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Cities and towns growing at fast pace
02.11.2011 08:04 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
As the world population hits 7 billion, new statistics from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reveal that the population in towns and cities is seeing a massive growth spurt.
The statistics come from a report outlining the challenges and opportunities for sustainable development ahead of the Rio + 20 earth summit in Brazil next year.
The rapid build up of greenhouse gases, the erosion of biodiversity and population growth is threatening human well being, the report says.
But global action and leadership can help switch the balance from negative to positive so that the right to human development is enjoyed by all.
«The urban population has grown by 45 per cent in just 20 years so a huge, nearly impossible to comprehend increase in urban population,» says UNEP spokesman Ron Witt.
Meanwhile, cities with more than ten million inhabitants, known as mega-cities have doubled from just 10 to 21 in the same period.
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