The Overpopulation Project
TOP – Research and Outreach
Too many people consuming too much
Tag: environment
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Two radical ideas whose time has come
Increasing economic inequality and accelerating ecological decline are the two great political challenges facing nations today. In recent decades, many complicated efforts to address these problems have been proposed or tried, but the problems have continued to worsen. Perhaps it is time to address them more directly. by Philip Cafaro I came of age politically…
17 comments on Two radical ideas whose time has come -
Demographers fail to acknowledge the effect of population growth on climate change
A recently published article asked European demographers about their attitudes towards climate change and population growth. It shows that while most demographers are in agreement on the need to act on climate change, the effect of population growth is largely not understood. By The Overpopulation Project An article published in March this year in the…
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IUCN recognizes the importance of attending to population to preserve biodiversity
After decades of silence, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has passed a motion reaffirming the importance of addressing population matters to achieving conservation success. This continues a welcome recent trend among conservation scientists to speak up about the potential benefits of reining in population growth. by Pernilla Hansson The International Union for…
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What is the optimal human population? An eminent economist weighs in
Efforts to specify the optimal human population on Earth are as complex as they are controversial. A recent book from Cambridge University economist Sir Partha Dasgupta develops a theoretically rigorous approach to this perennial question, finding that an optimal human population might range from 500 million to 5 billion. by Philip Cafaro It is gratifying…
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Defending the nation-state
Imagine there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Serving our corporate masters. And pasting smiles on our faces, too … Or better yet, imagine a world where citizens control their own destinies, within a peaceful and environmentally sustainable international order. That’s the real way forward. by the Honorable Kelvin Thomson I am a big…
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10:59 – time to address population?
The population crisis lies at the core of the first full-length novel by British author N. R. Baker, an eco-thriller called 10:59. Through a well-developed storyline, it details the destruction caused by our ever-growing population, following a compelling main character as he joins an organisation intent on saving the planet. Ms. Baker manages to balance…
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‘A Life on Our Planet’: Attenborough’s recipe and human reluctance — Chronicle of a failure foretold
“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right”I. Asimov In the outstanding film “A life on our planet”, Sir David Attenborough tells us which actions we need to implement to avoid a future catastrophe. His plan is feasible and affordable: we already have all the knowledge and technology required to…
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Australia’s Population Ponzi Scheme
The current economic system in Australia is a Ponzi scheme based on maintaining positive GDP through migration. Populations of native species are plummeting and people are faced with increased job insecurity and housing costs, all of which are side effects of the Australian government’s ongoing drive for an ever increasing population. by Kelvin Thomson In…
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Boiling Frogs
by N.R. Baker According to the well-known metaphor, if you were to put a live frog into boiling water, it would – very wisely – leap straight out again. However, if you put the frog into tepid water that was then brought slowly to the boil, the hapless creature would be cooked before it even…
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Earth overshoot day and population
Too many people consuming too many resources and generating too much waste: that’s why humanity keeps pushing deeper into ecological overshoot. On Earth Overshoot Day, let’s not forget the P factor. by Lucia Tamburino & Philip Cafaro Every year on Earth Overshoot Day, a table like the one below makes the rounds, showing the number…
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Climate refugees or overpopulation escapees?
In recent years, migrants fleeing overpopulation and lack of economic opportunity have been rebranded as “climate refugees” by corporate media looking to justify open borders. But expanding migration will simply fuel continued population growth, leading to greater resource consumption, higher greenhouse gas emissions and worse climate change. It’s a Ponzi scheme perpetuated by falsehoods that’s…
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Overshoot day: the other side of the coin
Every year on Earth Overshoot Day, a table becomes very popular, showing the number of Earths needed to be ecologically sustainable if all the people in the world had the same ecological footprint as the average citizens of various countries. This is computed by fixing the world population at the current value and varying the…
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From Population to Production: Scientists’ Changing Views on How to Feed the World
Fifty years ago, in his 1970 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Norman Borlaug said: “There can be no permanent progress in the battle against hunger until the agencies that fight for increased food production and those that fight for population control unite in a common effort.” Borlaug was insightful, but also a genuinely humble man.…
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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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Recent blog posts
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- Because everyone else is (not) doing it: How social pressures may be the key to understand family size preferences
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