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The Climate Question: What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?

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07/11/2022 GMT

What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?

BBC World Service - The Climate Question, What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?

Does worrying about overpopulation let the rich off the hook about the climate crisis?

Overpopulation is a word that creeps up in discussions about the climate crisis. While the global population is still growing, projections show it is likely to decline eventually.

If there were fewer of us, would the amount of greenhouse gasses we emit reduce? It’s a question that often creeps up in discussions about climate change. Studies show that the global population will decline eventually and populations in many rich nations are already declining. However, 11,000 scientists signed a paper warning of “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless society transforms, including the reversal of population growth. But an analysis by the United Nations found that affluence has a greater impact on the climate than population. When we talk about overpopulation, what are we really saying and where does the conversation go from here? 

This episode was first broadcast on 13th December 2021.

Presenters Neal Razzell and Kate Lamble are joined by: 
Nyovani Madise, head of the Malawi office of the African Institute for Development Policy.
Anu Ramaswami, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton. 
Arvind Ravikumar, professor in energy transition and climate policy at the University of Texas. 

Producer: Darin Graham 
Reporter: Rajesh Joshi 
Series producer: Alex Lewis 
Editor: Emma Rippon 
Sound engineer: Tom Brignell 
Production coordinator: Siobhan Reed and Sophie Hill

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The Climate Question

What role is overpopulation playing in the climate crisis?

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