Dear Editor,

Tuesday, November 14, 2022 was a significant date in history that came and went almost unnoticed.

It was the day that the population of planet Earth reached eight billion people. In 1950 there were 2.5 billion people on Earth; 10 years later, three billion; in 1976 we hit the four-billion mark; and less than 50 years later we number eight billion. Of this eight billion, seven billion came over a period of 200 years.

Of course, humans are living longer because of advances in public health and nutrition, but they’re also putting an unprecedented strain on our planet. The whole creation is literally and figuratively groaning under the weight. And China and India bear a large percentage of this weight.

This growth has been fuelled by the ever-increasing life expectancy, declining infant and maternal mortality as well as progress in medicine and public health. So this is a landmark in human survival. According to the United Nations report, populations also grow when there’s a lack of family planning and education and empowerment of women. If this is not addressed, it is expected, at the current trend, that the Earth’s population will reach nine billion within the next 15 years and all these people will be using the Earth’s finite resources.

Consider the impact that this will have on the world and its economies, it will put a strain on resources, there will be environmental degradation, and increased carbon emissions. How to mitigate these challenges is a multi-billion-dollar question.

According to world development indicators, Jamaica’s annual growth rate averaged 0.43 per cent between 1997 and 2022 (https://tradingeconomics.com/jamaica/gdp-growth-annual) and, according to WorldData.info, the population has increased from 1.63 million to almost 2.97 million, an 82.6 per cent increase between 1960 and 2021. And I have been asking myself: How will this trajectory impact life in Jamaica? I surmise that if we don’t educate the populace about birth control, if we don’t slow climate change, if we don’t get back to farming and become self-sustainable in food production, then famine is going to break out on the land.

Maybe the the people that the government sectors are retiring in the prime of their lives could look at agro-industry as another career option. At 65 life is just beginning in this scientific and technological era.

Our dependence on imports is going to strain our economy and kill the dollar. Deforestation is going to hinder growth because rainfall is going to be less than it is now, and with every person wanting to own a motor vehicle, this is going to poison our lungs and we are going to become a people who live short lives. I observed that in places like Bermuda vehicle size is legislated, and, if my memory serves me right, is limited to one per household. And there is the widespread use of bikes and bicycles, which have minimal adverse impact on the environment.

In Jamaica we lose so much man hours on the road jostling in traffic and breathing in carbon dioxide and monoxide. An efficient rail system and buses that use natural gas/fossil fuel could help to avert some of the environmental disasters that await us.

Another area that is worth addressing in Jamaica is the selling of farmlands for housing. Maybe it is time for developers and city councils to look with favour at building condos, co-ops, and apartments, especially in rural areas and small townships, thereby using less space for housing so that there can be more land for farming.

I grew up learning from my sage grandma that we should eat what we plant and plant what we eat. She was quick to point out to me that instead of just having flower gardens around the house, I should have a food garden, and, to this day, it’s a practice I subscribe to, and no market food tastes as nice as my home-grown organics. Every soil can produce something, and guess what, mother Earth never menopauses.

If the technocrats are not quick to study trends and develop strategies to counterbalance the population growth, then there is certainly going to be a parallel explosion in crime, unemployment, poverty, and poor health care.

Burnett L Robinson

Blpprob@aol.com