Why Can’t World Protect Climate Without Checking Population Growth? – OpEd

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A well researched study has beenconducted about the linkages between global population growth and climatehazard. The study has been conducted by Nandini Consultancy Centre, a firm ofchemical engineers based at Chennai and Singapore (www.nandinichemical/com).

The study report urges the UNO torecognize the inadequacies of the decisions taken during the Paris ClimateConference and convene another world conference to discuss the climate issues with focus on reducing globalpopulation growth and density of population, which is the ultimate way to solvethe impending global climate crisis once for all. 

Highlights of the study is given in thisarticle, which have high level to relevance to the present global climatecrisis. 

Global Climate Conference  was organizedi n Paris in 2015, when various measures to protect climate were discussed and some steps were initiated with specific target and time frame.

World leaders have committed themselves to keep global warming below 2 deg C, with an ambitious target to limit it to1.5 deg.C  

However, decisions taken during theParis Climate Conference are not being implemented at the desired pace, due to the conflict of interests  between different countries, particularly about the production and use level of fossil fuel.  

With the decision of USA to withdraw from the  agreement signed during  the Paris Climate Conference, it appears that the decisions of the Paris Climate Conference have lost its sheen, since US is the largest economy in the world and it is also the large emitter of carbon dioxide.  

In the Paris Climate Conference, the inter relation between the damage to climate and  increasing growth and density of  global population  have not been adequately stressed or addressed. The implications are now increasingly seen and realized both by environmental activists and population experts in the world. 

Population growth itself causes ecological issues, due to higher needs for production to meet the increase in consumption demand, consequently requiring more exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, natural gas, coal etc. as well as other issues such as deforestation.  

With climate deteriorating, holistic  solution has to be found for the serious global ecological issues, avoiding conflict of interest between the countries. 

There must be less demand on resources, such as fossil fuel that can be achieved only by decreasing demand, that can happen largely only with less population. 

Global population outlook 

World population which increased at annual average growth rate of 0.85 % per annum between 1900 to 1950 increased at greater annual average growth rate of 1.65% per annum between 1951 to 2019. 

On reading population growth trend, it is evident that birth rate is increasing while death rate has been showing falling trend. 

Increasing birth rate  has largely taken place in developing countries. In developing countries, economic and social stress are of high order and literacy level are comparatively poor,The death rate has declined mainly due to improvement  in the medical science  and greater efforts in medical research .This has resulted in increasing longevity of the individuals  to significant extent. 

Global energy outlook 

Increase in the generation and consumption of energy is the precondition to sustain  the economic and industrial growth of the world. 

While world population is increasing, the per capita energy consumption has not come down, which mean production of fuel/energy is increasing, due to the need to meet the surging demand for enlarging population . 

It is not possible to reduce the use of crude oil, natural gas, coal to any significant extent, in view of their large scale use at present. Increase in production of renewable energy will not be adequate to significantly reduce the need for fossil fuels.  

Prevention of increase in energy consumption and energy production is needed to protect climate.This is not possible without curtailing the population growth to a significant level. 

Inevitable ecological issues due to inevitable growth in production and services 

Considering the scale of requirement of industrial products to meet the needs of the increasing population, use of fossil fuel such as crude oil, coal is inevitable. The use may marginally decline due to renewable energy development, but it is unlikely to make significant impact in reducing fossil fuel consumption in the foreseeable future.  Is the war for climate protection conducted  in vacuum? 

There is lack of clarity about the  appropriate strategies to prevent disturbance to ecological standards and ensure climate protection. 

Most of the campaign and discussions in various forums till now have been centering on imposition of curbs on the production and consumption of fossil fuels, development of more eco to prevent environmental pollution in the process plants, imposition of ban on the production and use of certain products, recycling and promotion of renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro electric and eco friendly nuclear power etc. 

It appears that governments and environmental activists have not  thought beyond these measures to find fundamental and permanent solution to protect the climate.

There is certainly lack of clarity, as universally acceptable strategies and formula are yet to be evolved, without conflicts of interest. 

Conflicts of interest 

World is today deeply divided between developed countries and developing countries, with the interests and priorities of developed and developing countries being considerably different. While the developing countries have large population with high density and high level of poverty conditions, developed countries are more prosperous and have lesser population density. 

It is strange that while developing countries are struggling to overcome the grim problem of population explosion and consequent economic miseries, several developed countries are concerned about less population  growth and aging population with reduction in number of active working hands.  

Developed countries often accuse the developing  countries of causing damage to climate due to use of inadequate and outdated technology practices and unchecked population growth. 

Developing countries, in turn, accuse the developed countries of having high per capita consumption of energy and in the process causing more emissions than the developing countries. 

Resistance by developing countries to some measures 

There have been subtle or strong objections by some of the developing countries to measures suggested by the developed  countries to curb the climate damages. 

For example, coal will remain main energy source in India and China for the next few decades, although its share may gradually fall as the countries push renewable power generation. 

Under the  circumstances, India and China do not seem to be inclined to reduce the coal production and consumption to any significant extent. 

Is the climate war  carried out in vaccum ? 

While lot of noise is being made about climate issues, this grim issue, can not be solved by suggesting some cosmetic measures like  reducing production and consumption of fossil fuel, which face conflict of interest issues. 

Alternate methods like development of bio fuel, development of eco friendly substitute products,  recycling of plastics etc. would help only in a small way. Such measures may make headlines in the media, but would have little impact on the ground. More fundamental solution is called for.  

What are fundamental  solutions ? 

There is absolutely no doubt that the production and consumption of fossil fuels and polymers, have to be brought down necessarily to improve the climate.  

This has to be done and the  only way is to reduce the demand for such fossil fuel and products that are causing environmental hazards.  

When demand would come down,  production would automatically come down and help the cause of climate protection. 

Only one obvious way of reducing the demand would be to reduce the growth of population, which would reduce the demand.  

This reduction should be targeted without allowing scope for any conflict of interest between different countries.  

What is the universally acceptable solution for growing world population density? 

In the case of suggestions earlier made for global climate protection  like reduction in consumption of fossil fuel etc. there is conflict of interest  between different countries, due to lack of alternate energy sources.  

However, with regard to the suggestion to curtail population growth, there can not be any serious objections in several quarters, as there is no particular major conflict of interest. 

When the world population is  curtailed in the course of time, there would be  direct impact on the reduction in the consumption of environmentally harmful products, that would lead to drastic reduction in the emissions and pollution in various forms.  

Every country realizes that curtailment of over all global population that would reduce climate problem is in everyone’s interest. 

Based on recent growth in population level and projected population that the world can afford to achieve climate stability, maximum number of people per square kilometer can be fixed  across the world based  on consensus and discussions and thus working out a scientifically evolved formula.  

UNO should bell the cat  

It is now necessary for UNO to convene one more global climate conference, where conflicts of interests that happened in implementing the decisions of Paris Climate Conference,  would be recognized, so that alternative strategies could be initiated.Obviously, alternate strategy has to be worked out , which should be universally acceptable.  Such universally acceptable solution is reduction in the global population to stipulated level, that would be needed to ensure climate protection in the coming years. Solution to the climate issue by effectively reducing the population growth is the  most feasible and acceptable way of reducing harm to the climate with least pain for the world community.  

This strategy is far more better than producing and using eco unfriendly fossil fuels and other resources in exploitative way  and then searching for ways and means to solve the consequences of the problem arising out of such exploitation of  natural resources in ecologically unfriendly way. The ball is clearly in the court of UNO. 

Will population reduction  lead to economic recession ? 

Many people seem to  believe that with slow down in the growth of global population, global demand for various products would be constrained and the pace of demand growth would shrink. This would inevitably cause  slowdown in the global economy and result in global economic recession.  

This negative view of sceptics has caused  unnecessary fear.  

With the population level coming down, it is  likely that the resources in the world would be better deployed  and putto use optimally, resulting in improved productivity as well as per capita income. Buying power of people will  increase. Therefore, it is not necessary to think  that shrinking population will inevitably lead to slow down in the global economy, On the other hand, economy will become more healthier and it’s pace of development would become stronger. 

For full text of the book , please contact  [email protected]

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

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