7,000,000,000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAIv15fWfHg
Apparently, the total human population on Earth will hit 7 billion towards the end of next year. But even more thought-provoking than that is the fact that the population growth is actually slowing down for the first time in modern history. It’s even conceivable that we will hit the maximum number of people on the planet in our lifetime.
In a related note, I’ve seen technology exploding exponentially in my own lifetime and I wonder if it will continue to do so or if it, too, will slow down to an asymptotic rate. Either way has profound implications. It’s an interesting time to be alive.
