Demographers are often called upon to predict the future by extrapolating from population statistics and trends. The United Nations has revised population projections upward, and demographer Barry Mirkin suggests the warning signs are clear: The globe can anticipate a billion more people in a decade and another 2 billion by the end of the century for a total of 10.9 billion. People live longer, and fertility rates are in decline in most developed nations, resulting in an older population. But fertility rates remain high in the most impoverished places, and this adds to new pressures on immigration, urbanization, climate change, public health and security. Other challenges include job shortages, environmental degradation, food and water shortages, failing states, and inevitable disasters. The world has been warned. Mirkin urges governments to plan ahead with pro-active policies based on the demographic trends. – YaleGlobal
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/world-population-trends-signal-dangers-ahead
