Global human population has surpassed Earth’s sustainable carrying capacity

Some might contend that this paper is just repeating claims Paul Ehrlich (one of the authors, now deceased) made in the 1960s in publications like The Population Bomb, but this paper is not predicting a sudden collapse of civilization. Instead, it predicts, among other things, that the relatively near future of humanity is one of increasing inequality, and massive water and food insecurity.

From the perspective of a sustainable ecological footprint, we [calculate a carrying capacity] of 2.35 billion [people].

Reducing the human population appears to be crucial, but how can this be done humanely? Several political and religious groups are opposed to population reduction efforts and maintain that a fictional being (they call it God) mandates large families. These lunatics are numerous, prone to violence in defense of their fantasies, and bent on forcing all to submit to their will. It is hard to see that reason, science, and compassion will guide our future.

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