[00:08] At the beginning of the 21st century, our world population is increasing by more than 80 million individuals per year.

[00:15] We began the 20th century with a population of 1.6 billion. The population count reached 6 billion in 1999.

[00:23] As you can watch for yourself on the population clock, 220 new human beings will be born by the end of this 90 second program. That's adding one billion people to the Earth every 12 or 13 years. How did this rapid growth come about?

[00:37] Well, better public sanitation, health and food production programs after World War 2 helped increase lifespan and reduce infant deaths.

[00:46] In the long run, birthrates may actually decline worldwide. It's just possible that for the first time in human history, someone born today will see the human population peak, followed by a decline.

[00:57] It appears that increased education, urbanization, and fewer infant deaths will translate into smaller families in the future.

[01:05] Wide access to family planning and children's health services, as well as increased educational opportunities are leading the way toward stabilizing the world population.

[01:15] So what happens to the future population and its affect on Earth's environment will depend on intelligent decisions we make today.

[01:22] To learn more about Our Changing Planet visit us on the web at www.umac.org/ocp.