The landmark was reached on the 15th of November, and was celebrated by the UN Secretary-General, and former Portuguese Prime-Minister, António Guterres in an editorial for the organisation. In the statement, the secretary-general praised the milestone, saying that he is proud of humanity’s achievement. He cannot hide some concerns though, mainly poverty, and overpopulation: “population growth has (…) become increasingly concentrated among the world’s poorest countries.” This problem might even be aggravated due to the rising levels of poverty in developed countries.

On the behalf of the UN, Guterres showed his concern about the impact of the world population figure in the fight against climate change:

“Population growth magnifies the environmental impact of economic development, rising per capita incomes are the main driver of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.”

In his conclusion, the UN secretary general argued that this milestone was the best incentive for the international community to unite itself under the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. In an attempt to prevent “global temperature rise” and to curb “unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.”

 

“The milestone is an occasion to celebrate diversity and advancements while considering humanity’s shared responsibility for the planet.”

 

— ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, United Nations Secretary-General, 2022