Is the Earth over-populated?
In 1800 the world's population was around 1 billion people. Since then it has increased more than sevenfold to reach over 7.5 billion in 2017 (see figure 1), and is forecast to top 10 billion by 2050....
View ArticleAre the grandkids worth it? Climate change policy depends on how we value...
If the human population continues to grow, more pressure will be put on carbon dioxide emissions—leaving future generations vulnerable to the effects of climate change. To head this off, greenhouse gas...
View ArticleWhy were California's wine country fires so destructive?
As of late October more than a dozen wildfires north of San Francisco had killed more than 40 people, burned approximately 160,000 acres and destroyed more than 7,000 structures.
View ArticleWhy people hate maths and how to fix it
What do you think of when you think of maths? If you're like most people, it's probably something like: numbers, equations, boredom, anxiety and pain.
View ArticleResearch rethinks the evolutionary importance of variability in a population
It's been long thought that variability within a population is key to population's growth and survival but new research questions that assumption.
View ArticleAgeing populations will drag on growth in Asia: IMF chief
The chief of the International Monetary Fund warned Thursday that ageing populations in key Asian economies will drag on their growth, urging policymakers to step up their response to shifting...
View ArticleHow a tiny portion of the world's oceans could meet global seafood demand
Seafood is an essential staple in the diets of people around the world. Global consumption of fish and shellfish has more than doubled over the last 50 years, and is expected to keep rising with global...
View ArticleEnvironmental policy, pollution and economic growth
As the global population continues to urbanize in pursuit of a higher quality of life, the need to investigate the trade-off between the economic benefits and environmental costs of urbanization has...
View ArticleThis is how regional rail can help ease our big cities' commuter crush
In Sydney and Melbourne, the squeeze is on. Population is booming; house prices are still rising; roads and trains are congested. Australian governments generally have ignored the benefits of relating...
View ArticleEuropean heatwave deaths could skyrocket: climate study
Deaths due to extreme weather in Europe could increase fifty-fold from an estimated 3,000 per year recently to 152,000 by century's end if global warming is not reined in, researchers warned Saturday.
View ArticleStudy projects deaths from heat and cold for 10 U.S. metros through 2090
A new study projects that if climate change continues unabated, heat-related deaths will rise dramatically in 10 major U.S. metropolitan areas compared to if the predicted increase in global warming is...
View ArticleCity planning suffers growth pains of Australia's population boom
Australia has the highest rate of population growth of all the medium and large OECD countries. And more than three-quarters of the growth is in four cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. But...
View ArticleScientists alarmed by six right whales deaths in Canada
Marine scientists are alarmed by the deaths of six endangered North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters during the past three weeks and say humans must help protect them.
View ArticleUN says world population will reach 9.8 billion in 2050
India's population is expected to surpass China's in about seven years and Nigeria is projected to overtake the United States and become the third most populous country in the world shortly before...
View ArticleWhen estimating extinction risk, don't leave out the males
Extinction risk for some species could be drastically underestimated because most demographic models of animal populations only analyse the number and fertility of females, dismissing male data as...
View ArticleData confirms houses near jobs are too expensive
Australia's capital cities are getting more and more units, that are largely concentrated and come with a hefty price tag, a new report shows. And while these areas also have lots of jobs, the high...
View ArticleEarly culture shaped by migration and population growth
Something odd happened in the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic, around 50,000 years ago. Modern humans and their immediate ancestors had been using tools for a few million years...
View ArticleEmpowerment of women worldwide key to achieving competing goals of food...
Is feeding the world's human population compatible with protecting the biological diversity of the planet?
View ArticleIt's more than just climate change
A new scientific paper by a University of Maryland-led international team of distinguished scientists, including five members of the National Academies, argues that there are critical two-way feedbacks...
View ArticleOf cabbages and cows—increasing agricultural yields in Africa
Africa's food requirements, along with its population, are growing fast. Three research programmes ask how a better understanding of viruses, parasites and the spread of disease can pave the way to...
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