Worldometers - A management system for humanity?

I discovered an interesting site called 'Worldometers' this week, which shows world stats updated in real time. 

It includes line items from all the obvious categories. Looking at the data, (especially in the Environment, Health, Food categories) brings into sharp focus the challenges we as humans face - and the obvious fact that many of the numbers are moving the wrong way.

Looking at this makes me want to try harder. We each need to think of ourselves as part of - and act on behalf of - the greater whole. How can we sit back and rely on our silo-ed political systems while we watch these numbers? We each need to take responsibility and do our bit in order to create positive global change.

• Which line item on Worldometers most moves you?
• Which do you think are the key issues?
• Which issues do you think fundamentally cause other issues?
• Do you know of an initiative or project that is successfully making improvements in that area? If so, I urge you to support it with your money, time and skills.

Surprisingly, (because for the last few years I've been very focused on supporting animal and environmental causes), the line item that concerns me most is population. So now I'm going to research how I can help with the population problem.

I think 'Worldometer' could be the start of an excellent global management system for humanity. It shows us the results of a world of human actions (without geographic / political borders). Might this (and the ease of digital communications) help us all act as one?

Note: The numbers are updated not as the actual events happen (currently impossible since this data is not available real-time), but via an algorithm based on source data published by the most prestigious institutions in the world, such as the UN, the World Health Organisation etc. Full list of sources are in the FAQ.  

Comments

[Dad]

I agree - and it seems a largely taboo subject although David Attenborough has made his view clear at least on the implications for the natural world:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7996230.stm

[Ro]

Thanks Dad - via that BBC story I found the 'Optimum Population Trust' (OPT - David Attenborough is patron).

OPT commissioned LSE to perform a research study which found that Contraception is almost five times cheaper than conventional green technologies as a means of combating climate change:
http://www.optimumpopulation.org/releases/opt.release09Sep09.htm

Makes sense to me. So I'll be offsetting my carbon via their program 'Popoffsets' in the future!: http://www.popoffsets.com/

[Alan]

There are many articles in well regarded publications like the Economist on the subject of population growth. In short, 'wealthy' countries are facing a population decline in 10-20 yrs; other coutries are rapidly following suit - Iran's birthrate has fallen from about 7 to about 2.5 in 20 years. The solution to overpopulation it seems is education and a reasonable standard of living...