Malthusian Musings...

Figure 1: Changes in a population of Paramecium over a six day period
Each individual in the population divides once per day. Source: Nature link below.

The link to Wolfram leads to the differential equation for population growth.

N(t) = N₀e^rt

N₀ = initial number.

r = Malthusian parameter, meaning population growth rate.

t = time

So, if you crank through the math a little:

Global

N₀ = 7,176,768,000 (CENSUS.gov is scrolling pretty fast, so this is an estimate)

r = 0.012

t = 2042 - 2014 = 28

N(t) = 10,042,731,534.4143

US

N₀ = 318,373,944 (again, an estimate)

r = 0.012

t = 2042 - 2014 = 28

N(t) = 445,513,084.32217

More humans; dwindling resources (bees, food, water, fossil fuel); diminished ozone protection; greenhouse gases; political unrest and conflicts; congressional obfuscation; "blame-the-other," homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia; "open carry"; doomsday preppers; tactical nukes in theater; pseudoscience; socially-engineered stupidity in science; same volume of planet under our feet as it was when there was literally "cattle on a thousand hills" (and, way before agribusiness or GMOs):

What could possibly go wrong?

Tomorrow: Resources and Refugees

Nature: How Populations Grow