Ever wondered what the world’s population is? Not last year or the year before, but right now? You can see an up-to-date estimate at the World Population web page.

The interesting thing about this counter is that it updates each second. I knew the world population was over six billion, but to see a number increasing before my eyes (at a net rate of about three per second after subtracting deaths from births) emphasised the reality and urgency of population growth.

With a finite supply of fossil fuels, sea level rises expected to flood vast areas of currently populated land, and climate change capable of upsetting food production, it makes you wonder … where will it end? The population surely can’t increase at this rate forever.