The earth's nature is being ravaged by population growth

 Man's rapid expansion leads to environmental destruction, starvation and despoiled biodiversity. Population growth needs to be slowed as soon as possible for sustainability, write professors Malte Andersson and Frank Götmark

 In 1800, the world's population was 1 billion. Last autumn we exceeded 8 billion and are now growing by around 80 million per year. At the same time, species and ecosystems are declining and disappearing through our overexploitation: more than one in four of the 150,000 reviewed species is threatened, of which one in two is a vascular plant. Among 71,000 animal species studied, almost half are decreasing, only 3 percent are increasing. And it goes fast. Since 1970, populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have declined by an average of approximately 70 percent. The reasons are many. Overexploitation in forestry, hunting and fishing. Agriculture and livestock farming over increasing areas. Infrastructure and buildings such as housing, industries, roads and mines. Our spread of invasive organisms.

 Species usually decline because we take over and wipe out their habitats – natural ecosystems and environments to which species have long adapted through evolution. Habitat destruction is the main reason why animal populations disappear. This happens mainly in the tropics, but also in Europe.

 Plants and animals are decreasing in pace with increased population density and consumption, as the ecologist Trevor Beebee shows in his current book "Impacts of Human Population on Wildlife" (2023).

 Another threat to biological diversity is climate change, where the two main driving forces are increasing population and consumption, according to the IPCC's major report 2022. The rich world's high consumption of course needs to be reduced, which is often highlighted in the environmental debate (see for example wwf.se, Sustainable consumption).

 On the other hand, the extremely destructive consequences of population growth for biological diversity and sustainability are rarely or never discussed, whether by media such as Radio or TV, by politicians, the UN or the environmental movement (for example WWF and the Nature Conservation Association).

 Has the topic become taboo? In 2017, thousands of international researchers pointed out in "Scientists' Warning" the need to stabilize our population. In his solid overview, Beebee (2023) shows that "overpopulation is at least as much a rich as a poor country problem". Efforts are required from all countries. A new report shows that we wiped out most of the Earth's large land mammals, reducing them to a tiny fraction of the wealth before our increase accelerated (through fossil fuels, medical advances, better food and longer lives). In biomass, we now completely dominate among Earth's remaining land mammals.

 Is our massive expansion, to the detriment of other species, ethically reasonable? We (humans) make up 390 million tonnes. Our domesticated mammals – cows, pigs, sheep and companion animals such as horses, dogs and more – 630 million tonnes. A total of just over a billion tons, fifty times more than all the world's remaining wild land mammals, which we reduced to a mere 20 million tons!

 A few thousand years ago, before we became farmers, the proportions were more than reversed. We were only a few million people, less than a thousandth of today's population, and had no livestock. In parts of Western Asia and especially in Africa, where the population is expected to grow by 2.5 billion by 2088 according to the UN, birth rates remain high. The number of malnourished in Africa is now close to 300 million and increases every year according to the FAO.

 The earth's nature is being ravaged by population growth

 Population growth is about to lead to disaster for both Africa's people and its biodiversity. Hundreds of millions of women lack contraception, and social norms influenced by patriarchy, religion, and ethnic competition foster large litters of children. Despite the huge population increase's negative consequences, there is no population target among the UN's 17 global goals for 2030.

 But independent researchers point out that an ecologically sustainable population is rather around 2-3 billion than the 10.4 we are heading towards according to the UN. If everyone is to reach the European standard of living, a sustainable human world population probably cannot exceed approximately 3 billion. Even less if the conditions of other species are to be improved.

 The UN Conference on Biodiversity, Cop15, proposed last year the protection of 30 percent of the planet's biodiversity, and the recent UN Conference in Nairobi proposes concrete actions for the needs seen at Cop15. As we explained countries with high birth rates need to lower them significantly in order to contribute to a sustainable world population. On a positive note, voluntary family planning programs in, for example, Bangladesh, Thailand and South Korea have worked well and quickly reduced birth rates. Unfortunately, many programs for family planning disappeared after 1995, when SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) replaced family planning. But research shows that longer education for sub-Saharan girls only significantly increases contraceptive use if longer education is combined with family planning programs.

 Overall, there is strong evidence for the importance of assistance to family planning and women's empowerment and education. The right to education in family planning was emphasized by the UN as early as 1968. When governments now reconsiders, it can learn from previous mistakes and provide much-needed support for family planning programs.

 Especially new programs that also take the environment and nature into account, and increase the possibility of preserving the earth's biological diversity.

 Malte Andersson ecologist, professor emeritus, University of Gothenburg Frank Götmark professor of ecology and nature conservation, University of Gothenburg

 

Also check: https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2023/05/overpopulation-and-future-of-mankind.html