We live in a time of short time horizons. It will be difficult to convince people to act now to change course, when the full results of the change may not be apparent in those people's lifetimes. The higher the standard of living one wishes to sustain, the more urgent it is to reduce population size. Reductions in the rates of consumption of resources and reductions in the rates of production of pollution can shift the carrying capacity in the direction of sustaining a larger population. Fifth Law Sustainability requires that the size of the population be less than or equal to the carrying capacity of the ecosystem for the desired standard of living.
Sustainability requires an equilibrium between human society and stable ecosystems.
The rate of destruction of ecosystems increases as the rate of growth of the population increases. Population growth rates less than or equal to zero are necessary, but are not sufficient, conditions for halting the destruction of the environment. Individuals who benefit from growth will continue to exert strong pressures supporting and encouraging both population growth and growth in rates of consumption of resources. The individuals who promote growth are motivated by the recognition that growth is good for them. In order to gain public support for their goals, they must convince people that population growth and growth in the rates of consumption of resources are also good for society.