Our world will hit 7 billion people by the end of October. Yep, 7 billion living souls! The seven billionth baby is likely to be delivered in India, which accounts for a fifth of all global births, on October 31 (according to the UN's Dr Babatunde Osotimehin).
That means a serious strain on natural resources, like water, to feed agricultural needs at a time when droughts are being felt all over the globe and desertification spreads its scorched tentacles at a rapid pace. To make matters worse, austerity programs among developed nations are likely to cut the meagre funds available that could be used to contribute food to the poorest nations.
According to the most recent "Global Wealth Report" by Credit Suisse, the wealthiest 0.5% control over 35% of the wealth of the world (if you'd like to read about divergence of wealth distribution and bang your collective heads, open up the link, it's a telling pdf)
We could very well take care of ourselves were it not for the lack of vision from ossified politicians and the sclerotic, rapacious greed from the money changers of this world.
If I were President of the world, my first priority would be: education and empowering women. Investing in the rights of women and the health of young people should be main driving force for a sustainable future, not spending more on defense and waging dubious, foreign wars ad nauseam. Climate change is of course intertwined with water scarcity and has been clearly identified - and undeniably - as the premier issue of our time; it has been written about relentlessly, as it should, by prominent posters on these boards, and it's even making inroads on the front page (MB, LL). But this piece is about us, the seven billion of us and the water we're going to have to find as I keep repeating in my water diaries: no water, no life.
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