The Overpopulation Project
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Too many people consuming too much
The views and opinions expressed in guest blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Overpopulation Project.
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Japan’s depopulation dividend: searching for an alternative to growth at all costs
By Dr Peter Matanle Japan is experiencing unprecedented demographic change, due to rapid ageing and, since 2008, decreasing population. Conventionally this is considered to be a ‘problem’ to be solved by increasing either fertility or immigration, or both. Neither of these is realistic, however. More children would increase age-related dependency ratios, and the number of…
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UN’s Agenda 2030: add the goal “Slow down population growth”
For the original Opinion article published in one of Sweden’s largest morning newspaper (Svenska Dagbladet), and for 47 mainly positive comments (in Swedish) click here! In the discussion about the environment and our future, overpopulation should also be highlighted. The issue is often avoided in the debate – even though it is central. We urge the…
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Toward a small family ethic: How overpopulation and climate change are affecting the morality of procreation
By Trevor Hedberg, University of South Florida The global human population is currently about 7.6 billion people, and our numbers are still increasing. Although human population growth has not been a popular topic to discuss in the last quarter-century, its contribution to various environmental problems is becoming harder and harder to ignore. Travis Rieder’s Toward a Small Family…
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High human population density eliminates the positive effect of forest protection in a tropical biodiversity hotspot
By Patrícia Dérer Sri Lanka and the Indian Western Ghats (also known as Sahyadri Mountain Range) make up one of 36 Biodiversity Hotspots. These areas are the Earth’s most biologically rich—yet threatened—terrestrial regions; they were designated in order to preserve the most species. The Western Ghats belong to the eight “hottest hotspots” based on their…
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Support the overpopulation documentary: “8 Billion Angels”
Ecologist Terry Spahr Turns to Kickstarter For His First Feature film, 8 Billion Angels, a Documentary About Overpopulation Independent filmmaker Terry Spahr is turning to the Internet to raise funds for his provocative feature film project, 8 Billion Angels, a documentary about overpopulation and its effect on the environment. With funding as a major obstacle…
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Green sex for climate’s sake
By Alisha Graves There’s no single solution for climate change, no magic bullet that can stabilize and eventually reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. But separating sex from childbearing represents an underappreciated opportunity to forestall climate disaster. To be sure, addressing the climate challenge will require a wide range of approaches. Conservation…
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US birth rate lowest in 30 years – the overlooked benefits
By Jenna Dodson The United States’ birth rate has fallen to a 30-year low, and the media is giving this new figure much attention. Unfortunately, most of that attention is misplaced. Since last week, countless news organizations released articles reviewing the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that documents the…
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A proposal for a United Nations Framework Convention on Population Growth
by Rob Harding Recently, an international assembly of scientists from 184 countries endorsed an article published in the journal Bioscience entitled “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice”. As the warning states, “We are jeopardizing our future by not reining in our intense but geographically and demographically uneven material consumption and by not perceiving continued rapid population…
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Are scientists using proper words to describe the negative influence of humans on the Earth’s ecosystems?
By Frank Götmark In “Responsible Use of Language in Scientific Writing and Science Communication“1 Kueffer and Larson discussed the role of language and concepts in scientific writing and communication. Researchers increasingly depend on marketing strategies to publish their findings and to obtain funding, according to the authors. They were especially interested in strong metaphors that may…
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One Child: Do we have a right to more?
by Phil Cafaro Given current consumption levels and the ongoing attempt to increase them as fast as possible (through increased economic growth, the chief goal of most national governments) a strong case can be made that Earth is overpopulated. It almost certainly cannot support the current human population of seven and a half billion people…
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