Global projections of population growth state that the world’s population —which currently stands at 7.7 billion — will escalate to an alarming 8.5 billion by 2030, further grow to 9.7 billion by 2050, and peak at 10.9 billion by the turn of the century. While populations will continue to grow across the globe, the resources that are needed to sustain them will remain finite and deplete.

The World Population Day will be observed today, around the world. This day dedicated to the world’s populations, has been observed since 1990, as an effort towards focusing conversations around the issue of alarming rates of population growth, the problems associated with these numbers and the possible solutions presented by experts to control this exponential growth in the global population. These conversations are not limited to roundtables between politicians, government officials and academics. The discussions are increasingly being undertaken by lay people due to the increasing awareness regarding this ever-present global crisis. The observance of World Population Day is purposed with the task of making these conversations even more frequent and meaningful.

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) outlined in the United Nations (UN) Agenda for 2030 are quite comprehensive, with 169 targets to tackle problems like poverty, hunger, access to healthcare, education, food/ water/ energy insecurity, climate change and gender inequality, to name a few. However, there was one major oversight in the drafting of the SDGs - the glaring issue of over-population, even though a great number of the problems addressed in the goals are inextricably tied to and caused by increasing populations. Not only are target issues such as world hunger, poverty and climate change interlaced with the phenomenon of population growth, but they are crises that cannot be diverted unless populations stop increasing so rapidly that they further aggravate the resources to population ratio.

Since the year 1970, a condition of ‘ecological overshoot’ has been prevalent. This means that the aggregate human demands on resources have outstripped the number of resources that the Earth can regenerate each year. However, a steady and swift depletion of resources, already limited, is not the only worrying effect of population growth. Another troubling effect of growing populations is ecological degradation that results from increased emissions, pollution, deforestation, urbanisation and decreased biodiversity. This toxification and destruction of the environment exacerbates climate change, thereby making it an indirect yet dire consequence of a rapidly growing world population.

Since the year 1970, a condition of ‘ecological overshoot’ has been prevalent. This means that the aggregate human demands on resources have outstripped the resources that the Earth can regenerate each year.

In addition to its effects on the environment and the ecosystem, an exponentially rising population can also lead to increased unemployment and economic inequality, as a country’s economy may not be growing at a sufficient pace to create enough job opportunities to accommodate citizens as they become eligible for joining the workforce. Levels of literacy and education may also be impacted due to unemployment, poverty and lack of funds, especially amongst larger families. The effects of high unemployment and low education rates — arising from population growth — are particularly observable in developing countries that are also often deprived of an efficient healthcare system that would give them access to birth control and educate them on family planning.

Overpopulation is thus either directly or indirectly linked to several pressing issues highlighted by the UN in the SDGs. The goals will remain unfulfilled by 2030 unless adequate actions are taken to arrest the current trends of population growth.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), since its conception, has focused its energies on curbing global population growth rates by emphasising the role of the healthcare system. It has worked in conjunction with governments, national healthcare systems, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations and civil society to campaign for policies that promote family planning.

In the past, some countries have attempted coercive reproductive policies to introduce a decline in birth rates, as a way of combatting overpopulation, but such policies have proved to be an infringement on human rights and, thus, not suitable or sustainable to bring about a significant change. In its efforts to combat rapid growth in populations across the world, the UNFPA advocates that women be educated about their reproductive rights/ choices and be given access to contraceptives as a right. The endeavours of the UNFPA suggest that the only sustainable way of controlling population size and growth is by strengthening healthcare and education systems to empower women. Through such empowerment, not only will women have the choice of if and when they wish to reproduce but will also ensure that they are not limited to the role of mothers and are able to receive an education and possibly join the workforce.

Although there is no 18th SDG that specifically targets overpopulation and the simultaneous overconsumption of resources, there is a growing consensus among experts and policymakers that not only developing countries but also developed countries with large ecological footprints should make an effort towards controlling population growth. Even though it is unlikely that the target of a sustainable world population will be achieved by the year 2030, there is hope that with the fulfillment of other important goals such as those concerning education, healthcare, employment and development, the flattening of the population curve will eventually follow.

The writer is a LUMS graduate. She can be reached on Instagram at @sanateewrites_