Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) argues that human population growth remains the root cause of the world's most pressing environmental threats. International Condom Day, February 13, provides a platform from which to highlight that the addition of 6 billion people to Earth's human population since 1924 is now threatening the web of life on our blue planet.
SPA's President, Peter Strachan said, "Rising atmospheric pollution and consequent global warming, along with wildlife extinctions are symptoms of a problem, which is overpopulation. Continue to act against individual symptoms, but let's not forget the cause.
"Over the past 50 years, wildlife populations have plummeted by half, while human population has doubled. Wild plants and animals are becoming extinct at 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural background rate, and biologists chronicle a rapidly accelerating sixth mass extinction event."
Recent studies finding a drastic reduction in the total number of insects that play a vital role in pollinating food crops, point to an emerging food crisis for the human population of 8.2 billion.
Peter Strachan said, "More people create more consumption, emissions and destruction of the biophysical environment that supports all life. As we add population at the current rate of around 70 million per annum globally, even our best efforts to reduce impacts, like recycling and driving less, won't be enough to balance out the human impact on the environment."
"Important public policy advances include education for all, the empowerment of women, smart urban design, the protection of clean air and water, the preservation of bushland, clean energy and sustainable lifestyle choices. However, the maximum impact towards reducing environmental degradation can be achieved through voluntary family planning and universal access to contraception and reproductive healthcare."
Michael Bayliss, Communications Manager for SPA, said, "Peter Scott, founder of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), once reflected the organisation would have saved more wildlife had they spent their money on buying condoms.
"Family planning, reproductive healthcare and contraception are some of humankind's best innovations. Contraception has many social benefits, such as the capacity to have agency on the spacing of one's family and avoid unwanted pregnancies. It also helps our ecological footprint by mitigating the total number of feet."
