European Commissioner and National Geographic highlight population pressures
15 February 2011
Source: PSN
European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva has spoken out about the challenges posed by demographic pressures, in response to a National Geographic video about the world population reaching 7 billion this year.
European Commisioner Kristalina Georgieva
Credit: EC
The meaning of seven billion
On her personal blog , in a post entitled The meaning of seven billion, European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva shares a video clip from National Geographic Magazine that reflects on pressure upon the earth’s finite resources as the world population approaches the seven billion mark.
The video entitled 7 billion, examines rapid world population growth and related issues such as pressures upon the world’s natural resources, unequal consumption of energy and natural resources and urbanization. The need to balance population and consumption issues is the concluding message of the video.
Commissioner Kristalina’s concerns
Reflecting on the video, Commissioner Kristalina states that the clip;
“is a reminder that at some point this year there will be 7 billion of us on the planet Earth. The implications of this demographic record are profound. Some of these are quite visible ….. demographics affects economic growth and the demand for raw materials, food and commodities; it changes political relations; it dictates development or lack of it.”
As Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis response, Georgieva sets out how demographics play an increasingly role in her own work;
“Poverty, conflicts and exposure to disaster hazards are all linked to demographics. Among the communities which will contribute the most to the 7 billion figure, many are vulnerable to these risks – for instance, Liberia, Afghanistan, Western Sahara and Niger, which are the countries with the highest fertility rates, and which are also among the poorest and most disaster-prone in the world. Meanwhile, the upcoming peak in the Earth’s population coincides with a peak in both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and other disasters.”
Georgieva goes on to explain that there is a clear correlation between areas in the world with highest population growth and areas that are at the highest risk of disasters. Sharing findings from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, she states;
“even today over a billion people worldwide suffer from hunger and even more lack access to safe water. Population growth can drive up these risks, especially in countries that are vulnerable to famine caused by droughts, floods and conflict.”
You can read the Commissioner’s full commentary here.
Continued demographic focus by National Geographic
The video is part of a year-long population series by National Geographic, which will “offer a broad overview of demographic trends that got us to today and will impact us all tomorrow”.
The video and other coverage as part of the population series is available on the National Geographic website.
PSN’s response
The Population and Sustainability Network welcomes the focus of both European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva and National Geographic upon world population growth and the many associated developmental challenges. Yet a key message that the video clip could have shared, and in doing so offer a solution for reducing demographic pressures, is that opportunities to reduce future population growth do exist.
Worldwide there is a vast unmet need for contraception, with an estimated 215 million women who want to avoid pregnancy but do not have access to contraception. Urgent and increased investment in voluntary family planning services that respect and protect rights could address this need, and ensure that all women are able to plan and space their pregnancies as they wish.
This strategy offers a proven and cost effective way of slowing population growth at the same time as helping address other pressing development goals highlighted by the Commissioner, including increased access to education and health services, poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability.
PSN has responded to the commissioner’s blog, sharing this message, which is now live on the commissioner’s website.