If we were to measure the environmental impact of human population with a uniform yardstick, such as the amount of resources consumed by the average person in developing countries, or the amount of waste and pollutants produced by the same average person, we would then conclude that while in 1990 there were just over 4 billion people in developing countries, the population-equivalent of industrial countries would amount to 14 billion people. If we add to the discussion the very long history of slavery, abuse, exploitation and misery that for centuries have been imposed on developing countries by the main industrial nations, we could conclude that there is gigantic environmental, economic and social debt that the minority of people in industrial countries have so far gotten away with. The unsustainable growth of the population of developing countries is closely related to extreme levels of poverty, partly a consequence of the established international economic order, designed by industrial nations to enhance their own interests, and imposed upon the rest of the world. Environmental devastation is also related to international economic and political relationships. The depletion of resources, and the environmental and social costs involved, is not even taken into consideration in the established economic systems.
Population growth is certainly one of the key problems facing developing countries.
Decisive and effective action is necessary to address it, with due respect for the cultural, ethical and religious differences between diverse sectors of humanity. The lack of democratic processes of governance, and the profound social inequalities evident in most developing countries, are part of the array of related issues where fundamental changes are required. But the population dilemma should not be isolated from the political and economic context it which it has thrived. The perception of population growth in developing countries as the culprit of worldwide environmental damage is a fallacy that deserves to be eradicated. It is, nevertheless, at the very bottom of foreign policies in many a industrial nation, as part of the overall attempt to preserve the established international structure, regardless of how profoundly unfair it may be to the majority of the human race.