“Nine billion people. One planet.”

The tagline for New York Times journalist Andy Revkin’s
Dot Earth blog affords a sobering
reality check. The world’s human population is projected to reach nine billion
by the year 2050, producing an unprecedented degree of strain on the planet’s
natural resources.

It would seem to paint a bleak
picture for the future. And yet, Andy Revkin remains optimistic. While offering
a zealous, timely call to action, his blog is a breath of fresh air. I had the
opportunity to listen to Mr. Revkin speak at the ISSA conference last month,
through which I discovered the source of his profound positivism: his
confidence in the power of education, and in the ability of young people to act
toward the creation of a more sustainable society. It’s a pretty inspiring
message for people of all ages.

Andy is doing his own part for the
cause by dedicating himself to the mission of education in which he so strongly
believes. That commitment fueled the development of Dot Earth, a forum designed
to inform and engage. The blog explores issues from environmental policy to population pressures, science to public opinion, media influence
to impacts on individual species.
All are topics of interest and concern to students of geography with an eye to the complex interactions of earth’s peoples, plant and animal species, and
environments. So add Dot Earth to
your RSS feed and check in daily to learn from and participate in discussions
about some of the most pressing challenges facing the global community.

Andy Revkin joins a panel of
experts to share stories and insights tonight at the National Geographic Live!
event “Polar Palooza: Stories from a
Changing Planet” in Washington, D.C.

Sarah for My Wonderful World