Population

On Thursday, November 19, please join CSIS and partners in commemorating World Toilet Day. While many people who have access to a toilet might consider this a humorous concept, the global sanitation crisis necessitates that a spotlight be shined on both the severity of the problem and the promising solutions. Join us on the lawn of the United States Capitol to learn about, and give voice to, the 2.5 billion people who lack access to a toilet and the 1.8 million people who die annually as a result.

This week’s edition of the Economist carries a story on the demographic crisis and strikes a rather upbeat tone on our prospects for surmounting it. Unfortunately, the authors wrote about the wrong crisis, the one of rampant population growth exhausting the Earth’s resources that demographers warned of decades ago. Today these same demographers say such a scenario is very unlikely.

It's a well known fact that throughout history, mankind has continued to live longer lives than previous generations. This has generally been considered as a positive indicator of progress, not only for the science and innovation that has allowed this to happen, but also for humanity in general as we are able to live longer and healthier lives. But as we continue to live longer and longer, the question that must be posed now is, how old is too old?

Next week promises to be a wet one. There will be a deluge of water-related events next week in Washington D.C., which will inundate Capitol Hill with much needed on attention on the global health crisis caused by lack of water and sanitation, and the need for a comprehensive and integrated national water policy. (The events will be far better than my puns).

A National Water Policy Event
Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 5:30pm – 9:30pm at the Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium

Pigs may lack the glands necessary to sweat, but they are sure making health officials world wide wipe perspiration off their collective foreheads as governments everywhere brace for swine flu. Here in the states, as reported by the Associated Press, "The U.S.