No one really
likes to hear it, but the crux of our many environmental problems doesn't lie
at the hands of the politicians we all love to loathe. Neither is it the fault
of those who are diametrically on the opposite side of our own political
beliefs. We have to face up to the notion that we have no scapegoats on which
to pin our environmental woes. The uncomfortable truth is that there are too
many people in the world. Period. People create waste and waste equals
pollution, especially when there's lots of it. So, the more people there are, the
greater the amount of waste matter. Eight billion of us obviously create a huge
amount of waste and so the world is fast becoming one enormous rubbish
tip.
Victim of success
The mess is
both literally as well as politically toxic. We all like the spoils but shun
the visible spoil. Frustratingly for many, no single jurisdiction or leadership
can be held accountable because we all share some of the responsibility in some
way or other. Perverse as this might sound, the human race may be a victim of
its own success.
You won't
often read this sort of thing in newspapers because it's not seen as the kind
of subject matter that promotes an air of political correctness. In some
people's minds, coming out with something akin to what I've just penned borders
on blatant alarmism and might even be considered heresy. It probably won't be
too long before someone shouts "racist!" But, hang on a minute, I'm
sorry to say, that old chestnut won't wash this time around. I don't really
mind what anyone thinks of my or anyone else's views because I'm not really
focusing on opinions here. Moreover, I'm examining cold, hard facts. This is no
time for divisive politicking or burying any uncomfortable truths. There's far
too much at stake.
Sadly,
shooting the messenger seems to be a popular pastime these days. But it seldom
actually does anyone any good because even if the messenger lies wounded, the
facts persist, even if they remain unheeded. Attempting to shame commentators
with shouts of ''racist'' or ''bigot'' seems illogical because, in this
context, racism doesn't come into it because we're referring to the human race
in its entirety. That means peoples of all colours, of all creeds and of all
ethnicities! All of us, including yours truly.
We needn't
rely on journalists to bring alarming facts to the fore because it's actually
the world of science that's been confirming what most of us have known about
for years. That is, human-driven species-loss is a major problem that must
surely warrant the most urgent action. Of course, science is usually right
because scientific conclusions are based on observations and statistics, not
just idle beliefs.
We all know the truth
In truth,
we've known about declines in plant and animal species populations for a very
long time. We've watched it all unfold against a backdrop of expanding human
populations and done nothing meaningful or constructive by way of mitigation.
What's getting really alarming is the ever increasing pace of extinctions as
human activity devours and destroys natural habitats. Animal populations have
suffered declines of nearly 70% since the 1970's, but such dire reports
regarding species-loss have long failed to actually reference the main driver
of biodiversity loss. That is, the unsustainably rapid expansion of human
populations globally.
The key word
is 'sustainability'. That's because our growing population is gobbling up
resources equivalent to the production capacity of nearly two Earths annually.
This is not only disturbing but it's also very clearly unsustainable. If things
continue on the current trajectory, we’ll need resources equivalent to that
which can only be produced by no fewer than three Earths annually (by 2050). As
more and more of us demand more and more from mother Earth, we will compound the
loss of biodiversity, accelerate water scarcity, increase pollution and cause
further deforestation as huge swathes of wilderness are turned into farmland.
Our planet
barely has sufficient capacity to support our current burgeoning population let
alone enough to comfortably sustain all the other species that share our
world's once abundant bounties. Before 2023 arrives, the population will reach
and possibly even exceed the staggering EIGHT billion mark. As ecosystems and
wildlife populations continue to collapse, international bodies can no longer
ignore the undeniable correlations that confront us.
A
serious subject
So, we all
know that these problems exist. What's needed are more by way of visionaries
and fewer reactionaries. In other words, more solutions and less idle
commentary which, I know, I'm guilty of. Worryingly, however, even when the
subject matter is this serious; it's often very difficult to bring workable
solutions (however obvious they might be) to the table. This is especially the
case when prospective solutions risk going head to head with long-established
cultural norms. For example, how many leaders in regions such as the Middle
East and parts of Africa might be less than impressed if it was suggested that
one of the main solutions towards population control involves the empowerment
of women? What if it was proposed to make quality education available to all?
By that I mean a universally accessible education system that not only includes
but actively promotes the empowerment of women as a matter of pure pragmatism
rather than as a matter of equality.
There is also
a glaring need for decent healthcare to be made accessible to more people. This
would make family planning much easier. What's clear is that if the world's
resources were distributed more fairly, all of us would benefit. What’s often
lacking is the backbone to acknowledge some of these basic facts which
ultimately quashes the desire to act.
We don't have
to look as far as the middle east or Africa to witness resistance to
factuality. There are people within the United Nations who actually deny the
unquestionable reality of global overpopulation, choosing instead to warn
against 'alarmism.' Such individuals would surely do well to familiarise and
acknowledge the facts rather than adhere to given narratives?
Imminent
extinction
For example,
in 2019, a UN-commissioned report warned that “Nature is declining globally at
rates unprecedented in human history. The rate of species extinction is
accelerating, with potentially grave impacts for millions of people around the
world.” The report concluded that over a million animal and plant species are
threatened with imminent extinction.
There's no
denying the correlation between growing human numbers and species extinction.
As people and the natural world continue to compete for space, the very shape
of life on Earth is changing forever. As human numbers reach that eight billion
milestone, now must surely be an opportune moment to sound the alarm?
Tackling these
issues won't be easy but it has become quite clear that living with the dire
consequences of apathy and inaction will eventually prove to be humanity's
greatest challenge to-date.
Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring.
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A great well written article. On centuries gone by plague, war and famine has helped reset the figures. We have had less major wars so far this century, medical advances making life longer and curing life shortening diseases and for peoples greater ability to escape the harshest of poverty. Add on to this greed and power of relatively small amount of individuals that can only excerbate the situation. The solution will be difficult uncomfortable for some if there is going to be a change to another doubling of the population in 30 years time.
By DAvid Clark from Algarve on 29 Oct 2022, 07:06