The Overpopulation Project
TOP – Research and Outreach
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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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
6 comments on A proposal for a United Nations Framework Convention on Population Growth -
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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What is the optimal, sustainable population size of Humans?
by Patrícia Dérer It is possible to estimate an optimal human population size based on various criteria and assumptions. Here, we do not deal with the lower bound of the human population (the minimum viable population) as we are certainly well above that limit. Concerning the upper bound, we have to consider the carrying capacity
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Including population growth in sustainability discussions, case study: Egypt
By Jenna Dodson Sustainable development has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs1. Using this definition, the United Nations developed a sustainable development framework centered around three pillars: economic, environmental, and social. Population is included in the social pillar
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A key driver of the biodiversity crisis is poorly evaluated: population size
By Patrícia Dérer We are entering the sixth mass extinction of life on Earth, the first to be caused by humans1. Extinction rates are several orders of magnitude above normal. Humanity has managed to exterminate more than 300 vertebrate animals in modern times, the IUCN estimates that half the globe’s 5,491 known mammals are declining in
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Continuing a dialogue on immigration, population growth and the environment
Two weeks ago The Overpopulation Project researchers published an opinion piece in Svenska Dagbladet titled “Environmental concerns call for reduced immigration”. In it we discussed the demographic implications of Swedish immigration policy and considered the potential environmental impacts of future population growth. Our essay called forth numerous thoughtful responses, including a joint reply by 41
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Starting a dialogue on immigration, population growth and the environment
Recently The Overpopulation Project researchers published an opinion piece in the national newspaper Svenska Dagbladet titled “Environmental concerns call for reduced immigration”. In it, we discuss the demographic implications of Swedish immigration policy and consider the potential environmental impacts of future population growth. This essay was one of the newspaper’s most widely read/downloaded for the month and
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Population and food security in Africa: a win-win opportunity
By Jenna Dodson Best estimates suggest nearly 300 million people in Africa are undernourished, and there is mounting evidence linking this food insecurity to rapid population growth 1–3. Recently, in “The impact of population growth and climate change on food security in Africa: looking ahead to 2050”, Hall et al. reaffirmed population growth to be
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Welcome to our webpage!
It is a resource for all those interested in overpopulation and in creating environmentally sustainable societies. We will also report from our research project, started recently. High quality research, well-informed books, and good reports and articles about the effects of global human population growth, and solutions to this problem, are widely scattered in various scientific
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Gallery of infographics – Learn more about overpopulation and environment
Source: Barro-Lee Educational Attainment Dataset (2015): PRB Data Sheet 2015
