PBS Nova - World in the Balance

It took all of human history until 1800 for the worlds population to reach its first billion. Now we add a new billion nearly every dozen years. Over the next half century, 98 percent of that growth will take place in our planet's poorest regions. And as the global total swells to nearly 9 billion by 2050, the social and environmental strains will be enormous. Through vivid personal stories, The People Paradox reveals many startling trends. In Japan, Europe and Russia, birth rates are shrinking and the population is aging. But in parts of India and Africa, more than half of the still growing population is under 25. The surprising conclusion: world population is now careening in two dramatically different directions. The second hour, China Revs Up, is an insiders look at Chinas booming economy and its growing impact on the environment. What will happen as China follows Americas affluent lifestyle and begins to rival the U.S. as the worlds biggest polluter? In this groundbreaking, worldwide investigation of humanitys future, NOVA shows how decisions made now will change the fate of everyone over the next fifty years. 2 Parts in 1 File: The People Paradox and China Revs Up Homepage: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/ Screenshots from the video: http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/2948/wib16el.jpg http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/4285/wib26dw.jpg