U.K.’s Royal Society Finds No ‘Silver Bullet’ for Population Issues

One of the world’s oldest scientific societies has weighed in on one of the planet’s most vexing future challenges: How to support a growing human population without undermining ecological and economic systems. The Royal Society in the United Kingdom today unveiled its first major report on population issues, which includes eight recommendations for policy action and research.

“This report is offered, not as a definitive statement on these complex topics, but as an overview of the impacts of human population and consumption on the planet,” Royal Society President Paul Nurse, a geneticist and cell biologist, writes in an introduction. “It raises questions about how best to seize the opportunities that changes in population could bring—and how to avoid the most harmful impacts.”

An international committee began work on the report nearly 2 years ago, in part because the society “had been somewhat missing out on the issue of population,” says John Sulston, a biologist at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, who led the panel. “We really felt we should draw things together and have a look at our position.”

Ultimately, the group concluded that “you have to look at population and consumption together, and separate one from the other,” Sulston says. The report reflects that union, with chapters devoted to consumption trends and how they affect natural resource supplies, climate, and ecosystems. There is also ample discussion of how to shift consumption patterns in a world marked by stark income disparity. “Many kinds of consumption must increase in the Least Developed Countries,” the report concludes. “But some kinds of consumption must stabilise and decline in the Most Developed Countries (whose ranks are being rapidly enlarged by the emerging economies). Continued international discussions leading to binding treaties are essential to reconcile the opposing needs.”

The report’s recommendations—which include calls for reducing poverty, improving education, and improving economic measures to include the value of natural ecosystems—aren’t “too surprising,” Sulston concedes. “It would be nice if one could produce a silver bullet, but one can’t do that,” he says, adding that the list “mostly reaffirms what we felt were the most important points that need to be considered as we negotiate how to manage the planet more sustainably.” (A special issue of Science last year was also devoted to population issues.)

One major take-home message, Sulston says, “is that putting our heads in the sand when it comes to population issues is something we’ve got to learn not to do.”

The report’s recommendations:

Recommendation 1

The international community must bring the 1.3 billion people living on less than $1.25 per day out of absolute poverty, and reduce the inequality that persists in the world today. This will require focused efforts in key policy areas including economic development, education, family planning and health.

Recommendation 2

The most developed and the emerging economies must stabilise and then reduce material consumption levels through: dramatic improvements in resource use efficiency, including: reducing waste; investment in sustainable resources, technologies and infrastructures; and systematically decoupling economic activity from environmental impact.

Recommendation 3

Reproductive health and voluntary family planning programmes urgently require political leadership and financial commitment, both nationally and internationally. This is needed to continue the downward trajectory of fertility rates, especially in countries where the unmet need for contraception is high.

Recommendation 4

Population and the environment should not be considered as two separate issues. Demographic changes, and the influences on them, should be factored into economic and environmental debate and planning at international meetings, such as the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development and subsequent meetings.

Recommendation 5

Governments should realise the potential of urbanisation to reduce material consumption and environmental impact through efficiency measures. The well planned provision of water supply, waste disposal, power and other services will avoid slum conditions and increase the welfare of inhabitants.

Recommendation 6

In order to meet previously agreed goals for universal education, policy makers in countries with low school attendance need to work with international funders and organisations, such as UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, IMF, World Bank and Education for All. Financial and non-financial barriers must be overcome to achieve high-quality primary and secondary education for all the world’s young, ensuring equal opportunities for girls and boys.

Recommendation 7

Natural and social scientists need to increase their research efforts on the interactions between consumption, demographic change and environmental impact. They have a unique and vital role in developing a fuller picture of the problems, the uncertainties found in all such analyses, the efficacy of potential solutions, and providing an open, trusted source of information for policy makers and the public.

Recommendation 8

National Governments should accelerate the development of comprehensive wealth measures. This should include reforms to the system of national accounts, and improvement in natural asset accounting.

Recommendation 9

Collaboration between National Governments is needed to develop socio-economic systems and institutions that are not dependent on continued material consumption growth. This will inform the development and implementation of policies that allow both people and the planet to flourish.

 

Science Insider

7 Comments on "U.K.’s Royal Society Finds No ‘Silver Bullet’ for Population Issues"

kervennic on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 1:10 pm 



Useless report.

BGelfand on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 1:32 pm 



Shamelessly useless report.

EnergyUnlimited on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 1:53 pm 



I agree (it is useless report).

All relies on continuation of status quo and more of the same.
That wan’t do.

DC on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 2:22 pm 



MMmmm lets see

#1 Might have a cosmetic effect on pop growth, even it were possible to acheive. Those 1.25 billion(+) are going to stay poor, regardless how much we may wish it otherwise.

#2 Has nothing to do with population growth

#3 Strange statement, and also fairly useless.

#4 Nothing to do with population growth

#5 Nothing to do with Population growth

#6 Possiblly one of the few useful points they make, tho I remain skeptical at this point that simply educateing people is going to do the trick either. While it may help, alone its simply not enough anymore.

#7 This one is patently useless. We allready have all the ‘research’ we need. There are allready excellent stuides and research that can be drawn on to tell us things like…o more people accelerates resource depletelion..etc…

#8 Nothing to do with popluation growth.

#9 This one is strangest of all. What exactly does that mean? When I hear, people ‘flourishing’, I hear, ‘more people being born’. And the planet cant ‘flourish’ either. Its only option is to endure the assuaults we make on it, either throw our industrial accidents, or massively increasing numbers.

You would think a respected body like the Royal Society would be able to do better than this! They meander off-topic..constanty, there ‘recomendations’ are referring to a totally different problem, and they cant even bring themselves to say, in plain english, the growth, as welfare industrials capitlism defines and practices it, must come to an end. Not a hard to thing to say, but they couldnt even bring themselves to call for a permanent end to growth, at least in the economy, or say, stop expanding food production.

No wonder nothing ever gets done in govt or at international level with ‘advice’ like this, its a high-profile recommendation to do nothing about the problem. But it sounds nice and well-meaning….

Rick on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 3:22 pm 



People like Paul Nurse have no desire to change anything. Same with healthcare, meaning finding a cure for AIDS, cancer, etc. There’s no money in it. Too put it another way, there’s money to be made from wars, but not peace.

Kenz300 on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 4:04 pm 



Every country needs to develop a plan to balance its population with resources of food, water, energy and jobs. Those that do not will be exporting the populations.
Endless population growth is not sustainable and will only lead to more poverty, suffering and despair.

Kenz300 on Fri, 27th Apr 2012 5:07 pm 



Quote — ” Reproductive health and voluntary family planning programmes urgently require political leadership and financial commitment, both nationally and internationally. This is needed to continue the downward trajectory of fertility rates, especially in countries where the unmet need for contraception is high.”
——————–

If you are unable to provide for yourself you can not provide for a child. Access to family planning reduces poverty, suffering and despair.