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How timely that the 8 billionth human will arrive on this planet during COP27.
There was little mention of population at COP26.
Can I dare hope that this year our leaders will be brave enough to include a discussion on trying to slow our population growth?
As Professor James Lovelock, scientist and environmentalist, said -- "Those who fail to see that population growth and climate change are two sides to the same coin are either ignorant or hiding from the truth. These two huge environmental problems are inseparable and to discuss one while ignoring the other is irrational".
In September 1994, the UN International Conference on Population and Development met in Cairo, Egypt, and agreed on a strategy for stabilizing the world's population at 7.27 billion no later than 2015.
Yet we have present day western leaders who are having many children. We absolutely have to reproduce responsibly, we have to discuss the issue openly and often, with no mention of control or coercion, and we have to ensure that all young people have access to safe sexual and reproductive health care and education.
We owe it to the people already suffering most from climate change to break the taboo on talking numbers.
COP27 and the 8 billionth human
Dear Editor,
How timely that the 8 billionth human will arrive on this planet during COP27.
There was little mention of population at COP26.
Can I dare hope that this year our leaders will be brave enough to include a discussion on trying to slow our population growth?
As Professor James Lovelock, scientist and environmentalist, said -- "Those who fail to see that population growth and climate change are two sides to the same coin are either ignorant or hiding from the truth. These two huge environmental problems are inseparable and to discuss one while ignoring the other is irrational".
In September 1994, the UN International Conference on Population and Development met in Cairo, Egypt, and agreed on a strategy for stabilizing the world's population at 7.27 billion no later than 2015.
Yet we have present day western leaders who are having many children. We absolutely have to reproduce responsibly, we have to discuss the issue openly and often, with no mention of control or coercion, and we have to ensure that all young people have access to safe sexual and reproductive health care and education.
We owe it to the people already suffering most from climate change to break the taboo on talking numbers.
Dr. Pip Hayes. GP. Exeter.
Competing interests: No competing interests