Climate change and rising food prices are some of the factors leading to the rise in global displacement to 11.4 million refugees worldwide-up from 9.9 million last year, according to a recent report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  The International Federation of Red Cross says climate change disasters are currently a bigger cause of population displacement than war and persecution. 

The global impact of the environment on human livelihoods is creating a new kind of casualty – the environmental refugee. Rising sea levels, increasing desertification, weather-induced flooding, and more frequent natural disasters have and will increasingly become a major cause of population displacement in several parts of the world.

There are now about 19.2 million people officially recognized as “persons of concern,” according to UNEP.  These are people likely to be displaced because of environmental disasters. This figure is predicted to grow to about 50 million by the end of the year 2010.

These forecasts are not inevitable and will hinge on whether the international community can pull together and deliver a decisive and meaningful agreement on climate change alongside more intelligent management of the planet’s nature-based assets.

Population Facts:

  • There are currently approximately 6.87 billion people living on the planet. 
  • More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas.
  • It was not until about 180 years ago, in 1830, that the world’s human population reached one billion.  In another 100 years, the world’s population increased by another one billion people and 30 years after that, in 1960, the population reached three billion.  In the 48 years since then, global population has grown by another 3.7 billion human beings.
  • Population grew an average of 71 million people per year between 1950 and 2000. 
  • Although growth rates will fall, according to the United Nations, the annual increase in world popualtion will remain large.  World popualtion will grow by an average of 57 million through 2050.  The total increase is more than twice the current population of China.
  • China is the world’s most populous country with over 1.3 billion people.  This is followed by India with nearly 1.15 billion people.  The United States is third with 303 million, followed by Indonesia and Brazil with 238 million people and 196 million people, respectively. 
  • Half of the world’s children, over one billion, live in poverty.