Does anyone think population growth is still sustainable?
Yes, surprisingly - alongside those who believe that perpetual growth in consumption
is possible. Some 80 million unplanned pregnancies a year might be prevented or
postponed by allowing full access to family planning worldwide. But access to family
planning on its own would not be enough to stabilise and reduce world population in
the short term. With so many of the world's current population aged under 25 – a
Youthquake - population growth has an inbuilt momentum which will be hard to stop.
Policies to improve education and women's rights are also vital, along with changes in
attitudes to family size and its impact on the environment, so that couples can
choose voluntarily to have fewer children.