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One Planet: The Population Debate

Factual: Science & Nature

21/10/2010

The Population Debate

BBC World Service - One Planet, The Population Debate

Fierce debate as the latest world population figures are released

As the latest world population figures are released, we debate the issues and hear from Uganda and Japan

The number of people living on the planet is rising and we are approaching the seven billion inhabitants mark. That is probably one of the few facts associated with the global population which people can agree on. Everything else is up for debate - and that debate can get very heated. No other topic leads to such a wide range of strongly held views expressed in the One Planet inbox on an almost daily basis. 

This week, the UN published its latest projections for the world's population, so One Planet's taken the opportunity to take another look at the topic of humanity's numbers.

Three guests from around the world join Mike to discuss the issue. In London we have John Guillebaud from the Optimum Population Trust; from New York Matthew Connelly, author of Fatal Misconception; and from Calcutta, the social demographer Alaka Basu. Plus we hear reports from Uganda - a country with one of the fastest birth rates in the world - and from Japan, a country that is suffering a decline in its population.

As ever, tune in, have a listen and then let us know what you think. You can email the team at oneplanet@bbc.com, or join us on our Facebook page, there's usually a strong debate going on there.

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