Introduction Hans Rosling Fertility Rates, Life Expectancy _ever_seen.html ation.html

Research Question Is the United Nations wrong for not including reductions in population growth as one of the MDGs? –Thesis: Yes! –Continued growth at the world’s 2002 rate of natural increase of 1.2 percent = –12 billion people by 2050 –24 billion people by 2100

The Problem of Overpopulation Thomas Malthus (population pessimist): “the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.” –Soil Degradation –Effectiveness of Pesticides –Water

The Problem of Overpopulation Shelter: –“ the formal housing markets in the Third World rarely supply more than 20 percent of new housing stock, so out of necessity, people turn to self-built shanties, informal rentals, pirate subdivisions, or the sidewalks.”

The Problem of Overpopulation Environment –Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, “[t]he understanding of anthropogenic warming and cooling influences on climate has improved since the Third Assessment Report (TAR), leading to very high confidence [italics of original] that the globally averaged net effect of human activity since 1750 has been one of warming… –Consumption vs. Overpopulation –Technology: not incompatible with goals to reduce global population

The United Nations Stockholm Declaration (1972) –First global statement of environmental principles –Sustainable development- a somewhat symbiotic relationship between economic development (the benefit) and environmental degradation (the burden).

The United Nations Brundtland Commission Report (1983) –Linked environmental issues with global population size –Strategic Imperatives: “ensuring a sustainable level of population” as one of the “critical objectives for environmental and development policies.” Rio Conference (1992) –“States should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and promote appropriate demographic policies.”

The United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo (1994) –Shifted the UN’s efforts from demographic targets to reproductive health, women’s empowerment, male participation in family planning and adolescent sexuality. –“Development is the best contraceptive” –Children as “inferior goods”

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (1999) –Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger –Achieve universal primary education –Promote gender equality and empower women –Reduce child mortality –Improve maternal health –Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases –Ensure environmental sustainability –Develop a global partnership for development

Conclusion The United Nations should advocate one child per couple A campaign –Utilize “transnational advocacy networks” like Population Action International and the International Planned Parenthood Federation –Promote norm implementation –Disassociate from coercive measures