Environment & Population
Environment and Population Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia understands that it is not just a question of how many people that live on the planet that impacts on natural ecosystems; it is, to a large degree, also about how we live. Australians, like people in other wealthy nations, over consume resources. The population and environment project seeks to address population issues from a human rights and internationalist perspective. It brings together existing FoEA work in the areas of climate justice, trade, sustainability and international solidarity campaigning.
The Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia population and environment project seeks to act as a focus for a human rights and international approach to the inter connected questions of environment, population and immigration.
FoEA is keenly aware of the fact that concern for 'the environment' is sometimes used as a rationale for opposing further immigration to Australia. Through this project FoEA seeks encourage broader debate about what the key threats are to the ecosystems of the Australian continent beyond a simplistic analysis that focuses too much attention on sheer numbers of people. FoEA believes that over consumption of resources (and corresponding over production of greenhouse gases and other wastes) rather than population growth are the key issues relating to environmental sustainability in Australia. It is not rational to see a direct linear relationship between immigration numbers and environmental deterioration In terms of short-term campaign objectives, FoEA supports an end to mandatory detention of asylum seekers and recognises that there is an onus on Australia to increase its immigration levels, including the creation of an intake program fro climate refugees as well as greatly increasing our foreign aid.
In this debate, FoEA acknowledges on-going sovereignty of Australia by Indigenous peoples and the need to fully involve Indigenous communities in developing a common vision about what would constitute an optimum level of human population for long term sustainability.
FoEA recognises that the Australian community needs to have a debate about what may constitute a sustainable human population for this country. This debate needs to occur with full recognition of the responsibilities that come with being the highest per capita producer of greenhouse gases of any industrialised nation on the planet, the need to address the rising numbers of environmental refugees, and international perspectives that involve global equity in terms of access to resources.
