Prior to writing this piece I was down at Bristol’s Climate Strike at which Greta Thunberg spoke – eloquently direct as ever, drawing a crowd thousands strong. It’s fantastic to see young and old out on the streets demanding urgent action on the ‘climate emergency’. But there’s a worrying ‘climate myopia’ amongst some climate campaigners, which dismisses, deprioritises or simply edits out all other issues and factors. An example of this was last November’s issue of Extinction Rebellion’s free newspaper Hourglass, which reported on the World Scientists' Warning statement signed by over 11,000 scientists from 153 countries, but which was selective in the 'key factors' the journalist chose to highlight. The statement said: “The climate crisis has arrived and is accelerating faster than many scientists expected. It is more severe than anticipated, threatening natural ecosystems and the fate of humanity. We suggest six critical and interrelated steps that governments and the rest of humanity can take to lessen the worst effects of climate change, covering 1) Energy, 2) Short-lived pollutants, 3) Nature, 4) Food, 5) Economy, and 6) Population.” Strangely, no mention of number 6 in the Hourglass article! Joe Bish of our fellow population concern organisation the Population Media Center has done all of us seeking to raise awareness of population, and the available, effective, rights-based solutions, a great service by examining this worrying trend in his recent article, ‘Eugenics? Population Control? Nope – reproductive choice and resources’. Definitely worth reading. Fortunately, a good number of people, including no doubt many of my fellow marchers in Bristol, whilst rightly focused on climate with the COP26 talks taking place in the UK in July, understand and accept human population is a key factor alongside and in harness with consumption. As borne out by the 1,800 people who’ve signed up to receive PM’s updates since Chris Packham’s Horizon population special was broadcast, with over 450 joining as new members! - Robin Maynard, Director, Population Matters |
