Population is the big elephant In the room
As politicians prepare to meet in Glasgow, there is an elephant in the room that no one seems willing to address.
In 1958, the world population was 2.9 billion. Now, 63 years later, it is 7.9 billion. During that time, global per capita GDP has grown more than 350 per cent. So the world has many more people and they are, on average and typically, much better off. This is celebrated as a virtuous circle that results in continuously growing affluence that is the central objective of our chosen economic model.
Meanwhile, all of the discussion regarding climate change appears to revolve around strategies to transition from one source of energy, identified as bad, to another source of energy, identified as good.
Isn’t the real problem that humans are overrunning the world, with expectations of more and more consumption? It seems to me that the focus on COin the air ignores the real problem.
A new economic model is required that incorporates a reduced human population and less consumption that also maintains the quality of life for future (smaller) generations. This is not to save humans alone, but to save the planet.