Population growth is often avoided in public discussion about our environment. But it's something that many of my subscribers have asked me to write about. So here we go. The Right hails population growth as a necessary driver of economic growth and wealth. Meanwhile, the Left hesitates to talk about it. And many churches actively encourage it. But the truth is this: more people mean a greater burden on our planet, unless each person consumes less.
Humanity’s Role in Ecological Disruption
Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth. In many ways, humanity has taken on a role similar to invasive species. During my 56 years on Earth, our population has more than doubled. And since my grandfather was born, it has grown four-fold to over 8 billion. Humans dominate ecosystems. We are consuming resources at unsustainable rates, altering the planet’s climate and pushing countless species to extinction. But unlike traditional invasive species, humans also have an ability to self-reflect and make conscious choices about the future. The question there shouldn't only be about how many people the Earth can sustain, but how we choose to live.
The Environmental Burden
It’s undeniable that more people mean more strain on our planet. Every new person requires food, water, energy, and shelter. So far during our time on Earth, more people have meant more cars on the roads, more houses, freeways and shopping centres, more aeroplanes in the sky, and more emissions in the atmosphere. We are taking up more and more space and encroaching on every corner of the planet. Dispersing and diminishing populations of other species we share the planet with.
But our environmental impact isn’t just about population size; it’s about how we consume. Consider this: the carbon footprint of a wealthy individual in a developed country like Australia can be hundreds of times larger than that of the average person in a developing country like Timor. The problem isn’t just numbers - it’s lifestyles.
The Myth of Equal Aspirations
One of the challenges of addressing population growth is the aspirational lifestyle that neoliberalism sells us globally. A world where 8 billion people drive a Mercedes, live in a McMansion with a jacuzzi and take regular flights to holiday destinations is unsustainable. Yet, this is the dream we're being sold and which many people hold onto as a marker of success.
The reality is that achieving a balance between population and planetary health requires radical changes in what we value and aspire to. Can we ignore the relentless marketing machines screaming at us to consume more? Can we find joy and purpose in less materialism? Can we redefine success to focus on well-being and ecological harmony?
Population Growth and Human Rights
Reluctance to talk about population growth often stems from its historical misuse and links to anti-immigration based racism. Forced sterilisation programs and discriminatory policies leave a dark legacy. That's why it’s vital to focus on the facts - Australia's population growth rate would be negative without immigration. Addressing population growth must be rooted in empowerment and choice - not coercion. The evidence shows that education, particularly for women and girls, and access to healthcare are proven ways to reduce population growth. We can respect human rights and limit population growth.
Can We Restore Biodiversity?
Theoretically, it’s possible for the world to have a growing population and maintain and even restore biodiversity. Especially in Australia where we have lots of land. But doing so would require a radical shift in how we live. It would require:
Degrowth: Embracing an economic model that prioritises well-being and ecological health over perpetual GDP growth. Degrowth challenges the idea that economic expansion is always positive and instead advocates scaling down consumption and production. It encourages simpler, community-focused living and equitable resource distribution, ensuring a healthier planet for everyone - including future generations.
Circular Economies: Moving away from a throwaway culture to systems that repair, reutilise, repurpose and recycle materials rather than discard them.
Urban Design: Our living spaces need to prioritise green spaces, biodiversity, sustainable transport, and renewable energy.
Food Systems: Transitioning to plant-based diets and reducing food waste could significantly lower our ecological footprint. I love a good steak, but with eight billion people on the planet we have to be honest with ourselves - beef is 30 times more carbon intensive than lentils.
Time for a Conversation
Talking about population growth isn’t easy but just avoiding the conversation doesn’t make it disappear. Unlimited growth - of population and consumption - is incompatible with a finite planet. The global population is projected to peak at well over 10 billion people this Century, according to United Nations estimates!
Humanity’s greatest strength has been our ability to adapt and innovate. But time is well overdue for us to use that strength to reimagine and reengineer a future where people and Nature can thrive together.
What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments field below and help start the conversation.
Photo: ABC News.
Another thing we're missing in Australia is that we eat ONLY introduced foods. I have a feeling in my waters that it would be more convenient, more efficient and less damaging if we ate some Australian foods. 🤔
There's one obvious requirement missing under your "Urban Design" heading: We need to reduce and reverse suburban sprawl. One of the biggest mistakes we've made in Australia is obliging ourselves to use a car each whenever we leave the house. Most cities in the world are more than 100 years old, so the roadways were designed around the city, rather than the other way around. In other words, they are human-scaled, and it is rare to need to use a car. This is why Australia has the largest, lowest-density cities in the world - yes, even more than USA. For example, Perth is the same size as São Paolo, with less than one-tenth its population. Car use is a big…
I like to approach discussion of the population issue from the perspective of Permaculture Ethics. The 3 ethics upon which Permaculture is based are: Care of the Earth, Care of People, and Settings Limits to Population and Consumption. Bill Mollison’s footnote to the third ethic was, ‘By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles’, i.e. ethics 1 and 2. Unfortunately human overpopulation is now so extreme there are no spare resources to care for the earth or to care for people. In fact every year we now use all renewable resources available, plus part of our ecological capital. In 2024 Earth Overshoot Day occurred on 1 August 2024. That is all renewable resources had…
One seldom mentioned reason as to why discussions on population growth are stifled
is because it is impossible to talk about it without touching on feminist issues
1) a woman's right to overall autonomy
2) a woman's right to reproductive autonomy ( including access to contraception)
Australia would have a stable or declining population
yet our various governments beholden to economic growth continue to expand our population by
importing people from countries where women do not have the equivalent rights or healthcare
that we do.
If women world wide had the same healthcare rights as Australian women there would be no
excess population to syphon off from overseas
into Australia to keep on propping up population growth here.
Well expressed. Unfortunately discussing overpopulation and overconsumption is an uncomfortable conversation to engage people in.
How do you broach the subject that having more than two children is causing overpopulation with someone who intends to have more than two children or already has more than two children?
How do you broach the subject that frequent overseas travel, jetting over seas or on a cruise ship is overconsumption with a person who loves holiday travel or going to overseas conferences?
I know lots of people who overpopulate or overconsume or both (me included in the latter) but I can’t speak about this subject with them because they would be insulted. I can only lead by example and mention some of things…