[Coral-List] On a positive note But actually...

[David Glassom]

Dear Listers,

The population / consumption debate is one that pops up intermittently. Mike Risk and Alina Szmant have neatly encapsulated the two prevailing views. Broadly speaking, I agree with Mike. But the stated aim of every national government (possibly excepting Bhutan), regardless of its present GDP and every multilateral organisation involved in development is to reduce or eradicate poverty.  Translated, this means increasing levels of consumption of the globe's poorest people until it approaches that of the present middle class.  As a South African, I am also acutely aware that national emissions indices are not synonymous with levels of development. We have per-capita emissions close to first world levels, but this has not translated into similar levels of wellbeing, due to extreme inequality at national, regional and local scales.
So the issue is more complex than is generally acknowledged and needs more nuanced debate than the common binary views allow. It is clear, though that population growth and population size need to become part of the mainstream discussion.

David