel the effects of over-population in our cities, which have become overwhelmed by the steady rate of urbanisation and migration.

There is a lack of living spaces, a strain on water and electricity supplies, schools have become overcrowded and over-subscribed.

Traffic is more congested, and more motorists burning fossil fuels leads to more carbon dioxide emissions, responsible for global warming.

For many living in our urban centres, life has become a rat race.

Leading researchers and global think tanks, however, argue that the bigger threat to the planet, its ability to regenerate resources, and to our existence, is not overpopulation but over-consumption, especially by wealthy nations.

According to a recent Credit Suisse report, 47.8 percent of global household wealth is in the hands of just 1.2 percent of the world’s population.

Distribution and equity of the world’s wealth and resources are so skewed that even if we currently produced enough food for 8 billion people, there are still 800 million people who would be chronically undernourished.

Humanity’s problem is not our sheer number, but the number of selfish people who do not respect the Earth’s limited resources.

Those who hoard, over-consume and waste resources and are not willing to share with those in need.

Those who do not care about the environment and lack the foresight to consider the well-being of future generations.

As the Global Footprint Network and WWF put it: If everyone on the planet lived like a citizen of India, we would only need the capacity of 0.8 Earths a year. If we all consumed like a resident of the US, we would need five Earths a year.

It is not impossible to change the behaviour of 8 billion people. It starts with you.