Latest Breaking News
In reply to the discussion: Huge underground water supply discovered in drought-stricken Kenya [View all]progree
(10,940 posts)Last edited Fri Sep 13, 2013, 12:30 AM - Edit history (2)
Google: Kenya population growth
The population growth RATE has been stable since about 1998 at about 2.7%/year. At that rate, it doubles every 26.02 years
1.027^26.02 = 2 ("^" is exponentiation)
If that population growth rate continues for the next 78 years, there will be 3 doublings (78/26 = 3)
That's an 8-fold population increase (2^3 = 8) in 78 years, which is one lifetime and more than the "70" of the supposed 70 year supply.
Year Population
2012 43 M
2090 344 M (78 years later)
And they will reasonably want to raise their living standards -- more meat for example, which consumes a lot more water than plant food. And use it for industrial purposes and so on to support a higher living standard.
If a higher living standard resulted in only a doubling of per-capita water consumption, that would mean there will be 16 Kenyas in 78 years in terms of water consumption.
[font color = red]On Edit 9/12 1128 pm Central[/font]: That 207 cubic km volume of water they found in Kenya = about 9 months of U.S. water consumption -- see post 40 for the source and calculations.
=========================================================================
The dramatic dot video of population growth. A world map beginning in 1 A.D. with 1 dot = 1 million people
http://www.populationconnection.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues_main
It is about 6 1/2 minutes long but you can skip the first 2 minutes -- the actual dot stuff begins at 2:00 and ends at 5:42. At 5:00 have reached about 1600 A.D. while the population is still quite modest outside of India and China. (So if you are in a time bind, you can start at 5:00 and watch just the last 42 seconds) "As the film neared present day and the dots started flying onto the screen, there were audible gasps, wide staring eyes, and mumblings of "no way" and "I knew we were growing but not THAT much."