Scientists predict that the world's population will reach 12.4 billion by 2070

Scientists from Flinders University have published the results of a large-scale study, according to which the population of the Earth will reach its peak in the late 2070s and will be about 12.4 billion people.

It is indicated that to date there are 8.3 billion people living on the planet, but rapid population growth is already putting the planet on the brink of critical environmental stress. In particular, Professor Cory Bradshaw, the lead author of the study, notes that the real sustainable population size, which would allow people to live within environmental constraints at a stable level of well-being, is only 2.5 billion people, which corresponds to the level of the middle of the XX century. Current trends showed that humankind was already living beyond the resource capacity of the Earth, which was not recovering from the intensive use of its wealth.

Analyses of data for the last 200 years have revealed an alarming "biological signal": until the 1950s, population growth favoured technological development, but since the early 1960s, humanity has entered a "negative demographic phase". This means that further population growth no longer accelerates progress, but increases environmental pressures.

A direct link has been found between overpopulation and rising global temperatures, increasing carbon emissions and expanding overall ecological footprints," the paper said.

Experts warn that without radical measures in the spheres of energy, land and food use, billions of people will face deep social and climate crises. The scientists call on the world community to reconsider the approach to resource consumption and emphasised that population reduction and conscious use of materials is the key to human survival and preservation of the planet's ecosystems. According to them, the window of opportunity to change the current situation remains open, but it is rapidly narrowing.