We are too many

Whenever my friends and I are discussing the fate of our planet (which happens quite often), we come to the same conclusion: one of the root problems our planet is facing is the population explosion of the human race. At the beginning of the 19^th century, world population was only about 1 billion. By 1960, it reached 3 billion and doubled to about 6 billion during the next four decades. Currently, the world population is about 6.7 billion. Although the growth rate declined since then due to a global increase in education levels and standards of living, we are expected to reach 10 billion by the year 2050.

American biologist and ecologist Paul Ehrlich has warned us over and over again about unlimited population growth and limited resources. He developed the formula I=PAT: Human Impact (I) on the environment equals the product of population (P), affluence (A: consumption per capita) and technology (T: environmental impact per unit of consumption), which is mentioned in Tom Wessel’s “The Myth of Progress” but most ecologists focus more on affluence and technology. Understandably, population control is a sensitive and very emotional issue that impacts not only economics and the environment but also sociology, philosophy, family, politics, ethnic and national pride, religion, sexuality, and individual rights.

Many western countries accuse the “under-developed and under-educated world” for the overpopulation. And, indeed, there is a strong inverse correlation between education and birthrate. The western countries all are seeing a decline in their population growth rate. But, according to Paul Ehrlich, “The key to understanding overpopulation is not population density but the numbers of people in an area relative to its resources and the capacity of the environment to sustain human activities. […] It also depends on how those people behave. When this is considered, an entirely different picture emerges: the main population problem is in wealthy countries.” Our behavior has caused the biggest environmental crisis this planet has ever seen and it is our responsibility to act first.