Overpopulation - a green myth

World Population Day, 11th July, saw this article appear by Fred Pearce about the myth of overpopulation. Pearce argues that blaming an increasing population in poor countriees is to disguise real blame for environmental damage coming from rich countries and their overconsumption of the world's resources. As he goes on to point out, "virtually all of the remaining population growth is in the poor world, and the poor half of the planet is only responsible for 7 percent of carbon emissions. The carbon emissions of one American today are equivalent to those of around four Chinese, 20 Indians, 40 Nigerians, or 250 Ethiopians. How dare rich-world greens blame the poor world for the planet's perils?"

One of the main arguments used by many advocates for limiting immigration to Australia is the effect a large population will have on the fragile environment. What is not as vigorously argued is that the Australian lifestyle for huge but energy inefficient houses, urban sprawl and the love of the car are the real threats to Australia's environment. But that just won't do. It much easier to pass the blame on to darker coloured foreigners for environmental damage than to face the fact that own behaviour, lifestyle and wealth not only is the culprit but also unsustainable. If Australians were to live more environmentally sustainable lives, not only would they be able to live better with the environment but also Australia would be able to share its wealth and adequately accomodate a far larger population easing the pressures of poverty and overcrowding in other parts of the world. For that to happen it would require a small cut to Australia's extremely high living standards, but this is something an overwhelming majority of Australians refuse to do, at their own peril.