Thanks to Ed Barry for this link to a BBC film on population produced by David Attenborough. It gives a good explanation of population issues to the general public. You can find it at Eric Rimmer’s website at www.ericrimmer.com. It’s an unofficial copy, so please don’t broadcast it.

If you missed Prince Charles’ July 8, 2009 talk on population and the need to work in harmony with nature, you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4l0fES43nc. Many thanks to Eric Rimmer for this link.

Thanks to SD Shantinath for this BBC article.
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The UK’s Royal Society is launching a major study into human population growth and how it may affect social and economic development in coming decades.

The world’s population has risen from two billion in 1930 to 6.8 billion now, with nine billion projected by 2050.
The society acknowledges it is delving into a hugely controversial area, but says a comprehensive and scientific review of the evidence is needed.

It is led by Nobel laureate Sir John Sulston of Human Genome Project fame.

For full article, visit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10578484.stm

Clearly, the population debate in the UK is heating up. Thanks to Mike Nickerson for this article from The Independent.
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A growing number of scientists are going where politicians fear to tread by calling for a wider public debate on the sensitive issue of the global human population, which is set to rise from the present 6.8 billion to perhaps 9 billion by 2050.

Lord Rees, the president of the Royal Society, brought the subject up in his excellent Reith Lectures; Sir David Attenborough has become a champion of those who believe population has been relegated as an environmental issue; and more recently Professor Aubrey Manning, presenter of the BBC’s Earth Story, has stated that the sheer number of humans on the planet is the greatest menace the world faces.

For full article, visit:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news

Thanks to Sally Mattison for this article.
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Environmentalists in Britain and elsewhere have sometimes been reluctant to talk about population in recent years. But with the U.K. Office of National Statistics projecting a 9 million rise in the country’s population to 70 million by 2030, it’s increasingly difficult to get away from the old Malthusian dilemma of population, resources, and economic growth.

Engaging in this debate is fraught with risks for the well-meaning green. As Sara Parkin puts it [PDF], “The maths of sustainability is simple — it requires fewer people, consuming less — yet we find it difficult to talk about either.”

For full article, visit:
http://www.grist.org/article

Thanks to Bob Walker for this article from The Telegraph.
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He said more needs to be done because of the “monumental” problems that face the environment as population numbers “rocket” and traditional societies become more consumerist. There needed to be more “honesty” about the fact the “cultural” pressures keep the global birth rate high.

The Prince also said the traditional religious views of the sanctity of life, which are often used to oppose the use of condoms and other contraceptives, must be balanced with the imperative to live within the limits of nature.

His comments, made in an important speech on Islam and the environment, will be seen as controversial within both the green lobby and some religious circles.

For full article, visit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/7815069/Prince-of-Wales

Thanks to Clifford Garrard of the Population Institute of Canada for this information on the Royal Society’s project to examine the population issue. The text below is from the Royal’s Society’s website. You will see a call for input from experts, with a deadline for submissions of October 1.
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Population is a global issue which is moving back up the agenda. In the run-up to the December 2009 Copenhagen conference on climate change, a number of academics and NGOs called for a fresh look at the factors affecting and affected by changing population. Yet debates remain polarised: some people still see population as a distraction from the more urgent imperative of reducing resource consumption in the wealthiest countries. Others argue it is an issue that will solve itself, as global population size is projected to peak and then fall from the middle of the 21st century.

For full article, visit:
http://royalsociety.org/People-and-the-Planet/
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Australian businessman Dick Smith has announced a $1 million prize (Australian dollars) to anyone under 30 years of age (worldwide) who can show impressive leadership in communicating an alternative to growth. There is no application form. Instead, those who are interested, should follow Dick Smith’s instructions found at http://www.dicksmithpopulation.com.au/wilberforce-award/ in attempting to win the Wilberforce Award. There are additional instructions on that web page. Here is his message of August 12, 2010.

The Wilberforce Award
Continue Reading »

From Zunia.
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All populations, like all individuals, must address issues of age. Unlike people, however, populations can stay young indefinitely and can even grow younger with time. This report is about the ages of populations, how age is structured within populations, why that matters, and how governments and societies can influence population age structure.

The Shape of Things to Come presents evidence that certain age structures in populations can support governments’ efforts to create and maintain political stability, and that others can impede such efforts. This report identifies for the first time four main types of age structures present in current populations: very young, youthful, transitional and mature. Chapters for each structure type describe their basic demographic parameters and the common development challenges and opportunities faced. A quantitative analysis shows that each structure has distinct traits in vulnerability to civil conflict, governance and economic growth.

http://www.populationaction.org/Publications/Reports/The_Shape_of_Things_to_Come/SOTC.pdf

Thanks to Mark O’Connor for this OpEdfrom the Sydney Morning Herald.
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The federal government’s recently released 2010 Intergenerational Report argues that rapid population growth is needed to support an ageing population. It is a claim unsupported by real-world empirical evidence.

The report does include the results of economic modelling purporting to show that lower population growth would mean lower per-capita gross domestic product for Australia, among other ills. Unfortunately, the modelling did not include any environmental parameters, such as the impact of such population growth on greenhouse pollution or water use.

For full article, visit:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/economic-growth-doesnt-depend-on-more-people-20100225-p3wp.html