Population growth and global warming threats to human and ecosystem sustainability and health

This paper investigates two major drivers that endanger human and ecosystem sustainability and health: growing population/demographics and global warming. Today's population of 7.3 billion people is projected to grow to 9.8... [ view full abstract ]

This paper investigates two major drivers that endanger human and ecosystem sustainability and health: growing population/demographics and global warming. Today's population of 7.3 billion people is projected to grow to 9.8 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100. In 2016, with 780 million malnourished, 800 million without safe water, and >2.5 billion without access to adequate sanitation, the capabilities to sustain basic life needs for growing populations are questionable. Add to this, needs for societal stability such as safe shelter, healthcare, eduction, employment, and personal security, and questions persist. These problems are exacerbated by demographic changes. In 2016, 3.7 billion people lived in cities and 3.6 billion in rural areas whereas the 2050 projection has 6.9 billion in cities (increased population density) and 2.9 billion in rural locations. There is increasing encroachment on ecosystems for space and further ravaging of their natural resources. Global warming will affect food production and water availability as climatic zones change. Vector-borne infectious diseases will spread to regions free of them in the past, diseases that transmit rapidly in densely populated cities. Crops will suffer from invasive species. Also the effects of extreme weather on land and sea level rise on coastal populations plus natural and anthropogenic hazards, and the need to mitigate problems that will intensify in the future should greatly concern government worldwide. Mitigation of these problems has possibilities if there is targeted investment in event prediction and warning systems, prevention
methods, and preparedness to respond to societal needs.