Population growth is often spoken about in relation to climate change. I’ve read numerous articles stating that the planet just can’t cope with so many people. There are those who back the idea that we need population control but there are just as many that say this notion is incorrect, and is even racist. I’m not sure what to think anymore. I want to know if reducing population growth will have a positive impact on the planet.
Before doing any further reading into this topic my personal feeling is that the more people there are to feed and house, the more impact they have on the planet. I think that’s a given and a difficult statement to disagree with; more people necessarily need more land and need more resources. It’s possible that the majority of people who argue against population control as a way to reduce climate change are rightly pointing out that the size of the population is not the biggest cause of climate change. The top 1% have a far greater impact and the oil and gas industry are massive polluters. Anyway let’s find out and try to get to the bottom of this…
“The world’s population doubled in the past 50 years and is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations. That’s the same year the U.N.’s climate change panel has said we must reduce emissions to zero to avoid the worst effects of climate change”
Population Growth & The Economy
Although many people talk about population growth negatively due to ‘too many people’, Governments and economists in developed countries encourage migration due to the decline in population growth.
“There could be a million fewer people than previously predicted in Australia by the end of the decade as a result of COVID-19, producing an annual hit to the economy of $117 billion by 2030 and an ageing workforce.”
With the ‘economy’ being so important to so many in power, there will always be a push for more people rather than less. If there are fewer people to work, there are fewer people earning money to spend. This is why economic growth is not important to me. We don’t need to keep being encouraged to buy more and more just to keep a few people very wealthy. Buying less is the most eco-friendly thing you can do!
Population Control & Racism
“Population control is frequently associated with eugenics — the practice of forcibly reducing the birth rate of certain groups of people through sterilization or other methods — which played prominently in Nazi Germany’s racial and social policies. More recently — in the 1970s and ‘80s — some countries, including China, instituted policies to control population growth”
I understand the negative associations mentioned above, especially as it’s developing countries which are seeing the greatest population growth at the moment. However an increase in education about birth control, allowing women to choose when to have children, is a way to reduce population growth. It would also increase the quality of life for women in those countries. Population control doesn’t have to be forced, when it is forced that’s when you have a problem. When population control is due to providing choice I have no issue with that.
Population Growth & The Climate
“Panic about population growth enables the people most responsible for the impacts of rising consumption (the affluent) to blame those who are least responsible.”
It’s hard to disagree with the above. In all aspects of life we like to blame others for any problems. Yes, more people means more resources are needed, however the following calculation was a real eye-opener for me.
“The formula for calculating people’s environmental footprint is simple, but widely misunderstood:
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology (I = PAT).
The global rate of consumption growth, before the pandemic, was 3% a year. Population growth is 1%. Some people assume this means that the rise in population bears one-third of the responsibility for increased consumption. But population growth is overwhelmingly concentrated among the world’s poorest people, who have scarcely any A or T to multiply their P. The extra resource use and greenhouse gas emissions caused by a rising human population are a tiny fraction of the impact of consumption growth.”
The Top 1%
“The richest 1 per cent of people globally cause more than double the carbon emissions of the three billion who make up the poorest 50 per cent, a report says.”
“On a per capita basis, the richest 1 per cent cause an average of 74 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, more than 100 times more than the 0.69 tonnes of the poorest 50 per cent.”
Rich nations need to consume less, fly less, buy fewer SUV’s and consume less energy from fossil fuels. If developed nations reduce their consumption, population growth in developing countries is not as big a problem. The problem with population growth in developing nations is if they start to consume as much as developed nations currently do. And to be fair, why shouldn’t they have the ability to live their lives like we do?
Equality
It’s clear to me now that equality around the world is necessary. One problem with talking about equality is the assumption that everyone’s standard of life should increase. In fact those of us in developed countries need to reduce our consumption allowing those in developing nations to increase their quality of life.
Moving Forward
How do we fix this?
- Better education about birth control around the world. Give women the choice of when to have children and how many to have.
- High taxes on luxury items such as private jets, super yachts, SUV’s etc which produce the most carbon / pollution.
- Higher taxes on frequent flyers.
- Tax breaks on activities and products which are carbon neutral.
- Less focus on economic growth and the economy in general.
Asking people to live in smaller houses or buy smaller cars never goes down very well though. Until people are less selfish I fear equality will never be a reality. And until it is a reality, our planet will continue to suffer.
What can you do?
Reduce your own households carbon footprint by making a few small changes at home and to your lifestyle. Buy less, reuse more, recycle as much as possible and take action and demand better from your Government. Why not start with 50 Easy Ways To Go Green?
Sources
- Top 1% emit double the carbon of poorest 50%
- Population growth decline due to coronavirus could cost economy $117b a year, KPMG forecast shows
- Does Population Growth Impact Climate Change?
- Population panic lets rich people off the hook for the climate crisis they are fuelling
- Climate Curious: How much does population growth contribute to climate change?
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