While human population and resource consumption are growing exponentially,
the Earth’s capacity to support us is diminishing. We must address all three challenges or face disaster.

The number of people on the planet is growing. It took 10,000 years to reach a billion people
by 1800. Now, it is 7.2 billion. The United Nations predicts by 2050, it will climb to 9.3 billion.
Most of this increase is expected to come from the Third World.

Initially very low, per capita consumption in the Third World is now increasing rapidly.
Currently the average American consumes 30 times the resources of the average African or Indian.
If every human consumed at the American rate, it would take five-to-six Earths to support us.

At the same time, resources to support this demanding population are in danger of decreasing.
Climate change is causing polar ice to melt and sea levels to rise. It will not take much to put
large areas of land (Bangladesh, Florida, etc.) under water. Where will millions of people live?
Global warming is changing weather patterns at an unprecedented rate. Drought is increasingly
common. Crop failures are increasing.

Without reducing greenhouse gases, curtailing third world population growth and
reversing excessive consumption in almost every culture, our planet is doomed.