Is it just me or was the hype leading up to Copenhagen much bigger than the actual reporting of the event itself? I see an article here or there but I was expecting it to make much bigger headlines. (Thanks a lot, Tiger Woods) The word is that everyone is waiting for Obama to arrive and hear what he has planned for the US. An interesting article by Andy Revkin on NYTimes.com points out that a major piece missing from the talks is that of population growth. In graduate school we talked about population growth as a major factor influencing global warming and climate change. The current world population is about 6 billion and is expected to grow to about 9 billion. Our population is getting bigger at a faster rate and becoming more urban. People are moving from the country to the cities and using more resources. Of course this means more energy, food and water are required. Revkin points out that population is not discussed at the climate talks because of moral and religious implications of population control. However, China did point out that their one-child policies do help to cut down on consumption and emissions. (well I should hope they have a plan as they are one of the most populous and consumptive countries) Many poor countries that lack population control measures will be hardest hit by climate change and all of its ramifications like water shortages. I will be watching the reports that emerge from Copenhagen and will be curious to see what if any plans are hatched to address such a problem.
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