Article improvement[edit source]
See User_talk:KVDP#Population_growth
Writtenonsands' comment[edit source]
The most important issue with global warming (as with many environmental issues) is Human population x Standard of living. We have something over 6.5 billion people now. The world population has been predicted to peak at about 9 billion in about 2050. Most people currently have a standard of living below that of North America, Western Europe, and Japan. Most people want a standard of living as high as possible (not only do people in developing countries want a standard of living equal to the developed countries, but people in developed countries want an even higher standard of living.) These factors act to make reducing environmental stress (including global warming) very difficult.
The only realistic solutions are to reduce population growth as much as possible, and to reduce demand for an energy- and materials-intensive lifestyle, i.e., to convince people that a high quality of life can be achieved without high levels of consumption.