Population rise puts planet in peril, says Prince William

Prince William speaks at a gala night for the conservation charity Tusk at The Roundhouse in London last nightPETER NICHOLLS/GETTY IMAGES

The Duke of Cambridge has warned that overpopulation could have catastrophic effects for the planet unless steps are taken to reduce pressure on wildlife and habitats.

Ian Evans posing with the elephant he shot on safari Facebook/Helen Winters
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-farmer-ian-evans-photos-elephant-zebra-shot-dead-hunter-south-africa-a7201341.html

Prince William told the Tusk Trust’s charity gala last night that global wildlife populations had halved since he was born in 1982 and Africa’s human population was projected to double within 25 years.

He said: “We are going to have to work much harder, and think much deeper, if we are to ensure that human beings and the other species of animal with which we share this planet can continue to co-exist.”
Above reproduced from Sunday Times article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/population-rise-puts-planet-in-peril-says-prince-william-tcgt65dgz

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/news_and_politics/photography/2015/11/indonesia_fire/151102_IndoFire_17.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg

I think he's right. The facts rather speak for themselves. When you have nothing else to do, and your livelihood and future depends on children, and you do not have the means to stop having them, you just keep keep having them. But what is life if it is dominated by violence, poverty and scarcity? Hence the huge movements of population and desecration of the natural world. The last century has seen huge numbers of humans exterminated by war and disease, yet still the total number increases. Killing people is unethical and immoral but surely the greater good requires action by government, science and individuals, to at least stem growth and consumption patterns, base largely on oil, if humans and the planet are to survive? Central to this must be stable, self sufficient economies in those areas most under stress and from where people wish to escape. These issues have long been identified but clearly without much success.



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