Campaigns

Why doesn't Friends of the Earth campaign against overpopulation?
13 April 2011

Friends of the Earth does not believe that population growth is the main cause of environmental pollution.

The richest 20% of people consume 86% of the Earth's resources and have the lowest birth rates.

Climate change

G8 countries make up just 13% of the world's population yet they emit nearly half of all greenhouse gases.

The average UK person produces 2.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - one hundred times the average of many African citizens.

Over-consumption

Climate change is being worsened by the over-use of resources like fossil fuels, and by other environmental problems:

  • Air pollution is largely the result of too many vehicles on the roads.
  • Rainforest destruction is fueled by demand for raw materials that make up everyday products.
  • Intensive farming by big corporations is being favoured over small-scale family farming.

Friends of the Earth is campaigning to reduce climate emissions and resource use per person in countries like the UK. See Friends of the Earth's policy on population for more information.

Even if the world's population stopped growing today it would not, at current consumption rates, remove pressures on the environment.

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