The world has now surpassed a current population of 7.8 billion people on the face of the Earth.
This indicates that the Earth’s resources can only sustain one-third of these human lives or the humans’ needs can only be fulfilled by an equivalent of 1.68 planet Earths, if the global footprints are grossly calculated.
This necessitates every country facing a population rise, to ponder or limit their own population. But is that the only sustainable method to deal with this extended procreation?
In the recent times, population trends have exhibited an increasing divergence across countries and regions.
While the developing countries continue to witness a rapid population growth, others to be more advanced have faced a considerable demographic transition, hosting an ageing population and even diminishing ethnicities altogether.
These complexities are further added to colossal failure by migrations, wars and increasing urbanization.
But with growing population, has come a threat to limit the severe threats to survival of human race and its planet.
Thus, a consistent tussle between meeting these inherent human needs and then plotting sustainable development goals leads us to unravel the link between sustainability and rapid population growth.
However, the relationship is an inter-dependent one.
Increasing population coupled with ageing and centralization of Human growth has influenced government motives and targets at all times.
By affecting demand, production, income distribution, poverty, employment and social security etc., they tend to sabotage the very efforts taken to ensure universal access to health, food, education, housing, sanitation, electricity etc.
Meanwhile, it is also important to understand that even population gets affected by socio-economic and environmental changes, around a population.
Can population only limit the development or spur it too?
With climate change, comes fall in fertility levels and slower population growth in the vulnerable areas. This is true and it further leads to more concentration of the population in the working age group as is the case with India in specific.
This can enable countries to foster and reap a demographic bonus, thereby only kickstarting the economic development.
Can the challenge of population dynamics be utilized for our benefit?
The population itself is a macro entity, but it is built on an individual’s discretion and opportunity. And the countries normally try to restrict these choices as did China and now India on the path, for limiting the very opportunities laid for survival.
Rather, to address and curb the population dynamics in regards to sustainable development, countries should seek to enlarge and not limit the individual rights.
Enlarging the scope of people’s choices, resourcefulness, originality and resilience above all, can lead to building a greater society, that can desist from such choices and secure the very boundaries of change, but in the long run.
It foremost includes the universal access to sexual or reproductive as well as gender-policy rights, including voluntary family planning or education, sex education in curriculum can totally yield a different world for people and societies.
These curbs but rights in tandem can reduce unwanted births across the world, reduce teenage pregnancies, the infant, child and maternal mortalities, and to a certain limit, even reduce gender-based violence and unsafe abortions.
This can further strengthen women health and help other things along the motive like combat HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), those have continued to scar millions of lives every year.
Along with these, there shall be provisions for healthy ageing for the discrete, frail and more susceptible population to climate changes.
Nations ought to establish a more comprehensive, balanced and inclusive national policies on migration, within the boundaries and beyond to help mitigate their strenuous growth.
Equitable, livable and sustainable cities can help serve the increased demands for livelihoods along with strengthening the linkages between rural and urban areas. Proper skilling of our youth can help use this as an unmatchable opportunity.
Climate consensus and more connected local, national and global partnerships may help contain the ‘ideology for more’ to sustain in a world that is witnessing crumbling agriculture and dented economy.
Although the challenge of poverty reduction and human wellbeing promotion, can only help to ensure the sustainability of the natural environment in timely manner, that is so inseparable from the recent population patterns.