The world is getting smaller. This is true in more ways than one in the contemporary world. While increasing technological efficiency has made the human world smaller, rising seas are increasingly taking over the populated coastlines of earth. Both causes of a shrinking world are human caused, either through anthropogenic climate change or new technological invention. And both phenomenon will only continue into the future.
Climate change is largely caused by the human demand for energy. As the world becomes smaller and access to technology increases, this demand will continue to grow. Developing nations, which have the fastest growing populations, strive to reach the high energy lifestyle that exists in the global West.
Much of the world’s population lives on shifting coastlines that are affected by climate change. If sea levels rise as climatologists project, many coastal populations will be forced to migrate to established urbanized areas. These new urban citizens can concentrate contemporary environmental issues, especially airborne emissions.
The mitigation process for limiting climate change with a growing global population is difficult. One piece involves improving energy production through technology. However, new technology is expensive and may not reach the developing world in a short period of time. Another piece is population regulation through family planning. This is a complicated issue, as people strive to have full control of their bodies. Despite the global population issue, family planning decisions are always personal and unpredictable. To mitigate the consequences of more people in a smaller world, strategies need to be adjusted and made relevant to the individual. One massive invention will not heal the earth, but one million small inventions might.
