The effects of human population size on our standard of living, our environment, and our prospects for long term sustainability
population
Population Fact Sheets
See also: "Do population numbers matter?", other population articles
These Fact Sheets can be copied for public use under the terms of the Creative Commons License.
Note:Pages tagged with a '*' are under construction.
World Population Statistics
Water resources of Australia
Who Gains from Population Growth?
Ageing and Stable Populations are Not a Threat
Who loses from Population Growth? - Australian Population Growth and Quality of Life
How Civilisations Have Died
Pages under construction
Water Resources and Environmental Problems of the Rest of the World
Feeding and Sustaining Populations now and in the Future
Australian Soils and Carrying Capacity
What are the Environmental and Social Consequences of Immigration?
Measuring the Size of Your Footprint. The Great Resource - Guzzlers and Developing Countries
Population and Climate Change, Pollution, War, Disease and Other Threats to the Planet
Actions and Solutions - a summing up
For further information on population, see:
- The demographic false alarm by Tim Murray and Brian McGavin
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Val Yule's pages:
- Val Yule's article "Population is not a front page issue" on Online Opinion and forum discussion. Copy of article to be found on this site also.
- See other articles by Val Yule On Online Opinion
- Also, see the US Census Bureau’s International Database of population at www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb
- Articles on this web site about population
Submission to Legislative Council Committee Inquiry into the protections within the Victorian Planning Framework
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COMMITTEE INQUIRY SUBMISSION
Vic Parliament Inquiry on Planning & Heritage seeks submissions by 31 Jan 22
The Planning and Heritage Inquiry submissions are up and running and we are hoping you will be able to add something to this, and/or share with other residents. Submissions are due by 31 Jan 22. Anyone who wants to contribute to the adequacy on the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the Victorian planning framework in relation to planning and heritage protection is welcome to make a contribution.
Bill Rees: A Note on Climate Change and Cultural Denial
Was COP26 a big waste of time?
Intergenerational report (IGR) 2021: Sustainable Population Australia responds
Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) believes there is nothing to fear from the downward projection of population size in the Inter-Generational Report (IGR) from 40 million to 38.8 million by 2061. National President Jenny Goldie says what is to be feared are the environmental, social and economic cost of adding another 13 million people to the population.
On the passing of HRH Prince Philip - an environmentalist
I think it is timely to highlight the fact that HRH Duke of Edinburgh appears to have had a pretty good understanding of environmental issues and the role of human population numbers in environmental degradation.[1] His reputation for having a curmudgeonly persona went before him, and possibly gave him licence to blurt out his thoughts, uncensored by notions of political correctness.
Community input invited for inquiry into ecosystem decline in Victoria
60 Minutes ridicules Alan Tudge in Big Australia demolition - Article by Leith van Onselen
Amazing isn’t it? The federal government sets immigration policy. And yet the immigration minister can’t even answer the most simple of questions.
Contraception and Population
Growth lobby trolls and journos, population theories and growth religion
Van Badham, the author of an insulting Guardian piece against Dick Smith, (Thursday 7 September 2017) parades the usual cliches about 'educating women' to deal with population growth, despite the ob
The Turnbull’s population credibility collapses under Dick Smith barrage
Article by Leith van Onselen. Dick Smith is a national treasure. Yesterday he used his own money to fund an ad in Australia’s major newspapers challenging Lucy Turnbull – the chief commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission (GSC) – on mass immigration, and asking her what her eventual plans are for the population of Sydney – querying whether it could be 16 or even 100 million.
Population Impacts: Letter to Mark Wakeham, CEO, Environment Victoria
"Mark, I am fully aware that your job must be challenging and frustrating at times, but ignoring the elephant in the room – the increasingly obvious negative impacts of population growth - is putting EV and all who care for our environment on a never ending hamster wheel of frustration, disappointment, and ultimately hard earned campaign money down the gurgler.
ACT Elections: Sustainable Australia Candidates in all five electorates
All five ACT electorates to be contested by Sustainable Australia. Sustainable Australia’s first state/territory campaign will see the party contest all five ACT electorates, represented by a diverse range of candidates from an Indigenous Elder to a 20 year old ANU science student.
A proposal for a sensible population policy
In the article the writer questions the whole idea of governments making top-down decisions about the size of a country's population.
A question that often comes up when discussion population related matter is, "What should the population be?" or "What level of immigration/growth do you think is suitable?". I don't have an answer to that question, and I don't intend to provide one.
Why We Need To Talk About Population: Questions and Answers - by Mark Allen
People often ask me why I campaign on population and the reason that I give is that it is an issue that is often overlooked by the environment movement and by the wider world at large. I feel that by ignoring this topic, so much of the other great work done by environmentalists and campaigners is in danger of being severely compromised.
Mark Allen on Attitudes and Communication in Population and the Environment
“When discussing population, let your starting point be about finding the issues that you have in common. It could be about congestion, climate change, loss of heritage, the list goes on. It is not about us pushing our view of the world onto people.
Stop WA Gov growth plans to devour remaining rare cockatoo habitat
The globally unique and lovable Carnaby's Cockatoo exists only in the South West of WA. They are a totem for Noongar people and a part of our shared cultural and natural heritage. But the cockatoos are endangered and we are at risk of losing them forever.
I'm not against growth but....
"God, Sydney’s just unmanageable now. The traffic is beyond control. The roads just can’t cope! I’m not against growth but there’s not enough room on our roads for all the traffic!”
The young woman was inviting her friend in Melbourne to visit her in Sydney.
GDP Growth – Lies, Damned Lies and Population Growth
Topic:
Looking down the tunnel of the IGR to a poorer future
The Intergenerational Report's (IGR) predecessors assume that the answer to our future prosperity lies in the combination of population growth, productivity and participation. After an almost unprecedented 24 consecutive years of economic growth, we certainly have achieved population growth, productivity is declining, there's record high unemployment, but where's the prosperity?
Hairy-nosed wombat, South Australia - rescue effort well worth supporting
http://wombatawareness.com/2015/02/UPDATE 26-02-2015 - The millionaire bequest fell through! Brigitte and the wombats of South Australia are now facing a truly awful situation. She has set up a donation site in absolute desperation, no amount too small: https://www.chuffed.org/project/wombatssoontobehomeless and we hope our readers will spread this news. No-one else is helping the wombats in SA on a large scale and long term; wombats are starving, dying of mange and being killed by cars and farmers. As you know they are adorable and precious... and really worth saving. Thanks for any help.
Meeting today, Saturday 8 November: How Big For Sydney
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At 2pm at the Glebe Town Hall, listen to guest speakers Jack Mundey, Jill Green of STEP, Tony Recsei of Save Our Suburbs & William Bourke of the Sustainable Population Party. They will ask:
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Come along and ask your own questions.
Event: Rolling 'Freedom Forums' - local environment & population speakers - Nov 1 -23 (varies with state)
Event includes population speakers. "Australia should be one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, but driven by primal greed, the country is being bled dry by rampant out-of-control ‘corporatocracy’. The Australian version of ‘democracy’ requires public apathy … but is everyone really going to sit back whilst the socio-psychopathic global corporatists rip out the heart and destroy the soul of the nation?" (Forum spokesperson, Simone.) The "Freedom Summit" gives a forum for a range of speakers on the issue of "We all know something is wrong, but what is it?" The forum will be running in several cities in Australia, starting with Perth on the 1st November, followed up by events in Sydney (8/9 November) Melbourne (15/16 November) and then closing in Brisbane (22/23 November). "All proceeds from the Freedom Summits go towards supporting Free to Shine in their mission of equipping young Cambodian girls with education to prevent sex trafficking." (Source: http://101.0.76.10/~fsorg/philanthropy/
Population: Australia a dog chasing it's tail
This article was posted to me by Geoff at Eco-Bushwalks Sydney - Ed
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Infrastructure debt | "This year, the Australian population will grow by around 400,000 people. Since Sydney hosted the Olympics in 2000, Australia's population has grown by 22% from 19.3 million to 23.6 million. That is why Australia's roads, trains and hospitals are crowded. If the government wants to double Australia's population by 2060, it can either invest in the new infrastructure the country needs before the population arrives, or it can lower Australians' expectations about how much infrastructure we should expect. |
Topic:
The people struggle to find and retain representation
Swiss Democracy wins referendum to apply quotas to immigration numbers
On 9 February 2014, a Yes vote of more than 50% was obtained and the referendum to have a quota limiting immigration to Switzerland has now passed. Three referendums were held in Switzerland on this day. Voters were asked whether they approved of a proposal to impose a quota on immigration, a federal decree on the financing and expansion of the rail network and a federal popular initiative on abortion. Further referendums are planned for 18 May, 28 September and 30 November, with one to include a proposal on guaranteed income. Note also inside, Malthus on Switzerland's history of population stability.
Miscellaneous comments from 24 October 2013
California Population growth increases climate fear: Lessons for Australia
Washington


California has 157 endangered or threatened species, looming water shortages, eight of the 10 most air-polluted cities in the country and 725 metric tons of trash 1 washing up on its coast each year.
California also has 38 million people, up 10 percent in the last decade, including 10 million immigrants. They own 32 million registered vehicles and 14 million houses. By 2050, projections show 51 million people living in the state, more than twice as many as in 1980.
Thank you, Geoff from AussieBushTrek, for e-mailing this.
Professor who demystified exponential growth
A few years ago I was introduced to Dr. Al Bartlett's "Arithmetic, population and energy" lecture recorded at the University of Colorado , (Boulder) U.S.A. To me, the message was so clear, engaging and logical that no-one could fail to understand it and hopefully none would fail to see the significance.
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