原文標(biāo)題:Population to hit 7bn by the end of October with five babies born every second
hints:
United Nations
Robert Kunzig
entitled '7 Billion' in National Geographic magazine
Earth
A little over a decade ago, the world's population stood at 6 billion. By the end of October, it will reach 7 billion. With five babies being born every second, 78 million people are added to the global community each year. The population was fewer than 1 billion in 1800, 3 billion in 1960 and 6 billion as recently as 1999.
According to the United Nations, the next landmark statistic will be 8 billion in 2025. Much of the dramatic increase can be accounted for by the world's poorest nations, which are expected to double their numbers over the next decade.
"With the population still growing by about 80 million each year, it's hard not to be alarmed," said Robert Kunzig, author of an article entitled '7 Billion' in National Geographic magazine. "Right now on Earth, water tables are falling, soil is eroding, glaciers are melting, and fish stocks are vanishing. Close to a billion people go hungry each day."
Researchers say the world's population will level off at about 9 billion in the middle of the century.
十多年前,世界人口達(dá)到了60億。而到今年十月底,這個(gè)數(shù)字將會(huì)變成70億?,F(xiàn)在地球上每一秒都有5個(gè)嬰兒出生,每年全球人口增加7800萬(wàn)。1800年,全球人口還不足10億,1960年全球人口達(dá)到了30億,而1999年達(dá)到了60億。
據(jù)聯(lián)合國(guó)預(yù)測(cè),下一個(gè)里程碑式的數(shù)字將出現(xiàn)在2025年,屆時(shí)全球人口會(huì)達(dá)到80億。這些急劇增加的人口中,很大一部分來(lái)自世界上最窮的國(guó)家,預(yù)計(jì)他們的人口在下一個(gè)十年將會(huì)成倍增加。
羅伯特?昆齊希寫(xiě)了一篇題為《70億》的文章,發(fā)表在《國(guó)家地理》雜志上。他說(shuō),“全球每年增加約8000萬(wàn)人口,很難不讓人感到恐慌。在我們今天的地球上,地下水位不斷下降,土壤受到侵蝕,冰川正在融化,魚(yú)群種類(lèi)不斷減少,還有近10億人口每天都在挨餓?!?
研究人員稱(chēng),到本世紀(jì)中期,全球人口將會(huì)穩(wěn)定在90億左右。