The art of humanitarian mapping was started in 1898 during the reign of Queen Victoria, in London. Charles Booth, a rich capitalist with a social mind, created a poverty map, which showed the social condition of every London street. A portion of Booths map can be found by googling ‘Charles Booth Poverty Map. This map represents a ‘security hope’ and not a ‘security threat’ for reasons which shall be mentioned.
Humanitarian mapping has been forgotten until recent decades when the crushing needs of the poor on this planet as well as rapidly rising populations, have thrust upon the human species ‘a race between education and disaster.’
During the 1890s, a great proportion of Londoners lived in terrible poverty. Victorian cities were overcrowded, filthy and bleak. Booth believed that social reformers had significantly exaggerated London’s poverty levels as studies at the time estimated that 25% of the population lived in unacceptable conditions. So he decided to accurately prove the matter, once and for all. In the event, his survey and subsequent map showed that about 33% of Londoners lived in abject poverty. (See Annex 1 for more information on Charles Booth.)
Some historians categorically state that Charles Booth’s map of London significantly helped to prevent a revolution in the United Kingdom. At the same time other historians point out that Booth became convinced that the poor wanted to work, although they lived in constant fear of disease and hunger. One tangible result of his mapping efforts and subsequent writings, was that they directly encouraged politicians to introduce the State Old Age Pension and accomplish slum clearances.
Populations
Today the population of the planet is about 6.7 billion, of this number, about 4 billion live on less than US $ 2 per day and 8 million of these people die each year, because they are too poor to be able to afford to eat. It is the authors personal view that this is just the sort of unsustainable situation which could easily allow extremism to trip the world into revolution(s) and wars, over the next 50 years.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences estimates that by 2070 the global population will have reached 9 billion. This is a conservative estimate. Of these 9 billion at least 6 billion will live on less than US $2 per day.