MR – stop destroying habitat, stabilise population and end coal exports: conference declares

12 October 2013

Media Releases 2013

Delegates at the Fenner Conference on Environment in Canberra passed a unanimous declaration yesterday calling for policies to stabilise population and for an end to coal exports and habitat destruction.

The conference called “Population, Resources and Climate change: implications for Australia’s near future” addressed the nexus between the three issues. It highlighted the urgent need to mitigate climate change by decarbonising our energy supply and to redirect subsidies away from fossil fuel exploration to the development of renewable energy systems.

Co-organiser of the conference and national president of Sustainable Population Australia, Ms Jenny Goldie, says the declaration recognised the need for radical action in light of the looming challenges of climate change and resource depletion, both exacerbated by continued rapid population growth, globally and in Australia.  

“The conference also recognised the deleterious effects of continued population growth on biodiversity, hence the need to end destruction of habitat,” says Ms Goldie.

The conference heard from speakers warning of oil and other resources peaking, so the declaration included a call to Australia governments to develop plans to maintain essential services as fossil fuels peak and decline.

“Recognising that a sustainable future depends on widespread ecological literacy, the conference called for governments to incorporate the principle of ecological sustainability into core curricula at all levels,” says Ms Goldie.

“In order for population to be stabilised, the declaration also recognised the need to make contraceptives more freely available and to significantly increase the family planning component within Australia’s foreign aid budget,” Ms Goldie says.

The Declaration can be found at population.org.au

Further information: Jenny Goldie 0401 921 453 https://population.org.au/articles/2013-10-11/declaration-fenner-conference-2013

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