7 Billion and Counting

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-seven-billionth-baby-20111031,0,455314.story

Sometime tomorrow, the birth of a baby will herald the expansion of our human race to 7 billion individuals. This is cause for celebration, but also for some serious thought on the state of our society and on what we can do here in the US to better it.

It should be noted that the latest 1 billion inhabitants of Earth have been added in little more than a decade, and most growth projections show a continuing steep population expansion until around 2045, when we should top out at near 9 billion. Most of this growth will be concentrated in the developing world, including sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, areas where poverty rates are constantly high and average lifespan is much shorter than the global mean. The addition of such a large mass of people is sure to exacerbate existing problems of poverty, starvation, and armed conflict, which already are rampant. Granted, the population growth comes with improving medical care and better education in these areas, but it remains to be seen whether such advances can keep up with the rapid population growth.

The US, under financial pressure from the recent economic crisis, may be tempted to cut aid programs to developing nations. In my opinion, such a move would be foolhardy. First of all, millions of people throughout the globe rely on US aid for survival, and withdrawal of such aid would result in many deaths and much more human suffering. Second, however, is that the aid we pour into other countries actually reciprocates and helps our economy by developing new lucrative markets for US exports. As a country develops, increasing prosperity leads to increasing demand for goods, which is satisfied in part through foreign imports. By investing in the economies of tomorrow, the US secures new economic ties that will pay dividends down the road. Finally, the US gains trust, influence, and good-will through its foreign aid, all of which are important for retaining our position as a world leader. If we withhold support for those that need it, we will eventually find ourselves isolated in the globalizing world economy and society.