RSSPopulation control the solution to climate change
10 September 2009, source edie newsroom
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A report from the London School of Economics commissioned by the trust claims that for every £4 spent on family planning over the next 40 years would cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than a tonne.
Achieving the same result with current low carbon technologies would, says the report, cost at least £19.
Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost concludes that "considered purely as a method of reducing future CO2 emissions", family planning is more cost-effective than leading low-carbon technologies.
It does not advocate forced birth control, but does point out that UN figures suggest that 40% of pregnancies worldwide are not planned.
Roger Martin, chair of OPT, said the report highlights the need to include population in the broader climate change debate.
"It's always been obvious that total emissions depend on the number of emitters as well as their individual emissions - the carbon tonnage can't shoot down, as we want, while the population keeps shooting up," he said.
"The taboo on mentioning this fact has made the whole climate change debate so far somewhat unreal.
"Stabilising population levels has always been essential ecologically, and this study shows it's economically sensible too.
"The population issue must now be added into the negotiations for the Copenhagen climate change summit in December.
"This part of the solution is so easy, and so cheap, and would bring so many other social and economic benefits, from health and education to the empowerment of women.
"It would also ease all the other environmental problems we face - the rapid shrinkage of soil, fresh water, forests, fisheries, wildlife and oil reserves and the looming food crisis."
Sam Bond
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Comments | By David Jones Common sense at last. A taboo subject but one that will become crtical. We base economics on the holy grail of continuous growth in the same way that drug addicts seek ever larger fixes. A reduction in the population would not only solve the emissions but also a wide range of today's problems from transport to health. The problem will be when any single area embraces population control (enforced or voluntary) but other areas don't. The resulting imbalance will cause dangerous tensions. Despite that it has to be seriously considered. |
flag as inappropriate | By By Randallisimo I think everyone should Google Dr.Eric Pianka and his address to the Texas Academy of Science "We've got an airborne 90 percent mortality human killing [agent]. Think about that. Now, so far, it's been down, down, down. Let's start up. But we can't get up very far. " I suggest HE starts by lining up... This planet can easily support 15 Bn people - take the stolen $Trillions$ back. http://www.infowars.com/articles/life/pianka_dr_doom_speaks.htm |
| By By Josh Poslusny There are plenty of resources on this planet to fully sustain all human life at current levels, in fact maybe more. You are buying into the 'Elites' problems that THEY see in the world. There are far too many 'commoners' as they would call us. The Elite want you to buy into their 'Solutions' because they sell it successfully. They sell it because of the ECONOMIC DISPARITY in the world. What happens when the system is run by money, and all of that is centralized to their Elite Cliques around the world, controlling the building and crashing of markets through Central Banks? They have their technology now, compared to back in the Middle Ages when they Needed a Serfdom to cater to their needs. THEY NO LONGER NEED US, THEIR DEPRAVITY AND DEBAUCHERY AND ICE COLD HEARTS HAVE SHUT THEM OFF FROM HUMANITY. THE ELITES ARE MERE BEINGS OF SENSATION, CONTROLLED BY THAT SATANIC ANTI-CHRIST FIGURE THAT HAS BEEN MOVING THROUGH THIS WORLD. THEIR PUPPETS ARE ...[comment was too long] |
| By By Horst Weickmann Reduce the sea level globally by one metre - this would increase land mass by 24%. All we need to do is cause a global drought for two years to achieve this, er, like much of the world is already experiencing. :) |
| By By pete Supposing that this is true, how do you propose we deal with the lack of space, building materials, food and water, for a growing population that we cannot indefinatly support? |
| By By Brad Arnold What I am about to tell you is independently verified by a respectable university (Rowan) and commercially available (six contracts have been signed so far). There has been a breakthrough in energy technology - a US company is able to get 200X more energy from hydrogen than it takes to get it from water. The story was broke by Reuters last week. The company is BlackLight Power Inc and it's website is www.blacklightpower.com . By the way, I am not affiliated with this company, nor do I have a financial interest in it. My bio is at www.myspace.com/dobermanmacleod . |
| By By David Nutzuki Some Original Globull Dooming Thoughts from Canada s Environ MENTAL Standup Comedian, Paul ButterBall Merryfield. -G8 Leaders Today Pledged To Not Allow the Earth's Temperature To Rise More Than 3.6 D. Fahrenheit. (and they will also part the Red Sea to make it Y2k compliant. -Y2Kyoto -Our Changing Climate (formerly known as weather) -"THE ICE IS MELTING!" "THE ICE IS MELTING!" "THE SUN IS SETTING!" "IT WILL NEVER RISE AGAIN!" "THE ICE IS MELTING!" "THE ICE IS MELTING!" -Rachel Carson - " CO2 is life. " -Will the Greenzis ban CARBONated drinks, fireworks, candles, incense and BBQ's too? -Sunny today with warnings of UV, Smog, West Nile, Pollen, Humidity, Cold & flu with a Plague of Locusts this afternoon. Have a nice day. -Cave Man #1: "Ice age is ending". Cave Man #2: "Must be our fault". -CO2 is two thirds Oxygen. -GLOBAL DOOMERS: Keep up the faith. Trust your leaders. You must all pay for your sins of self...[comment was too long] |
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