The Helios Biblios Hour : 20/20 I Can SEE pt2

In the discussion about the environment and our future, overpopulation should also be highlighted. The issue is often avoided in the debate – even though it is central. We urge the Swedish and other governments to act in the UN. The United Nations established in 2015 seventeen global targets for Agenda 2030. These goals are commendable, and Sweden and other countries have a commitment to live up to them. The goals include, for instance, eliminating global poverty and hunger, and sustainable consumption by 2030. We highlight here one missing goal which is required to fulfil many of the other goals; to curb population growth.Many Swedes know that there are 7.6 billion people on Earth. Fewer people are familiar with the UN’s forecast for 2100: an increase to 11.2 billion people (the “medium variant” from UN demographers). If we exclude China (1.42 billion people, possible decline from 2030) and India (1.34 billion, possible decline after 2062), there is an alarming population increase in West Asia and Africa. For West Asia (presently 271 million), the United Nations forecast is 400 million in 2050, and 480 million in 2100. For Africa (presently 1.3 billion), the forecast is 2.5 billion in 2050  Nigeria is one of many examples. Religious beliefs and social norms (patriarchal and traditional family formation) are associated with high fertility. The message from Turkish and Iranian leaders about desirable increase in population in their countries also means that automatic fertility decline cannot be taken for granted.In addition, the 2030 Agenda integrates in a balanced manner the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. The 2030 Agenda is also indivisible, in a sense that it must be implemented as a whole, in an integrated rather than a fragmented manner, recognizing that the different goals and targets are closely interlinked.