BASYE, VA--(Marketwire - December 9, 2010) - The cholera outbreak in Haiti goes much deeper than disease control, according to Global Population Education, a nonprofit organization raising awareness on the global population crisis. 

"It's the consequence of two factors: rapid birthrates and urbanization," says Werner Fornos, founder of Global Population Education and former laureate of the United Nations Population Award, the most prestigious honor in the population field. "Bottom line is there are too many people and not enough resources."

The World Health Organization estimates that virtually all population growth over the next 30 years will be in urban areas. These numbers represent a paradigm shift in the global lifestyle because, for the first time in history, over half of the world's population will reside in cities.

"Urban areas were once thought of as centralized hubs of wealth, employment and community services," says Fornos. "But now, rapid population growth purges these resources and promotes a breeding ground for diseases, high unemployment and unsustainability."

The Census Bureau recently reported that U.S. population has grown by 11.1 percent in the last decade, resulting in a current population of approximately 312.7 million. New York City ranks fourteenth in the world for most populated cities, with its overcrowded streets boasting more than 8 million people.

By 2011, it's estimated the planet could cross the critical threshold of 7 billion people, leaving many families around the world at even greater risk of global health threats. Fornos says there are proactive steps that can be taken to reverse rapid population growth such as empowering women.

"We need to encourage our representatives in Congress to allocate funding for social infrastructure investment in public health, childcare, education and other services that are employment generators for women," says Fornos, who is currently on an educational tour talking to audiences about the consequences of rapid population growth and its effect on the environment, global health and women's equality.

In today's culture many may think women's rights have become blasé, but actually Fornos says women's rights around the world are an important indicator of understanding global wellbeing. Education and empowerment of women are proven to cut pregnancy rates in half and improve family health, which play a critical role in reversing rapid urbanization and the global population crisis.

To learn more visit: www.globalpopulationeducation.com.

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