Eiko Tyler and James Faccette
Chaminade University of Honolulu, USA

We hear daily about environmental destruction on a global scale. Our air is polluted by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas that is used to generate electricity, and fuels used in vehicles. The burning of fossil fuels in turn generates emissions called greenhouse gasses. Namely carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N²O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) are increasing annually [Ky]. Concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere traps heat and as a result the temperature increases and causes global warming, which is linked to global climate change [Su]. The destruction of our environment will in all likelihood continue to intensify in the near future.

The damage to the environment caused by human activities is evident. Yet production and consumption of energy generated by burning fossil fuels are increasing and further warming the earth’s atmosphere. In addition, the human population is increasing exponentially. In fact, population growth will be a major factor in intensifying global warming and the destruction of our environment. An increase in human population will result in increased energy production and consumption, and the impacts of global climate change will fall harder on developing countries. Citizens of earth will face water shortages, food shortages, flood damage, and the loss of coastal regions, creating a migration of tropical diseases such as malaria toward the northern region of the world.

Destruction of the environment will cause the destruction of global natural ecosystems, and in turn further destruction of global environments, a true cycle of destruction.

To face the enormous problems imposed upon us by global warming and other problems, which have been exacerbated by globalization, it is essential to be aware of the full scope of the problem. Effects felt locally will not remain a local problem whose effects will be felt globally. Therefore, it is necessary to study the problems on both a local level and a global level and connect these issues while we approach their solutions locally as well as globally.

The objective of this paper is to understand globalization and its effects on the global environment and give insight on the interrelationship, which exist between local issues and global ones whose parts are connected to the whole. By showing this interrelationship this paper will attempt to promote protection of the global environment and natural ecosystems by emphasize the globalization of hope, love, compassion, social justice and peace for all the people that share the planet.

What is Globalization?

According to the International Monetary Fund [IMF], the definition of globalization is as follows:

"the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization)  On the other hand, the definition given by the International Forum on Globalization is as follows:

"The present worldwide drive toward a globalized economic system dominated by supranational corporate trade and banking institutions that are not accountable to democratic processes or national governments." (http://www.ifg.org/analysis.htm).  The definition of globalization is not unique, yet the consensus is that globalization involves global citizens economically, politically, technologically, and culturally. [Wi]

Another meaning of globalization is making connections between places on a global scale. According to Arjun Appadurai, there are five types of global connectivity [Ap]

1. Ethnoscapes: movements of people, including tourists, immigrants, refugees, and business travelers.

2. Financescapes: global flows of money, often driven by interconnected currency markets, stock exchanges, and commodity markets.

3. Ideoscapes: the global spread of ideas and political ideologies. For example, Green Peace has become a worldwide environmental movement.

4. Mediascapes: the global distribution of media images that appear on our computer screens, in newspapers, television, and radio.

5. Technoscapes: the movement of technologies around the globe. For example, the Green Revolution in rice cultivation introduced western farming practices into many developing countries. [Ap]

Appadurai's interpretation of globalization shows that globalization is not limited only to economics on a global scale.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization)

From Appadurai’s point of view, let us take a look at global climate change. The definition of climate change is a shift in the average weather that a given region experiences. On the contrary, global climate change is a change in the climate of the earth as a whole. (http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C).  Global climate change naturally occurs constantly. However, if we look at the rate and the magnitude of current climate changes, we find that they are far greater than those of previous climate changes that have occurred naturally.

The climate changes associated with global warming are pararelled with an increased amount of greenhouse gasses which in tern, cause changes to the systems, which regulate temperature on the earth. [Ky]

Some examples of the environmental effects of global warming are as follows:

In addition, we could face social, economical and political effects such as

Other environmental problems we face on a global scale are

According to the BBC News on 3/09/06, actual changes in ice mass in the Davis Sea in East Antarctica fit predictions of global climate change. According to a study of the change in the height of the ice sheets conducted by using satellite data from 1992 to 2002, a team of US scientists found that, each year, 20 billion tons of water was added to oceans. Liz Morris of the Scott Polar Research Institute states that the West Antarctic ice shelves are thinning extensively, while those of the East Antarctic are not thickening as rapidly as in the past. A similar situation is occurring in the interior and the border region of Greenland. The interior is gaining an additional mass of falling snow while in the border regions sheets of ice are thinning rapidly [Morr]. Eric Rignot of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory showed that the melting Garland’s glaciers are dumping ice into the Atlantic Ocean and the amount of ice in the ocean has doubled in the last 5 years [Rig].

According to the first annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin published by WMO on 14 March, Greenhouse-gas concentrations reached new highs in 2004. http://www.wmo.int/web/arep/gaw/gaw_home.html

In addition, according to U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base, global population growth patterns have been changing. The total mid year population for the world in 1950 is 2,556,517,137, in 2030 it would be 8,206,457,382 and in 2050, it would be 9,224,375,956 [Appendix A]. This tremendous increase in the population of earth will, in turn, cause a further destruction in the environment of our planet.

Thomas Berry warns in the paper titled "The University" delivered before the Divinity School and the University Committee on Environment at Harvard University, that we are not simply changing the human but the chemistry of the planet. Thomas Berry states: [Be1]

Our most competent biologists in their knowledge of the biosystems of the planet, E. O. Wilson, Peter Raven and Norman Myers, tell us that no devastation at this level has happened to the life systems of Earth since the termination of the Mesozoic period some 65 million years ago.

He further states: [Be2]

We are disturbing the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the geosphere all in a manner that is undoing the work of nature over some hundreds of millions, even billions of years. The genetic strains that we have extinguished will never return in the form that we have known them.

In the 20^th century, the distraction of the environment was visible locally. However, in the 21^st century, environmental problems are visible globally. The 20^th century paradigm of nations and borders are shifting under the rapid development of the information revolution and global scale economic activities in the 21^st century. Global citizens can purchase a wide variety of goods and services, which were never seen before in the history of mankind. Examples could be, air trips to Tahiti, ocean cruises in Fiji, sightseeing trips to Nan Madol in The Federated States of Micronesia, black pepper from Pohnpei, vanilla from Riatea, black pearls from Moorea, music CDs from Rapa Nui to name a few from the south pacific region. Globalization brought convenience to the consumers.

However, the global scale of economic activities may also cause the destruction of native local environments, and their industries and, could eventually lead to political turmoil in these regions. In internationalization, states and nations have an important role and they have stronger control over their regional problems. On the contrary, borders of nation-states tend to disappear in globalization, and their problems cannot remain localized any more. [We]

In particular, environmental problems caused by global warming would present nation-state borderless challenges that humans never faced. The burning of fossil fuels in factories, power plants, and by motor vehicles is intensifying and the emission of greenhouse gasses has accelerated with the unprecedented rise in human population.

This increase in emission of greenhouse gasses might, in fact, go back to the time of Newton. When Newton introduced Newtonian Mechanics, the earth saw the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. With Newtonian mechanics, came the steam engine, which eventually transformed an agrarian society into an industrial society by the building of numerous factories and the connecting of many parts of the continents by rail. In modern times, all parts of the globe are now connected by air transportation and by telecommunications.

In the last 200 years since the industrial revolution, the concentration of greenhouse gases have increased dramatically, carbon dioxide by 30 %, methane by 145%, and nitrous oxide by 15%. In the past 100 years, more lands were cleared for human use than in the entire prior human history. The decrease in the size of natural forests and grass lands have resulted in a decrease in the absorption of greenhouse gases by plants.

With this increased concentration of greenhouse gases, the average temperature in the past 100 years has increased by 0.5C. The average sea level has risen by 10 to 25 cm in the past 100 years. http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C

In the future, concentrations of carbon dioxide will further escalate. In a pessimistic forecast, by 2010, the concentration level could be three times more than pre-industrial levels. In best-case scenario, where population growth is lowered and sustainable development is perused, carbon dioxide concentrations would be approximately 75 per cent higher than pre-industrial levels by 2010. (http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C) 

Local problems are no longer contained to their local regions. They are, in fact, intimately connected to global problems. Conversely, global problems can become local problems.

In the field of Mathematics, called Topology, we can show that local and global quantities are unexpectedly related by using differential geometry.

For many people, topology is an unfamiliar term because it comes from a relatively new field of mathematics. Topology was developed in the twentieth century, while other forms of mathematics, including Calculus had already been developed (at least in a primitive form) three hundred years earlier. The word "Topology" comes from the Greek-topos and logos -meaning location and study. When the French Mathematician Poincaré began to explore this new field at the end of the nineteenth century, he did not call it Topology, but instead called it position analysis.

Topology is a discipline that is not restricted by traditional concepts of mathematics. The way to approach it is, in essence, simply to observe geometrical figures carefully, and to grasp the totality of their images.

We observe them from the point of view that when a figure is continuously but slightly changed, the resulting figure is considered the same as the original. In Fig. I.1, you see different shapes of figures on the left side. When we change the shapes of these figures slightly but continuously by stretching and contracting them, we eventually will obtain the figures on the right side (See Fig. I.1 in Appendix D). In topology we consider these figures to be the same. That is, any closed loop is considered the same as a circle.

[Note:  Apple QuickTime Player and PackBits TIFF decompressor needed]

In fig. I.2 (See Appendix D) you see a cup and a surface of a donut. If we change the shape of the cup slightly by continuously stretching and contracting it, we will eventually obtain a donut. Topologically, a cup and a donut are considered the same,

In Geometry, which is the study of figures, how one considers two figures to be the same determines which properties are to be studied. This is because geometry is the study of the common properties of figures considered to be the same, and the relationships between those properties. For example, if a figure is moved and can be placed on top of another figure and, if they "match," then we consider these figures to be the same, and they are called congruent. Geometric notions such as lengths and angles are characteristic properties of congruent figures. The Geometry taught in high school considers the properties of figures from the point of view of congruency.

In Euclidean geometry, you can compare congruency by placing one figure atop the other. If they match, they are congruent. The length and the angles are the characteristics of geometric congruency. [Ue]

Sometimes in geometry, similar (proportional) figures are compared. In such a case, one considers the angles and the ratios of lengths of figures. The type of geometry that studies figures from the point of view of congruency and similarity was established about 2400 years ago in Greece.

From the standpoint of twentieth century mathematics, Geometry can be roughly divided into two parts:

(Differential) geometry - wherein lengths and angles are considered

and

Topology- wherein slight differences in lengths and angles are considered insignificant.

However, these two fields of modern mathematics are not independent of one another. Rather, they represent two different ways of looking at figures, locally and globally. Employing both methods will allow properties to be seen more clearly. These two points of view enhance each other and often bring out hidden properties of figures that might not be visible when using one of these mathematical methods alone. And, more importantly, they allow us see that seemingly unrelated local and global properties are actually related. The Gauss Bonnet Theorem theorem gives an excellent example to demonstrate the connection between local and global properties. The Gauss Bonnet Theorem states that the integral of the Gaussian curvature over a surface is equal to the topological property of the surface multiplied by .

This topological property of a surface is called the Euler Characteristics. The Euler characteristic of a surface is a topological invariant that describes one aspect of shape or structure of the surface. To define Euler characteristics, we first partition the surface into triangular pieces, subject to the following rules: two triangles that intersect must intersect in a common edge or a common vertex. [Gr] In general, when a figure K in a plane or in space is partitioned into triangles following the above rules, the partition is called a triangulation. [Mo]

To define the Euler characteristic, we triangulate the surface and count the following numbers:

The number of triangular faces:

The number of edges:

The number of vertices:

Using the above numbers, if we first subtract the number of edges from the number of faces and add the number of vertices, we have

The Euler characteristic is defined by the above formula

The generalization of figures such as curves and surfaces are called manifolds. There are many manifolds such as topological manifolds, differentiable manifolds, complex manifolds, and algebraic manifolds.

A surface is a differentiable 2-maniforld, which looks locally like a Euclidean plane. This means that around every point on 2-manifold, there is a region called a neighborhood of a point that looks like a piece of a Euclidian plane. If an ant is living on the 2–manifold, he can only see things on a small scale, that is, he can only see local properties. On the other hand, if he were in a satellite, then he would be able to see things from a global scale. When we study manifolds we observe both local and global properties of the manifold and try to find relationships between them. Local properties or behaviors (usually meaning local geometry) of a manifold are observed in a neighborhood of a point. In other words, local properties are behaviors in the neighborhood of a given point. On the other hand, global properties (global topology) are obtained by viewing the manifold as a whole. Global properties of a manifold do not merely depend on the local properties in the neighborhood of a point.

When we try to clarify the mysterious world of geometry hidden in manifolds by observing them from a global point of view, we find very interesting relationships between properties that look completely unrelated.

The Gauss Bonnet theorem shows how a topological quantity from a global viewpoint is related to geometric quantities from a local viewpoint. In this theorem, two seemingly unrelated quantities, namely, curvature and the Euler characteristic are related.

Gauss- Bonnet Theorem: if M is a compact 2-manifold then

where, K is the Gaussian curvature and is the Euler characteristic of M.

The Gauss-Bonnet theorem allows us to understand something very interesting. When we see children play with Play-doh© and observe them constantly changing the shape of the dough freely, or when we see a glass blower create a flower vase by skillfully changing the shape of the glass by blowing air into it, we might think that the concavity and convexity of a surface can be changed without any restriction. In fact, if we limit the workable region to a certain part of the surface, we easily can cause that part of the surface to be deformed in a concave or convex manner. But when we dent a certain part of the surface in or out, then another part or parts have an opposite reaction. In other words, pushing on a certain part might cause another area to lose its convexity and even become dented inwards as a result. This happens because the surface is closed.

If the surface is like a plane, which is infinitely spreading, or is like a polygon with a boundary, we can make the entire surface convex so that there is absolutely no indentation - like a glass dome. This cannot happen, however, in the case of a closed surface. The following phenomenon is unique to closed surfaces: if an indentation is made on a certain part of the surface, then a convexity will appear on another part of the surface. This is not such an obvious assumption. Indeed, it seems too good to be true that such a phenomenon could be generalized mathematically.

The Gauss-Bonnet theorem gives a clear solution to this phenomenon. According to the Gauss-Bonnet theorem, the way that a surface is shaped in regard to convexity and concavity is completely controlled by the Euler characteristic. The Euler characteristic which appears on the right hand side of equation (6) remains constant when the surface is deformed continuously. If the surface is deformed and some part of the surface starts to have a greater Gaussian curvature as a result, then some parts of the surface start to decrease the curvature. In this way, the balance of concavity and convexity is maintained and the left hand side of equation (6) which is the total Gaussian curvature remains constant. [Ue]

The Gauss Bonnet theorem shows how a global property is related to a local property.

Father Diarmuid O’Murchu shares this approach to discovering interrelationship between pieces and a whole. He encourages the readers of his book titled Quantum Theology to consider the following viewpoint: [OM]

"leave at home … the dualism you have inherited, which you tend to use to divide life into right and wrong, earth and heaven, God and human-kind. Our expedition is about discovering the connections which help to forge unity and not the differences that fragment and divide."

"We are parts of a whole, much greater than the sum of its parts, and yet within each part we are interconnected with the whole."

In his analysis of wholes and parts, Father O’Murchu explains holon: [OM]

"The philosopher-scientist Arthur Koestler (1978, 57) suggested that we call each whole thing within nature a "holon", a whole made of its own parts, yet itself part of a larger whole. Each holon has two opposite tendencies; a self-assertive desire to preserve its individual autonomy (for which terms like interiority or autopoiesis are used occasionally), and an integrative tendency to function as part of the larger whole hence the notion of communion). In a biological or social system, each holon must assert its individuality in order to maintain the system’s stratified order, but it must also submit to the demands of the whole in order to sustain the viability of the system. A human being, a nation, and an ecosystem are all holons,

Father O’Murchu interprets human beings as parts of a whole universe, and he believes that the ultimate mystery of life is benign and benevolent.

The viewpoint of observing the interconnectedness between parts and a whole can be found in the Kegon School of Buddhism under the principle of "one-in-all and all-in-one" (mutual penetration), and the principle of "one-is-all and all-is-one" (mutual identification). In the Kegon school the universe is viewed as interdependent, relative with "causes and effects being interwoven everywhere". [Ta]

‘thus it makes from the beginning one perfect whole without any single independent thing-all comprehensive mandala (circle)…"

In the Kegon School, the principle of ‘one-in-all’ defines human beings by "Six hold Specific Nature of All Dharma" as follows:

Universality is interpreted as the whole. Five aggregates are forms or matters, perception, mental conceptions and ideas, volition and consciousness of mind. According to The Six-fold Specific Nature, no element (dharma) holds a single and independent existence. Universality is the totality of parts. [Ta]

We are all part of humanity, which is a part of the earth, which, in turn, is part of the universe. We are all interconnected. Our actions cause effects on our fellow human beings, as well as all elements on the earth. Archbishop Ryokan Ara of the Tendai School of Buddhism stated the following regarding sustainability:

"There’s never enough money to buy the things we want. But there’s money to be left over if we only buy what we need."[Ar1]

Archbishop Ryokan Ara further states

"A thoughtful look will bring happiness, a kind and smiling face will brighten society, a gentle word will bring peace to the world."[Ar2]

He summarizes the relationship between love and compassion as ‘Love brings joy, compassion relieves suffering."[Ar1]

As we see in mathematics, manifolds have both local and global properties and when we examine them closely, we can show how they are unexpectedly related. When we observe the universe, we may change our perspective and explore the universe from both local and global point of view and examine the relationship between them. Our approach to dealing with the environment would be the same. We need to change our consciousness and our viewpoint. What is happening to one entity is not only related merely to its immediate past but to its previous behaviors. It is not only related to their local relationships but to global relatedness as well. What is happening to one entity is, in fact, the end result of the totality of the history of the universe and the effects of the totality of what is happening to everything (human, animals, fish, plants, rocks, air, water, to name a few) in the universe.

Destruction of one natural ecosystem at any local region is related to the global destruction of the environment. Global population growth is related to local economic growth. Due to strong economic growth, the population of the world is now 6 billion and by 2030, it could increase to 8 billion. We are already facing food shortages. Imagine how much worse the situation will be in the 2030. Food and water shortages will be even more severe. To overcome these impending disasters and to protect global ecosystems, a paradigm shift of society from that of mass production and mass consumption to one of sustainability is desperately needed. In addition, we need to concentrate on evoking human good will. Mankind could overcome the crisis and reduce the suffering of all being by promoting the cultivation of love and compassion in each persons mind. By promoting a spirituality that will encourage people to share the earth’s resources, tolerate each others differences and love one another, we can all live and prosper with justice and equality in a world of mutual reliance and interdependence. As Dr. Mofid believes, I too believe that the underling power to solve the problems of 21^st century is compassion and love.

[Ar1] R. Ara: 108 Words of Remonstrating Under Priests of Great Sanctity, Nichibou Shuppan, Tokyo, Publ., (2005)

[Ar2] R. Ara: Living in Kannon, Ribun Shuppan, Tokyo, Publ., (2003)

[Ap] A. Appadurai: Globalization, Duke University Press, Publ., (2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization

[Be1] Thomas Berry: http://ecoethics.net/ops/univers.htmr

[Be2] Thomas Berry: http://ecoethics.net/ops/univers.htmr

[BBC] BBC News Science/Nature: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/default.stm  

[Kl] M. T. Klare: The Coming Resource Wars,

[Ky] Kyoto Protocol: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.html

[Mo] S. Morita: A mathematical Gift I, Iwanami Shotten, Tokyo, Publ, (2003), pp. 58-63

[Morr] E. Morris: http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/people/morris.html

[OM1] D. O’Murchu: Quantum Theology, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, Publ., (1997)

[OM2] D. O’Murchu: Quantum Theology, The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, Publ., (1997)

[Ri] E. Rignot: http://www-radar.jpl.nasa.gov/glacier

[Si] The Science of Climate Change http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C

[Sh] K. Shiga: A mathematical Gift I, Iwanami Shotten, Tokyo, Publ. (2003), pp. 58-63

[Su] The David Suzuki Foundations, http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Kyoto

[Ta] J. Takakusu: The Essentials of Buddhist Philosophy. pp. 124

[Ue1] K. Ueno: A mathematical Gift I, Iwanami Shotten, Tokyo, Publ,. (2003), pp. 58-63

[Ue2] K. Ueno: A mathematical Gift I, Iwanami Shotten, Tokyo, Publ., (2003),

[We] Cambridge Studies in International Relations (No. 86), Cambridge, Publ. (2003)

[Wi] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization

http://www.ifg.org/analysis.htm 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol

http://www.env.go.jp/earth/cop6/3-2.html

http://unfccc.int/resource/kpthermo_if.html

http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization

http://www.ifg.org/analysis.htm

http://www.ec.gc.ca/glossary_e.html#C

http://www.wmo.int/web/arep/gaw/gaw_home.html

http://www.a.u-tokyo.ac.jpm 

Globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere in 2004 according to the first annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin published by WMO on 14 March. CO2 was recorded at 377.1 parts per million (ppm), CH4 at 1783 parts per billion (ppb), and N2O at 318.6 ppb. These values supersede those of pre-industrial times by 35%, 155% and 18% respectively, an increased over the previous decade by 19ppm, 37ppb and 8ppb in absolute amounts.

Accurate observations from some 44 WMO Members are archived and distributed by the World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG), located at the Japan Meteorological Agency. WMO prepares the Bulletin in cooperation with the WDCGG and the Global Atmosphere Watch Scientific Advisory Group for Greenhouse Gases with the assistance of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory. WMO plans to release the 2005 bulletin in November 2006.

See Press Release No. 744, Info Note No. 18

(http://www.wmo.int/web/arep/gaw/gaw_home.html)

Total Midyear Population for the World: 1950-2050

Ist column: Year

2^nd column: Population,

3^rd column: Average annual growth rate (%)

4^th column: Average annual population change

1950 2,556,517,137 1.47 37,798,160

1951 2,594,315,297 1.61 42,072,962

1952 2,636,388,259 1.71 45,350,197

1953 2,681,738,456 1.77 47,979,452

1954 2,729,717,908 1.87 51,465,7401955

1955 2,781,183,648 1.89 52,974,870

1956 2,834,158,518 1.95 55,842,882

1957 2,890,001,400 1.94 56,522,767

1958 2,946,524,167 1.76 52,351,768

1959 2,998,875,935 1.39 42,090,531

1960 3,040,966,466 1.33 40,782,196

1961 3,081,748,662 1.80 55,995,030

1962 3,137,743,692 2.19 69,519,033

1963 3,207,262,725 2.19 71,119,386

1964 3,278,382,111 2.08 68,979,816

1965 3,347,361,927 2.07 70,182,601

1966 3,417,544,528 2.02 69,689,877

1967 3,487,234,405 2.04 71,794,577

1968 3,559,028,982 2.07 74,579,864

1969 3,633,608,846 2.05 75,142,514

1970 3,708,751,360 2.07 77,391,102

1971 3,786,142,462 2.00 76,476,397

1972 3,862,618,859 1.95 75,970,556

1973 3,938,589,415 1.88 74,885,210

1974 4,013,474,625 1.80 72,998,197

1975 4,086,472,822 1.73 71,516,414

1976 4,157,989,236 1.72 72,098,269

1977 4,230,087,505 1.69 72,025,391

1978 4,302,112,896 1.72 74,827,692

1979 4,376,940,588 1.71 75,704,974

1980 4,452,645,562 1.69 76,038,009

1981 4,528,683,571 1.75 79,722,408

1982 4,608,405,979 1.75 81,441,019

1983 4,689,846,998 1.70 80,257,445

1984 4,770,104,443 1.70 81,750,075

1985 4,851,854,518 1.70 83,362,927

1986 4,935,217,445 1.73 86,023,275

1987 5,021,240,720 1.71 86,724,868

1988 5,107,965,588 1.68 86,758,510

1989 5,194,724,098 1.68 88,041,729

1990 5,282,765,827 1.58 84,050,074

1991 5,366,815,901 1.55 84,045,822

1992 5,450,861,723 1.49 81,716,293

1993 5,532,578,016 1.45 80,846,508

1994 5,613,424,524 1.43 80,993,936

1995 5,694,418,460 1.38 79,045,988

1996 5,773,464,448 1.36 78,896,320

1997 5,852,360,768 1.31 77,375,209

1998 5,929,735,977 1.28 76,427,042

1999 6,006,163,019 1.25 75,364,877

2000 6,081,527,896 1.22 74,414,630

2001 6,155,942,526 1.19 73,686,642

2002 6,229,629,168 1.17 73,483,285

2003 6,303,112,453 1.16 73,750,665

2004 6,376,863,118 1.16 74,195,672

2005 6,451,058,790 1.15 74,427,813

2006 6,525,486,603 1.14 74,629,207

2007 6,600,115,810 1.13 74,940,532

2008 6,675,056,342 1.12 75,228,043

2009 6,750,284,385 1.11 75,466,071

2010 6,825,750,456 1.10 75,688,866

2011 6,901,439,322 1.09 75,802,963

2012 6,977,242,285 1.08 75,615,963

2013 7,052,858,248 1.06 75,167,390

2014 7,128,025,638 1.04 74,490,498

2015 7,202,516,136 1.02 73,766,792

2016 7,276,282,928 1.00 73,055,605

2017 7,349,338,533 0.98 72,230,253

2018 7,421,568,786 0.96 71,289,623

2019 7,492,858,409 0.93 70,235,773

2020 7,563,094,182 0.91 69,180,831

2021 7,632,275,013 0.89 68,144,353

2022 7,700,419,366 0.87 67,028,250

2023 7,767,447,616 0.84 65,862,519

2024 7,833,310,135 0.82 64,679,285

2025 7,897,989,420 0.80 63,596,858

2026 7,961,586,278 0.78 62,635,490

2027 8,024,221,768 0.77 61,689,308

2028 8,085,911,076 0.75 60,746,079

2029 8,146,657,155 0.73 59,800,227

2030 8,206,457,382 0.72 58,925,303

2031 8,265,382,685 0.70 58,132,001

2032 8,323,514,686 0.69 57,333,600

2033 8,380,848,286 0.67 56,512,857

2034 8,437,361,143 0.66 55,666,984

2035 8,493,028,127 0.64 54,846,652

2036 8,547,874,779 0.63 54,058,633

2037 8,601,933,412 0.62 53,249,683

2038 8,655,183,095 0.60 52,414,904

2039 8,707,597,999 0.59 51,542,658

2040 8,759,140,657 0.58 50,686,755

2041 8,809,827,412 0.56 49,847,392

2042 8,859,674,804 0.55 48,957,732

2043 8,908,632,536 0.54 48,019,825

2044 8,956,652,361 0.52 47,040,969

2045 9,003,693,330 0.51 46,074,635

2046 9,049,767,965 0.50 45,123,225

2047 9,094,891,190 0.48 44,148,176

2048 9,139,039,366 0.47 43,161,841

2049 9,182,201,207 0.46 42,174,749

2050 9,224,375,956

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base.

Note: Data updated 4-26-2005 (Release notes).

Growth rates are calculated using the formula:

r(t) = ln [ P(t+1) / P(t) ]

Where:

t = year

r(t) = growth rate from midyear t to midyear t+1

P(t) = population at midyear t

ln = natural log

Sustainability: Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for them. (https://sustainability.ufl.edu/forum/messageview)

Appendix D (Apple QuickTime needed for both pictures)

 

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About the Authors

Eiko Tyler, PhD (Mathematics)
Chaminade University of Honolulu

Brother James Faccette (Marianist Brother)
Chaminade University of Honolulu

Copyright 2006 - Journal of Globalization for the Common Good - www.commongoodjournal.com