A Holistic Activism Approach to the Population Issue

This article was originally written by Mark Allen in February 2024. I print it here with his express permission.

The issue of population is one of the most divisive in the environmental movement, but while we risk arguing about whether or not it is an issue, it is important to point out that high fertility rates are symptomatic of deeper, underlying social issues that are important in their own right. The planet does not care about our opinions, only the actions that we take and the impact that they have.

Sadly, the percentage of pregnancies worldwide that are unplanned remains at forty five percent which is a stark reminder of the limited progress that is being made on many of these issues. A major barrier to this progress is a growing movement towards pronatalism that is being perpetuated by influential global elites, in large part because neoliberal economies such as Australia and Canada are increasingly becoming reliant upon population growth. This is especially apparent in face of the falling per capita consumption that occurs when austerity, and housing investment are championed over government spending and housing affordability.

It is therefore unsurprising that Elon Musk and others in the one percent are pressing the panic button, despite the fact that the Earth’s population is currently on course to hit nine billion within fifteen years before reaching ten billion in the 2050s. It is also unsurprising that economies such as the UK that rely heavily upon growing the population at home, make cuts to the kind of proactive foreign aid that delivers universal access to healthcare, family planning, and infrastructure development. Therefore, to dismiss all discussion on the population issue risks overlooking the role that pronatalism and population growth in general, plays in propping up neoliberal ideology.

Australia for example, pursues an economic model that is increasingly reliant upon development, real estate and hence population growth. This is leading to ongoing development-driven environmental challenges and housing shortages. If more acknowledgment was given to the role that population policy plays under the current system, we would be in a better position to develop an economic model that does not pander to the interests of the Business Council and the Property Council. Our approach would instead focus upon delivering socially equitable development on a global scale.

Discussing population within its proper context rather than dismissing it outright, also helps to prevent the development of extremist views. Because calling someone a bigot for talking about population is more likely to make them into one than acknowledging their concerns. It is better therefore to direct discussion towards how population fits into the bigger picture.

That bigger picture must have at its core, the urgent need to reduce the emissions of the top ten percent in particular. But we will not see a drastic reduction in those emissions under a continuation of the current growth-based system. This is why adopting an economic model that among many other factors, embraces population decline will have an immediate environmental impact. Not because it will result in a net reduction in the number of people on the planet any time soon, but because of the behavioural and systemic changes that this approach would help to bring about.

It would also help to dispel the myth that population growth is necessary in order to support an ageing population. In reality, an aging population is a medium-term consequence of any population stabilising or reducing in size, which is something that every population will eventually have to do. The issue therefore is not a lack of people or resources, it is about where we choose to allocate those people and resources.

Holistic activism is about examining the deeper issues that lie behind embedded narratives that the mainstream media refuse to question. This means putting emotive issues such as population into their proper context as opposed to dismissing them outright. That way we can ensure that proactive aid is integral to activism while ensuring that demography is decoupled from economics. All of this will contribute towards the development of a post-growth societal model that seeks to bring everyone in the world along with it.

You can read an extended version of this article on the Post Growth Australia Website by clicking here.

Mark Allen is co-host of Post-Growth Australia Podcast. He is founder of the Holistic Activism movement and Town Planning Rebellion.