Someday, the world may be home to more than 11 billion people.
John Bongaarts, an expert on world population problems, spoke about his speculations for population growth and the problems inherent with this century's phenomenal growth of humankind during a lecture sponsored by John Snow Incorporated.
John Snow Incorporated, named for the father of epidemiology - the study of epidemics - has been involved in public health problems worldwide. Bongaarts is an expert in overpopulation and has briefed government officials such as Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
"We are now at the peak of this unprecedented expansion of humans," Bongaarts said.
Due to falling infant mortality rates and mortality rates in general, the world population has expanded astronomically over the past few decades, Bongaarts said. In 1950, the world held 2.5 billion people. Since then, the population has doubled to more than 5 billion and by the end of the next century, it will have doubled again to a total population of 11 billion, Bongaarts said.
Population growth will continue to be fastest in Southeast Asia and Africa "despite the AIDS epidemic," Bongaarts said. He said the disease is expected to double death rates in certain regions of Southeast Asia and Africa over the next few years.
Overpopulation, despite these grim predictions, is actually a problem that activists have helped affect. With the help of international groups like JSI and aid from national governments, family planning clinics have been set up throughout the less-developed world regions.
"We now run the largest family planning program in Kenya," JSI President Joel Lamstein said.
Were it not for this action, Bongaarts said that world population would eventually reach beyond the expected 11 billion to 14 billion people. Still, Bongaarts said he regretted that the United States has been withdrawing from international efforts to address the problems of exploding population in recent years.
Yuzuro Takeshita, a retired University professor of health education and health behavior, agreed that the United States is currently less involved than it has been in the past. "That's because China's involved, and China has an abortion component," he said.
Lamstein said that American withdrawal from the issue was part of a growing "inward look by Americans." He said the United States now devotes less than 1 percent of its budget to foreign aid.