The fact of the matter is that the burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change. There is enough data to prove that the carbon footprint of the privileged few has landed us in this mess, as opposed to the footprint of countries with large populations. According to the UN report on Global Resources Outlook 2019, our impact on the planet is determined by levels of affluence, and not population. This also explains why rich countries have higher consumption patterns even with slower population growth rates.
Furthermore, while the population in low-income countries has gone up, their demand for resources has stayed constant at 3% of the global total, as per the UN report. Our use of resources, too, hasn’t become efficient; rich countries have simply outsourced manufacturing to low-income countries, where energy efficiency may be low but the labour is cheap. Therefore, stabilising the climate requires us to address the issue of affluence and not just population.
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