Earth, the planet is inhabited by eight billion people

The world population has exceeded eight billion inhabitants, according to an official estimate by the United Nations. 'SUN, "this unprecedented growth – in 1950 there were 2,5 billion inhabitants – is the result of a gradual increase in the length of life thanks to progress in public health, nutrition, hygiene and medicine”. But population growth poses major challenges for poorer countries. If until 1800 the Earth had less than a billion inhabitants, twelve years were enough to go from 7 to 8 billion. According to experts and scholars, it will take about 15 years to reach 9 billion in 2037. The United Nations predicts a "peak" of 10,4 billion in 2080 and stagnation until the end of the century.

Eight billion people on Earth

The 8 billion mark was reached in the middle of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh. The summit once again underlines the difficulty of rich countries, which are the main culprits of global warming, and poor countries that ask for help to cope with it, to agree on a more ambitious reduction of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities. With the world population rising to 8 billion people, more than 1 in 10 (828 million) go hungry aggravated by the deadly mix of climate change, the Covid pandemic and war.

This is what emerges from the analysis of the Coldiretti, in reference to the latest UN data on the record growth of the world population. About 2,3 billion people in the world, 29,3%, live in conditions of moderate or severe food insecurity. In addition, an estimated 45 million children under the age of five suffer from wasting. While 149 million children under the age of five are developmentally impaired due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diet.

Centrality of food and food autonomy

Food difficulties have increased both in developing countries and in the most economically advanced ones with the pandemic first and the energy crisis now that they have demonstrated the centrality of food and the importance of guaranteeing food autonomy. This, Coldiretti reiterates, in a global scenario marked by trade distortions, hoarding and speculation that put supplies at risk.