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| Figure 1: Changes in a population of Paramecium over a six day period Each individual in the population divides once per day. Source: Nature link below. |
The link to Wolfram leads to the differential equation for population growth.
N(t) = N0ert
N0 = initial number.
r = Malthusian parameter, meaning population growth rate.
t = time
So, if you crank through the math a little:
Global
N0 = 7,176,768,000 (CENSUS.gov is scrolling pretty fast, so this is an estimate)
r = 0.012
t = 2042 - 2014 = 28
N(t) = 10,042,731,534.4143
US
N0 = 318,373,944 (again, an estimate)
r = 0.012
t = 2042 - 2014 = 28
N(t) = 445,513,084.32217
More humans; dwindling resources (bees, food, water, fossil fuel); diminished ozone protection; greenhouse gases; political unrest and conflicts; congressional obfuscation; "blame-the-other," homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia; "open carry"; doomsday preppers; tactical nukes in theater; pseudoscience; socially-engineered stupidity in science; same volume of planet under our feet as it was when there was literally "cattle on a thousand hills" (and, way before agribusiness or GMOs):
What could possibly go wrong?
Tomorrow: Resources and Refugees
Nature: How Populations Grow
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