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Next month is going to be quite special for many reasons.

Firstly, we’re one step closer toward the end of this calendar year.

Secondly, it’s Scorpio season, for those who are interested in the zodiac and all things astrological. Lastly, our planet will celebrate a massive milestone – our population will move close to the eight billion mark.

According to The Guardian and a senior UN official, we are set to reach the milestone on November 15, 2022.

Whenever the Earth’s population comes up as a topic of discussion, it almost always raises eyebrows and conjures a sense of genuine concern for many people.

Simply because we find ourselves attempting to provide solutions for a mountain of pressing problems, such as climate change, pollution, migration, and food scarcity to name but a few.

Dr Natalia Kanem and a number of UN officials have suggested that we as a collective should not engage in “population alarmism” and should rather take a more compassionate approach to the situation.

Elon Musk, are you hearing this?

Moreover, we should consider the fact that another human life should not spark or incite any fear:

“I realise this moment might not be celebrated by all. Some express concerns that our world is overpopulated, with far too many people and insufficient resources to sustain their lives. I am here to say clearly that the sheer number of human lives is not a cause for fear,”Dr Kanem said.

Dr Kanem continued to build on her thought by stating that if governments focus on the numbers alone they run the risk of imposing population controls that have been shown by history to be “ineffective and even dangerous”:

And we cannot repeat the egregious violations of human rights … that rob women of their ability to decide whether [or] when to become pregnant, if at all. Population alarmism: it distracts us from what we should be focused on. Dr Kanem said.

Population alarmism may be a potential distraction that could cause us to fixate on a period that has not yet arrived.

Suppose the best thing we can do is pull together when we as a collective cross the bridge and discuss steps that will help make our time here on Earth more hospitable for each and every one of us.

[source:guardian]