“The question is not about population but rather about consumption patterns,” said climate scientist Bill Hare of Climate Analytics. Hare said there is more than a tinge of racism in the myth that overpopulation is the major issue behind climate change. “Yet when you look at which countries are bearing the brunt of the impacts from climate change, countries like Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Afghanistan topped the list.”Even within countries, it’s the wealthiest who cause more of the carbon pollution, Hare said. The world’s population is growing mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia “and they’re contributing the least to manmade climate change”, said Colette Rose, project coordinator at the Berlin Institute for Population and Development. For environmental advocacy groups and officials, the issue of population and climate has caused problems.

Source: The Star November 28, 2022 20:50 UTC