Population

Human population is, somewhat confusingly, a controversial issue to discuss. Many people understand that having 8 billion humans on the planet creates lots of ecological and social problems, and maybe the population shouldn’t keep growing endlessly if we want the biosphere to remain intact. Many others seem to believe that we must keep growing the human population for the sake of civilization and the economy, and questioning human population challenges the sanctity of human life, or borders on misanthropy or eco-fascism. Certainly, dominant myths about the supremacy of human life over all others, and the separation of humans from nature, informs sensitivity around the topic, but conversations around population can also easily turn into finger-pointing at poorer, more populous nations that have contributed far, far less historical ecological harm. How does human population contribute to the polycrisis? What other factors, like the demands of global economic system or individual human consumption, play into the polycrisis?