Global Population growth over the last 500 years -- with regional breakouts

Michael Kanellos

The world’s most important invention—the technological breakthrough that has fundamentally changed family life for the better nearly everywhere—isn’t particularly extravagant. In fact, you probably have one.

What is it? The car? The computer? The cell phone? Not quite.

Schumpeter

THE enrichment of previously poor countries is the most inspiring development of our time. It is also worrying. The environment is already under strain.

NASA

SEDAC, the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, is one of the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) in the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

alertnet // Laurie Goering

LONDON (AlertNet) – Efforts to feed an extra 2 billion people by mid-century could lead to widespread destruction of forests, wetlands and other natural systems that protect and regulate the world’s water, researchers warn.

David Bleja

CO2, birth & death rates by country, simulated real-time

Matt Ball

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to establish a committee on global geospatial information management in order to enhance international dialogue and cooperation on spatial data infrastructures.

Here are the legends, from left to right:

Negative Growth Rate              Low Growth Rate             Moderate Growth Rate           High Growth Rate

Mark Tran

Annual progress report on the millennium development goals shows the world is on track to end extreme poverty, but hunger target is proving more difficult to achieve