Introduction

     The theme of  this site is the contributions  of the  first, second, 
and third worlds to global population growth. Overpopulation has profound 
implications on sustainability.  As the number of  people on this  planet 
increases,  more space, food, and other resources are required to support 
the human population. In addition, the amount of waste produced continues 
to grow with the population.                                              
     There are currently  over 6.5 billion  people on  Earth (http://www.
census.gov/ipc/www/popclockworld.html).  At some point in the future, the 
human  population will reach a  carrying  capacity  above which we cannot 
pass.  This critical point indicates  the fact that we cannot continue to 
expand  our   population   indefinitely   without  extreme  environmental 
consequences.  This world that we call home will eventually determine how 
many of us it can bear.  Therefore, it is imperative that we raise global 
awareness and  adjust our consumption to be compatible with the resources 
available to us (Livi-Bacci, 2007).                                       
     In  terms  of  population  growth,  there are  patterns  that can be 
observed in countries of the  first,  second,  and third worlds; for this 
reason,  I decided to analyze  population  pyramids.  By  examining these 
patterns,  we  can  focus  in  on  those  countries  that  are  currently 
contributing the most to global  population growth and those countries in 
which  population is  projected to grow the most in the next fifty years. 
Once awareness  is  raised in these countries,  steps can be made to curb 
the effect we will have on our  planet and make life more sustainable not 
only for our species, but for the entire web of life.                     
     I  became interested  in this topic  when I took the class  CDAE002: 
World Food,  Population,  and  Sustainable  Development. I firmly believe 
that world population is an issue that needs to be addressed globally and 
dealt with as soon as possible.                                           

Here is a Reference Map to understand how the three Worlds are defined:

Image Source:http://www.nationsonline.org/bilder/third_world_map.jpg