On Tuesday, the world population officially reached 8 billion people. The world population is now at the highest its ever been, however, CNBC news says that the population is also growing at its slowest rate. CNBC also released an article about the new population, saying that “the global population has more than tripled since 1950 as mortality dropped and life expectancy increased.”

While this may seem like it doesn’t actually affect anyone, overpopulation is now occurring and bringing numerous problems along with it. Overpopulation increases the chances of global pandemics, like Covid-19, and also contributes to global degradation. Global warming has been a subject argued over for years now, and studies have shown that along with consumption, population growth increases emissions of greenhouse gases. Population growth strains resources and exposes more people to climate-related risks, which is more common in low-resource regions of the world.

Courtney Williams, a former McCracken County High School student, says that she feels as though the new population is dangerous for the earth and its environment. “I think we need to have open healthcare so people have a choice on whether or not they want to have kids. That’s a major contributor to overpopulation,” says Williams. 

Overall, it’s clear that most people aren’t very enthused about the global population reaching its highest point. However, there are people who are more indifferent to the current population and don’t really feel as though it affects them. Either way, our population is growing, albeit slowly, and our community has very mixed opinions about it.