The Overpopulation Project
TOP – Research and Outreach
Too many people consuming too much
Tag: overshoot
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New paper defends a pragmatic definition of overpopulation
Distinguishing ecologically sustainable from excessive human populations is necessary to understand humanity’s environmental challenges and pursue our best options for addressing them. A new publication from TOP presents a definition of human overpopulation based on plausible scientific and ethical criteria, rather than wishful thinking. by Philip Cafaro Last year, TOP published a working paper presenting…
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What Are Floors Without Ceilings?
Staying within safe planetary boundaries for global resource use and pollution makes good sense. Are there a complementary set of economic and social measures that could help human societies remain within ecological limits? by Erik Assadourian Not long ago a new update to the Planetary Doughnut was published in Nature, complete with 35 indicators to…
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Ecological Footprint and Sustainable Population
With humanity currently in overshoot, societal changes must be enacted to return to sustainable levels. While either a country’s ecological footprint or population size could be altered to achieve the necessary level, combined efforts on both fronts would be most effective. By Denis Garnier, president of Démographie Responsable A sustainable population corresponds to the total…
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Wealth Never Sleeps
Wishing away overconsumption without reducing population or affluence is a denial of math. By Brad Meiklejohn “It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.” – Mark Fisher I am congenitally cheap. There is Scottish blood in my veins, which may explain why our family crest reads: “Fix it…
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The Catalyst of Overpopulation in the Gaza Conflict
Mountains of work have analysed the roots of the conflict in Gaza, but all have missed the catalyst of increasing population. By Jon Austen and Jane O’Sullivan The Israel-Palestine conflict has been ongoing for 75 years. The recent eruption of violence is a tragedy but not surprising. Neither side is going to back down, both…
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What you should know – but didn’t know to ask – about overshoot and the ‘population question’
William Rees explores the nature of humanity’s relationship with energy and the ecosphere, and reaches the unsettling conclusion that a population ‘correction’ is in the offing. By William Rees What would you think if someone called you out as a ‘dissipative structure’? Or better, claimed that you were a ‘thermodynamically far-from-equilibrium dissipative structure’? Chances are,…
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Human population reduction is not a quick fix for environmental problems
Then again, neither is anything else. The long lag time between fertility reduction and population stabilization is a key reason we need to address excessive human numbers sooner rather than later. by Phil Cafaro There’s an argument one often hears that goes like this: “sure, population is important. But we need to reduce our environmental…
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The Great Multiplier
At the end of 2022, the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Human Capital held a conference titled Population and Climate Change: The Defining Relationship of the 21st Century. Yet as one participant noted, in this presentation from the conference, the desire to downplay population’s importance is hard to avoid, even among those who should know…
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Why Europeans are worried about African babies
Any time a Westerner expresses preoccupation about very high birth rates in a poor country, the conversation immediately turns to racism. Let’s dig deeper. by Gaia Baracetti Let’s not start with Prince William for once. Let’s begin with the great Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli. He was one of those rare rural poets who actually knew…
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Reconciling human demands with planetary boundaries: a new approach to quantifying sustainability at the national and global levels
Human population grows, Earth doesn’t. A certain environmental impact is needed to satisfy basic human needs. When multiplied by a huge population, even a small average individual impact can become high, overshooting planetary boundaries. Achieving both environmental sustainability and high human development is hence a challenge. Can we win this challenge without considering the population…
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Top scientists call for new UN sustainable development goal on population
A group of distinguished scientists have called for rapid action to reverse unsustainable population growth as threats to global ecological boundaries become more apparent. The evidence was set out at an online conference organised by Scientists Warning Europe to mark this year’s World Population Day. by Brian McGavin With the human ecological footprint already 170…
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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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