Wall Chart: A Quick Trip to 8 Billion
Poster for middle level and high school classrooms
World population reached an unprecedented milestone in late 2022: a global population of 8 billion people. Why did our global family grow so quickly? What are the impacts of such a large (and still growing) world population? The Quick Trip to 8 Billion poster aims to answer these questions and more.
Follow the chronological timeline through modern history to see events, discoveries, and inventions that have influenced population size and led us to expand from 1 billion to 8 billion in just over 200 years.
Then flip the poster over for colorful infographics on current and future trends affecting people and the planet. While there are great challenges, like water stress and biodiversity loss, there is also much reason for hope, like increasing renewable energy use and lower maternal mortality. Curious to know even more about these global trends? Check out how these topics connect to the SDGs and go more in-depth here.
Lesson Plans
The lesson plans below will engage your students with in-depth investigations of the wall chart, further research on interrelated global topics, and fun analysis of the content. Written for secondary grades.
Exploring the Timeline
Students analyze the Quick Trip to 8 Billion poster’s timeline to answer questions and complete a graphic organizer that explores how past events have contributed to our current population size and resource use.
Infographic Scavenger Hunt
Through collaborative analysis of the Quick Trip to 8 Billion poster’s infographics, students investigate today’s demographics and resource use, and consider how we can reduce future environmental impacts.
Report Card for the Planet
Using the Quick Trip to 8 Billion poster, students complete a “report card” to determine whether progress has been made in key indicators of human well-being and environmental health, and evaluate what these changes mean.
Purchase The Poster
Want the wall chart for your classroom? Purchase one for $5, or buy multiples for just $4/each.
How Can You Help?
Whether it’s helping ensure international migrants have home supplies and food, observing and recording data on local species, or advocating for reduced climate emissions, you can make a difference!
Wall Chart Sources
Click here for the full list of sources used to create the poster.