Since 1970, the average the global temperature has increased by 0.8 C. During this time, the world’s population has doubled and carbon dioxide emissions have more than doubledaccording to data from the International Energy Agency.
World Bank figures confirm this.showing that we are emitting a little more per capita than half a century ago.
“More than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries have come together to warn that if we continue to business as usual, the result will be untold human suffering from climate change,” said Dr Ripple.
The more people on the planet, the worse it is for the climate, say researchers in a new paper, published this week in the journal sustainability science.
“There are strong links between high rates of population growth and impacts on ecosystems in developing countries related to water and food security,” Dr Wolf said.
“Given the challenges of food and water security, effective population policies can contribute to both social justice and climate adaptation, especially considering the current and projected unequal geographic distribution impacts of climate change”.
They acknowledge that population control has gained a bad reputation, “in part because of forced sterilization campaigns and China’s one-child policy.” But they believe that if done well, it can not only tackle climate change, but also promote “human rights, equity and social justice” – for example through the education of young women , ending child marriage and increasing the availability of family planning services.
“Three examples of countries where improving the education of girls and young women may have contributed to a significant drop in the fertility rate are Ethiopia, Indonesia and Kenya,” said Dr Ripple.
“Among these nations, specific education reforms included instituting classes in local languages, increasing budgets for education, and abolishing school fees. Ethiopia also implemented a program school meals, large-scale school construction took place in Indonesia, and primary school was extended by one year in Kenya.”