Toxic Mushrooms in Iran; Adopting to Population Growth and Climate Change
On May 21, more the 800 people have been poisoned in Iran after eating toxic wild mushrooms that spored in unusually wet weather . At least 11 people have died from the effects and hundreds more have been hospitalized. Most of the people that were affected were from provinces of Kermanshah on the border of Iraq. Also provinces of Lurestan and Kurdistan also reported high cases.
Emergencies services in up to 10 provinces, mostly in the west of the country. Its unclear what kind of mushroom those who have eaten. Authorities have been warn citizens against buying mushrooms sold in loos packaging, and from picking wild mushrooms, even edible spices.
The state sponsored Tasnim news said officials linked the problem with abundant rain rapid growth of wild mushrooms in western Iran. Climate can effect how people live and how it can change a country. In this case rain effected their food and they didn’t know how to recognize the danger. The cause was maybe the higher emissions of carbon dioxide which can climate change in the region, and Iran having a warm climate they weren’t used to the massive amounts of rain.
The current global population is 7.6 billion people in the world making demands on the changing environment. With ongoing population growth and climate change the world’s nations and people’s need more compromise and cooperation instead of division in order to solve global problems together. Recently Iran has been in the news after President Trump canceled an economic and political deal over nuclear weapons.
A tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history until around 1800 for world population to reach one billion, the second billion was achieved in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in 30 years (1960), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987).
- During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.
- In 1970, there were roughly half as many people in the world as there are now.
- Because of declining growth rates, it will now take over 200 years to double again.
Wonder how big was the world’s population when you were born?
Check out this simple wizard or this more elaborated one to find out.
Sources:
- Historical Estimates of World Population – US Census Bureau
- World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision – United Nations Population Division
- The World at Six Billion, World Population, Year 0 to near stabilization [Pdf file] – United Nations Population Division
Hope for a better future with Hans Rosling:
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/21/toxic-mushrooms-iran-poison
Br2 • Jun 1, 2018 at 9:17 am
We are definitely, expanding our population so rapidly that soon it will become a problem. As we learn how to produce more food and resources, the population will continue to grow. Hopefully, we can start that colony on Mars by 2050.