Population Growth, Inequitable Distribution of Resources, and Overconsumption

UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. 2008. available at: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/poverty-by-country-share-of-population-living-under-usd-2-per-day-2004

Percentage of population living under USD $2 per day (based on 2004 estimates).

The human population has now reached record-breaking numbers having surpassed 6 billion people and as a result the earth is under incredible environmental stresses like no other time in our planet’s history. While it is undeniable that rapidly expanding populations cause stress to the environment, many people, especially mainstream media, argue that overpopulation is the root cause of environmental degradation, placing special focus on the poor as the main cause of environmental destruction.  However, despite being a majority of the population, it isn’t the poor who consume the majority of the Earth’s resources.  The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reports that the 20% of the world’s highest-income earning countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures, and the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%.  The richest fifth[1]:

• consume 45% of all meat and fish, the poorest fifth 5%.
• consume 58% of total energy, the poorest fifth less than 4%.
• have 74% of all telephone lines, the poorest fifth 1.5%.
• consume 84% of all paper, the poorest fifth 1.1%.
• own 87% of the world's vehicle fleet, the poorest fifth less than 1%.

It is also important to remember that colonization extracted resources and labor from the developing world and gave nothing back to local and indigenous people in exchange.  This trend continues today as large multi-national companies build manufacturing plants and other operations in the developing world, turning their natural resources into company profits, while giving very little to their host country in return aside from minimum wage jobs for indigenous people.

While the poor are generally providing for their basic needs, the rich and middle class consume for sport, buying the latest  gadgets, the newest fashions, and other luxury items. The current dominant cultural paradigm is to unquestionably continue consumption at any cost…because “we can,” because it is each person’s “right” to do as he or she pleases, and so on.  This selfish, destructive approach simply can not be sustained in a world that becomes more populous every day.

Thus, when designing integrated solutions and benefits to combat poverty, it is important to remember that inequitable distribution of resources is the leading cause of poverty, and not overpopulation or merely a lack of resources. Latin America, including the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa are the two regions with the highest inequality in the world.[2]  Central America has a high proportion of the population (50% in 2005) in poverty, lagging behind the rest of Latin America (40% in 2005).[3]  8.9% of the population for Latin America and the Caribbean region today live on less that $1 a day.[4]    When families have access to better health services, education opportunities, and are more financially stable, they tend to have fewer children and are best able to help themselves out of poverty.  One of the most effective ways to stabilize population growth and protect the environment is to raise living standards, so it is critical that all poverty reduction strategies include creating environmentally-friendly job opportunities that also provide social and economic benefits.