Why ppulation ers
Why does population matter?
Why does population matter?
Today’s problems
Today’s problems are increasingly
pressing. The scale and pace of
biodiversity loss, climate change, resource
depletion and population density should
be a matter of concern for us all. Those
who think humanity will prosper on the
basis of ever more industrialisation or
prospective technologies are gambling
with the prospects of future generations
and neglecting the rights of other species.
We naturally love children. We want them
to grow up loved, healthy, well-nourished
and well educated, in a safe and pleasant
environment. Today, only a small
proportion grows up in such
circumstances. Looking ahead, climate
change and resource over consumption
means that even those born into
fortunate circumstances may not be able
to guarantee the same circumstances for
their own children and for later
generations.
The reasons include consumption levels
that vary widely between rich and the
poor, both within and between countries;
over consumption and waste of resources
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by the richest countries; finite resources:
the greater the number of people, the
fewer resources are available for each
individual.
Solutions may be available: technology
may find ways to reduce carbon dioxide
production, the main cause of global
warming, and we will make some
improvements to the efficiency of food
production. Individuals can also make a
contribution by, for example, eating less
meat or by travelling less; political will and
the changing of commercial priorities
could produce a more equitable
distribution of resources. Finally,
stabilising and then reducing the world’s
population will lessen the pressure on
resources, for both mankind and other
species.
The environment
We rely on the world’s ecosystems and
rich biodiversity for everything we need to
exist, from the regulation of our
atmosphere and the
pollination of plants
to the creation of
important new
medicines and crops.
The value of
biodiversity lies in
both the range of species and the genetic
differences within species.
We are reducing this crucial diversity
through development, exploitation and
Population Matters
Why ppulation ers
pollution; our numbers and activity
increasingly encroach on the natural
world. In the deep past, our planet has
experienced five major extinctions, the
most recent being the extinction of the
dinosaurs probably by asteroid impact.
Scientists now describe the current major
extinction as the Anthropocene, because
it is caused by humanity. Our impact on
biodiversity takes many forms, and
population growth contributes to them
all. Climate change, itself caused by
humanity, is also playing a part in the
rapid decline of global biodiversity.
In summary, the more of us there are, the
greater is our impact on the environment.
Population in the past and in the future
The story of our species is one of
remarkable success. From a starting point
in Africa, our ancestors spread across the
planet, harnessing local resources and
adapting to the harshest environments.
While some societies collapsed once they
had exhausted local resources, and other
groups migrated to new lands or fought
wars over diminishing local resources, the
overall picture was one of continued
growth. As technological advances
enabled our ancestors to increase
agricultural output, our numbers grew.
Why does population matter?
Thus, in the 18th Century, a step-change
in agricultural productivity helped world
population to rise dramatically, so that by
1800 there were one billion of us on the
planet.
The industrial revolution initiated a huge
increase in global trade while public
health improved tremendously — both
changes enabled population to further
increase. As recently as 1930 though, in
our parents’ or grandparents’ youth,
world population was only some two
billion, compared with the seven billion
living on the planet now.
Later, in the
mid 20th
Century,
increased
agricultural
productivity
achieved
through the
Green Revolution allowed population
numbers to double again between 1950
and 1990 to six billion people.
Nevertheless, our dependence on natural
resources remains absolute. The lack of
open discussion about this topic means
most people are not aware that our high
numbers today are doing such damage to
the planet, and are such a recent
phenomenon.
Industrialisation and rising standards of
living are also increasing each person’s
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Population Matters
Why ppulation ers
consumption of water, energy and
materials as well as food, and putting
already limited space and amenities under
yet more pressure. Our lifestyles and the
technology we use are driving
overconsumption, leading to serious
consequences as resources run low.
Population growth rates worldwide are
declining but absolute numbers are still
rising at one and a half million every
week. Numbers are now projected to rise
from seven billion in 2010 to between
eight and eleven billion by 2050. It is
unlikely that an equivalent increase in
food production can be repeated without
the use of significantly more energy,
water and fertiliser, inputs which are
themselves limited and may also be
vulnerable to climate change.
Broader estimates range from eight to 11
billion, depending on whether and how
effectively reproductive and development
programmes are implemented in
developing regions of the world to
Why does population matter?
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Africa and much of Asia are
predicted to grow significantly
the Americas are expected to grow
somewhat
Europe is predicted to stabilize.
Universal access to reproductive health
services is one of the main factors that
help to reduce birth rates and hence
population growth. Improvements made
to infrastructure, wide availability of
modern contraceptives and women’s
empowerment — including both
education and career opportunities — all
contribute to significantly lower and
therefore much more sustainable birth
rates.
Economic development also helps to lift
women out of the high birth rate poverty
trap.
Across the planet, societies face other
population challenges, including ageing,
migration and the introduction of
appropriate population goals.
address the key drivers of population
growth: the lack of reproductive health
and contraception, lack of women’s rights
and poverty. In some countries, migration
already contributes significantly to the
increase in population and this trend will
continue.
What can one do?
True sustainability means providing every
person now alive, as well as generations
yet to come, with a reasonable standard
of living that can be maintained into the
foreseeable future.
The population trends projected by the
UN vary enormously by region:
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Population Matters
Why ppulation ers
Today humanity is using the resources of
the equivalent of 1.5 Earths. This means it
now takes the Earth one year and six
months to regenerate what we use in a
year. Present lifestyles in the richer
countries have a disproportionate impact.
For example, the ecological footprint per
capita of the USA is more than 10 times
that of Malawi or Mozambique.
Some expenditure, such as those on arms
or promotional
activity, could
arguably be
reduced if
society’s focus
was more on
human happiness
and less on GDP growth and state and
commercial competition. As an individual,
there are several things that you can do to
help ensure the world is worth living in for
future generations.
You can decide to have two or fewer
children. This will be one of the most
environmentally important decisions you
ever make and should be part of an
environmentally responsible lifestyle. You
can support Population Matters and help
to raise awareness of the effects of
overpopulation on the environment. The
more widely the subject is discussed, the
more widely population will be recognised
as the key driver of the looming
environmental crisis, and the sooner any
remaining notion that it is a ‘taboo’
subject will disappear.
As a media customer, you can complain
about articles and programmes that
discuss sustainability or the environment
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Why does population matter?
yet ignore population even though it is
relevant.
As a voter, you can ask your local and
national political leaders to recognise
national and global population growth as
a serious environmental problem.
Finally, as a citizen, you can contribute by
consciously living more sustainably in
other ways. This depends on both big
decisions such as whether or not to go on
a long-haul flight, and the large number of
smaller choices you make on a day-to-day
basis: waste less, reuse and recycle more,
consume less meat and fewer dairy
products, resist the blandishments of our
consumer culture and decide which
‘benefits’ of modern society really matter
to you.
Population, the embarrassing subject we
prefer to ignore
There are many established charities and
campaign groups that recognise this and
work in the fields of green technologies,
green lifestyles, conservation, sustainable
development, poverty alleviation, social
justice, family planning and women’s
rights. Their work is important and
something we support. However, for
cultural, religious, and historical reasons,
they shy away from addressing the main
Population Matters
Why ppulation ers
Why does population matter?
cause of many of today’s problems, the
unrelenting growth in human numbers.
They wrongly feel that even talking about
the benefits to society of smaller families
is the start of a slippery slope to state
control of procreation, despite the
abundant evidence that people generally
welcome the support they need to
manage their own fertility.
Population Matters
Population Matters exists to provide
evidence and to raise awareness of the
urgency and importance of problems
associated with the increasing global
population. We also offer solutions and
challenge those who deny this reality.
Briefing by Simon Ross - August 2013
Population Matters is the UKs leading charity concerned with population and sustainability.
135-137 Station Road, London E4 6AG UK +44 (0)208 1239116 www.populationmatters.org
Company registered in England 3019081
Charity number 1114109
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Population Matters