We are 7 billion

Somewhere in the Philippines, India or another country, the 7 billionth baby was born, give or take 56 million. The exact number does not matter. What matters is the significance of this number in the history of humanity and the type of life the baby will have in this world.

The number is large and continues growing in leaps and bounds. For some, it signals world overpopulation. However, in reality the issue is about wealth distribution, culture and lack of care for the environment.

The most populous nations, such as China and India, have embarked in birth control projects that led to a demographic imbalance that reflects the sexist prejudices deeply rooted in those societies. Today, those countries have disproportionately more men than women.

Culture also has an impact when for religious reasons-and also economic ones-family planning is set aside. This happens in many poor and developing countries, which are impacted by a lack of opportunities. The highest population increases are expected to continue in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Therefore, migration to industrialized countries is a consequence of wealth disparity. This movement of human beings has a balancing function, because it brings young people to European nations-those welcoming these immigrants-and the United States, where the population’s median age is increasing. In our country, immigrants help support retirees by paying taxes.

The global challenge is promoting family planning, encouraging technological advances and investing in development to reduce poverty. Also, it is vital to focus on caring for the environment, because of the relationship with the food supply and the Earth’s habitable areas.

Population numbers are high. However, the problem is not that there are many people in the world, but that the gaps in economic development are getting larger and larger.

Impremedia/La Opinion