7 billion people. 7 'bloody' billion. Excuse the language but "7 billion!".

That's how many members of the species Homo Sapiens will be living, breathing, excreting, fighting and, worst of all, making new people, by the end of October 2011.

That's the frightening statistic published by the UN Population Division in their latest population projections. You'll probably hear quite a lot about this in the news over the coming weeks as the 7 billion mark is considered something of a watershed.

In Yorkshire we make a modest contribution; we're about 0.06% of the total. That's about 6.8% of the UK. Perhaps it's our record as the county with the biggest Fish and Chip shop that helps our 4.2 million residents contribute over 145,000 tonnes of flesh to the ever growing pile of humanity.

One key fact is inescapable: The world population has risen from 2 to 7 billion in the last 85 years. And on 31st October 2011 the UN Day will "celebrate" the Day of 7 Billion.

The projections issued by the UN are clear and clinical. "By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population is predicted to be living in water-stressed countries."

In Sir David Attenborough's view, "there is no major problem facing our planet that would not be easier to solve if there were fewer people and no problem that does not become harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more. And yet there seems to be a taboo on bringing the subject into the open."

Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. This means it now takes the Earth one year and five months to regenerate what we use in a year.

As we move beyond the Day of 7 Billion, perhaps we all need to reconsider our impact on the planet. The UN certainly thinks so.