Population growth is strongly linked to key aspects of social and economic development. 

Many developed countries have been experiencing replacement-level fertility for decades, leading to slow population decline and ageing. Some countries have tried to increase fertility to increase the working population. Australia’s fertility rate has also been boosted by high levels of immigration.

Andrew McGregor, a human geographer in the School of Social Sciences stated that the world’s growing population was concentrated in the middle class and that they were gradually changing the global human diet to include more meat. As a result, the demand for land resources has increased. Our expanding population is reducing the space and resources for all the creatures that have co-evolved with us coupled with climate change, which will pose a huge challenge to the future biodiversity of the planet.

Image: Image: Shutterstock – Varavin88

Produced By: Roderick Chambers

Featured In Story: Andrew McGregor- Human geographer in the Macquarie School of Social Sciences

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 30 November 2022