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Discussing the Silence and Denial around Population Growth and Its Environmental Impact. How Do We Find Ways Forward?

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  • Haydn Washington

    (Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre (ESSRC), School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Level 5, Biological Sciences Building (D26) Kensington Campus, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia)

  • Helen Kopnina

    (Newcastle Business School, University of Northumbria, Newcastle NE1 8ST, UK)

Abstract

Academia and government often ignore or deny the impact of population growth on the environment. However, key scientific institutions and reports confirm that population growth is a major driver of climate disruption and other environmental crises. We review the environmental science of population growth. Issues that block dialogue are discussed, such as growthism, anthropocentrism, denial, religious and cultural taboos, fear of being called a racist, the issue of rights claims, seeking political power through numbers, the framing of social justice issues, and sophistical claims regarding ‘racism’. We examine examples of denial about population in academia and government. We explore ways forward to gain dialogue, and we also consider success stories. We conclude that population growth, like overconsumption, must be foregrounded to create ecologocally sustainable economies and a sustainable future.

Suggested Citation

  • Haydn Washington & Helen Kopnina, 2022. "Discussing the Silence and Denial around Population Growth and Its Environmental Impact. How Do We Find Ways Forward?," World, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:3:y:2022:i:4:p:57-1027:d:992046
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Tiloka de Silva & Silvana Tenreyro, 2020. "The Fall in Global Fertility: A Quantitative Model," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 77-109, July.
    3. Robert Fletcher & Jan Breitling & Valerie Puleo, 2014. "Barbarian hordes: the overpopulation scapegoat in international development discourse," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(7), pages 1195-1215, August.
    4. Aisha Dasgupta & Partha Dasgupta, 2017. "Socially Embedded Preferences, Environmental Externalities, and Reproductive Rights," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 43(3), pages 405-441, September.
    5. Theodore P. Lianos & Anastasia Pseiridis, 2016. "Sustainable welfare and optimum population size," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 18(6), pages 1679-1699, December.
    6. Geoffrey Garver, 2013. "The Rule of Ecological Law: The Legal Complement to Degrowth Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-22, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jan Greguš & John Guillebaud, 2023. "Scientists’ Warning: Remove the Barriers to Contraception Access, for Health of Women and the Planet," World, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-9, September.
    3. William E. Rees, 2023. "The Human Ecology of Overshoot: Why a Major ‘Population Correction’ Is Inevitable," World, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-19, August.

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