Challenges of a Growing Population

Vocabulary

1. Population (n)
/ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən/: the total number of persons living in a country or in a particular place
Ex: Global population is growing rapidly.

2. Inhabit (verb)
/ɪnˈhæbɪt/: to live in a certain place or area
Ex: The polar bear is one of few animals that inhabit the Arctic.

3. Hamper (verb)
/ˈhæmpər/: to hold back, to hinder
Ex: He tried to study for the exam, but his efforts were hampered by his noisy neighbors.

4. Occur (verb)
/əˈkɜːr/: to take place
Ex: Huge tornados often occur in this part of the country.

5. Consume (verb)
/kənˈsuːm/: to ingest food or drinks
Ex: He hungrily consumed a hamburger.

Reading

According to the United Nations, the world population reached the 7-billion mark in 2011, and that number hasn’t stopped growing since. According to another UN report, nearly 11 billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2100. Governments around the world put significant efforts into providing better living conditions, but the ever-growing populations are hampering most of their long-term plans.

High population growth rate often occurs in countries that are struggling economically. At the moment, the UN is expecting the population of Sub-Saharan Africa to be 4 times larger by the end of the century. Experts believe that this is because many people living in Africa lack proper sex education and have almost no access to birth control.

It is a well-known fact that the people currently living on the planet consume over half of its renewable resources. Reports show that the countries with high population growth rates are already experiencing difficulties producing enough food to go around. Water, food and energy are becoming more expensive on a daily basis.

  1.According to the United Nations, what was the world     population in 2011?

2.

According to the article, how many times larger will the population of Sub-Saharan Africa be by the end of the century?

3.

Which countries are already "experiencing difficulties producing enough food to go around"?

Discussion

1. What do you think about the predictions about the population growth by the end of the century?

2. Do you think population growth can be predicted and controlled? Why?

3. Are there any programs in your country that help reduce or increase population growth? Elaborate.

4. Are you concerned about the world population growth? Why? Why not?



-Tracy Luu-