Population:Think About It

Population,  Thinking About It.   May, 2012

Global population reaching 7 Billion . . .

Hawaii Hawaii visitor officials talking about adding 5 million Chinese visitors atop our present 7.2 million annual visitors . . .

The 2010 latest census telling us we’re growing 12.3% per decade, that is from 632,772 in 1960(statehood) and 240,000 visitors  to 1.32 million of us ni 2010, and over 7 million visitors, i.e., a visitor population of 150,000 any given day).

Are we headed toward doubling to 2.64 million of us in less than 60 years……….and 14  million visitors?

Oahu’s 2010  population at 953,207 up 8.8% since 2,000—

population density at 1468 people per square mile on Oahu

U.S, population density 88 per square mile: Oahu 16 times more densely populated

Consumer Price Index in Hawaii 166.4  versus 100 nationally

Hawaii electricity costs 35+ cents kwh versus nationally 9.8 cents.

Higher food, housing, and gasoline  food prices.

Oahu residents consume about 150 gallons of water per day.

We add roughly 20,000 cars a year statewide, roughly 75% of those on Oahu, i.e., 15,000/year, or 150,000 more cars every ten years

to the same constant miles of road.

We have over a million cars on Hawaii’s 1,102 lane-miles of roads, the fewest miles of road per car in the U.S. Oahu has 761 vehicles per 1,000 population.  1.5 miles of  roadway per person.

Honolulu Bus ridership has declined from 180,000 in 1980 to 130,000 in 2009.

6,000 homeless in Hawaii, and 10% of us, or 135,000,  receive food assistance. Homelessness has increased 61% since 2000.

Drug convictions are 51.4% of all criminal convictions.

Oahu infrastructure, 350 water line breaks in 2011 mean $2.5 billion in repairs, plus $4.7 billion for sewers and sewage treatment facilities, plus road repairs NOT TO MENTION RAIL @ $7+ BILLION

Honolulu Debt appears to be far outgrowing the population that can pay for it.

Pearl Harbor aquifer, source of 60% of Honolulu’s drinking water, measures at half the volume it had a century ago. We consume 150 gals of water apiece per day and rely heavily on water overseas to produce our imported food. Meteorologists tell us that Hawaii is in a long term drought.

92% of our food is imported. About 92% of energy  is imported.

Beaches in Hawaii now erode at 6 inches per year, and erosion is speeding up. Sea level rise is at this point predicted conservatively to raise seas by 3 feet by 2100, invading the fresh water lens under the island and inundating low lying areas as much as half a mile inland -- including Honolulu airport, the Sand Island Sewage treatment plant, parts of downtown, Iwilei, and all coastal roads, plus most of Kailua and Waikiki.

GLOBAL FIGURES

1500:  earth's population is estimated at 500 million

 2011: 7,000,000,000

In my lifetime I’ve seen the world population roughly triple, add roughly 4.8 billion people

Births minus deaths.

Roughly 250 births a minute worldwide, and about 105 people dying each minute.  You and I are part of huge species-wide ebb and flow.

With 50% more people than the U.,S. has (EU 457,000,000  vs. US. 309,0000,000 )   the EU’s birth rate is 8.69 per minute, versus the U.S. at 8.07 births per minute, i.e.,U.S. HAS A  40% higher birth rate

In the EU the death rate exceeds the birth rate. Hence Western Europe is at Zero Population Growth.

UN Dept of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division

Source    http://esa.un.org/wpp/Sorting-Tables/tab-sorting_population.htm

U.S. average age 36.9 versus globally 28

Population Change  Source U.S.A Population Clock

       World           United States      European Union

Births/year 129,886,900.00  4,242,000.00        4,570,000.00

Per Minute      252                        8.07                   8.69

                        World           United States    European Union

Deaths/year 56,595,880.00  2,475,000.00    4,615,700.00

Per Minute        107                  4.71                     8.78

Annual Increase 73,291,000    1,767,000           -45,700  

Per minute   “           145                3.36               -0.09

Population in 2006 6,446,000,000 300,000,000 457,000,000

Global population hit 7 billion at 11:27PM Sunday Oct.30, 2011, Halloween Eve.

And Hawaii ?                         Hawaii                                      US

2010 Census  population 1,360,301                                 308,745,538

Hawaii 

Population, 1960     1970      1980        1990         2000             2010

      Total 632,772  7 69,913  964,691 1,108,229 1,211,537    1,360,301

Change                 137,141    194,778  143,538    103,308        148,764

 Percent Change  21.67%      25.30%  14.88%       9.32%             12.3%


So where do you think this pattern leads for Hawaii?
impact of global warming and sea level rise
land use
water availability & use, including global droughts
waste disposal and sewer requirements
energy demands and costs
roads and traffic
farm production and 8%  food self-sufficiency 
health  care availability
businesses, the visitor industry in particular   
statewide security and way of life in a shipping strike or natural disaster