As the world population now surpasses 8 billion people, demographic trend expert Jennifer Sciubba sees "a great divide" between richer and poorer countries in all three areas of population: fertility, mortality and migration.
The United Nations projects the world population will approach 10 billion by 2050.
In her latest work, Sciubba writes that on average 240 babies are born every minute in the world's least developed countries whereas 25 are born per minute in the most developed ones. She says some of the world's youngest countries are also the most autocratic and poor.
Sciubba’s new book "8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death and Migration Shape Our World,” looks at how the 8 billion people on the planet today can shape the world tomorrow.
Ideastream Public Media host Jenny Hamel recently spoke to Sciubba for the “Sound of Ideas.”
Sciubba says she originally approached her studies as a demographer from an environmental perspective.
“I was interested in those issues and thinking about how we use resources and the balance between the number of us and the types of resources we use and what's available to us,” Sciubba said.
She says the issue is more nuanced and complex than simply saying there are “too many people.”
“We've got over 30 countries with shrinking population. So, there's a really huge variety of population issues around the world. And people are the foundation of every society right there, our workers and our soldiers. And so we have to understand how many of us there are and where we are and who we are in order to get a better understanding of our world generally.”
Sciubba says the rapid growth of human population can be viewed through multiple lenses.
“I think there's a tendency to focus on the negative. And of course, if you're a biologist, if you are Earth focused and that's your center, then all you're seeing is the impact on the planet. And I don't want to take that away. But if you're human centered, it is a story of absolute flourishing. There's inequality built in there, of course, but people are healthier. Infectious diseases are no longer the number one killer, non-communicable diseases are. Life expectancy is longer. And so really we need to think about it as it has been a positive story for us.”
Sciubba visited Cleveland on April 10 for a program with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.
Guest:
-Jennifer Sciubba, Ph.D., Political Scientist & Author, 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World
