The world population reaches 7 billion. Have you ever wondered how our precious Earth could house so many people? What is the breaking point of our planet in terms of resources to support us all?

Due to hunger and lack of opportunities, people from rural areas are migrating to cities. They are moving their families to the cities in the hope of a better life. Instead, they find themselves living in worse conditions than before.

How many cities are home to these squatter communities (or informal settlers if we want to be politically correct)? Studies show that there are around half a million squatter families living in the Manila metropolitan area of ​​the Philippines. With an average family membership of 7, we could estimate around 3.5 million squatters in Metro Manila. 3.5 million people live in makeshift housing, often without water or sewerage.

It is not uncommon to see these people living along the waterways. Without proper sanitation, we could all imagine where they dump their waste. Rivers are dying if they are not already dead because they were allowed to stay there.

Metro Manila’s population has grown more than it could bear. There are more people than jobs the metropolis could offer. Many squatter families resort to collecting anything they can salvage from landfills. This is only in Metro Manila. A similar situation exists in other cities in the Philippines.

Metro Manila is shrinking in terms of living space that is actually expanding to become a Megapolis. The nearby suburbs are now developing to attract families living in Metro Manila. Rice fields are becoming massive housing areas, reducing our food sources.

Trees are being cut down to make way for villages. Then we hear that massive flash floods occur. These massive flash floods were unheard of several years ago. With the indiscriminate felling of trees and rampant disregard for our waterways, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s causing the floods.

The population of the Earth reaches 7 billion. Of these 7 billion, how many live out of poverty? How many will dump their waste along the waterways causing their death? How many will be affected by massive floods? How many of these 7 billion people will live in converted rice field communities? How many of these 7 billion people will live in villages converted from forests?

Our living space is shrinking. Our resources are shrinking. How many people the Earth can support, we really don’t know. There are too many questions. Our world is shrinking. But everyone deserves a part of our planet, including the future generation. Let us be aware of what is happening to our Earth now for its sake.

Soon we will celebrate Earth Day. We will return to focus on emissions, recycling, global warming and the environment. I hope the nearly 7 billion people on Earth join in the celebration.