Skip to main content

Injustices, not sheer numbers of people, are the main cause of poverty and hunger

By Bharat Dogra 

We will soon be 8 billion on Planet Earth.
Is this good news or bad, happy or sad?
Well, the answer is not such a simplistic one, it is more nuanced. We can examine more than one side of various arguments.
Some well-intentioned persons concerned with the present-day inability of very significant numbers of people to even meet their most basic needs say that in such conditions of large-scale deprivation and the related distress, the population of our world should not keep on increasing.
To this others may reply that this is not so much a problem of any inherent inability to meet the basic needs of all people. This is more fundamentally a problem of the enormous inequalities, injustices and the related huge wastages of the present system that so many people are denied their basic needs.
Again a lot of people feel even more strongly that keeping in view the very serious environmental crisis, the earth should not have any further population increase as growing numbers of people increase the environmental burden on the planet.
To this others are likely to reply that it is more a question of proper utilization of the inherent capabilities of all people as all people have the capacity ( if only this can be properly utilized) of contributing more to protecting earth compared to their environmental footprint.
What comes out clearly from these debates is the great importance of reducing inequalities so that the available resources are distributed much more equally to meet basic needs of all people, of minimizing all wastage so that resources are available for priority needs and of increasing the capacity of all people for creative contributions (while at the same time curbing wasteful luxury and misuse of resources). If all this is taken up most sincerely and in addition all armaments and weapons can be reduced drastically, our planet can provide for the basic needs and small joys of 8 billion plus on a sustainable basis while avoiding serious environmental harm. So what we need really at the most basic level is an agenda, a mutually consistent and thoughtful agenda, of justice and equality, peace and disarmament, environment protection and sustainability.
At the same time, it is reasonable to agree that the overall thrust of development and health policies should be to create situations in which most people opt for smaller families rather than larger ones so that sooner rather than later world population can stabilize without any coercion being required for this. Increasing female literacy, better opportunities for education and employment of women, better health facilities and reduction of child mortality are widely believed to be the conditions considered important for moving in this direction. As proper development policies lead to such conditions in more and more societies, there will be better conditions for stabilization of population at present levels. Making available better contraception facilities and improved education for safe sexual behavior will also help. Abortion rights should be well protected, and safe medical conditions for abortion should be easily available.
On the other what should be completed avoided are any curbs on abortion rights. Various forms of coercion for reducing birth rate should also be avoided. Any child who has already arrived in this world should never be treated as unwelcome, she should always feel welcome. It is nicer to have a smaller family, but once a child has arrived beyond the small family norm, she should always be welcome.
We will do well to remember all this a few weeks or months from now when it will be announced that the world population has reached the 8 billion mark. Several commentators will no doubt use this news as a peg for making various doomsday projections for future. It will be important to remind such people then that while a very serious environmental and resources crisis undoubtedly exists in our world, the primary cause of this is not that that there are too many people on our planet, but that there are too many injustices.
The richest and most powerful people as well as their mouthpieces have made it a habit to divert their guilt to others, and as a result there is an entire industry, with partners in academia and media, devoted to blaming the poor for their poverty. It is due to the lies and myths propagated relentlessly by this industry that even development strategies based on increasing inequalities and domination have managed to get propagated as solutions for poverty, while in reality these worsen poverty. Post-World Population Day (July 11), it is a good time to remember and re-emphasize that it is injustices, and not sheer numbers of people, which are the main cause of most poverty and hunger in our troubled world. Solutions must be sought in increasing justice and equality at all levels, including of course gender justice and equality, and this by itself will contribute much to the conditions needed for stabilizing population.
---
The writer is Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include ‘A Day in 2071’, ‘Man over Machine’ and ‘Planet in Peril’

Comments

TRENDING

Defeat of martial law: Has the decisive moment for change come in South Korea?

By Steven Lee  Late at night on December 3, soldiers stormed into South Korea’s National Assembly in armored vehicles and combat helicopters. Assembly staff desperately blocked their assault with fire extinguishers and barricades. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol had just declared martial law to “ eliminate ‘anti-state’ forces .”

70,000 migrants, sold on Canadian dream, face uncertain future: Canada reinvents the xenophobic wheel

By Saurav Sarkar*  Bikram Singh is running out of time on his post-study work visa in Canada. Singh is one of about 70,000 migrants who were sold on the Canadian dream of eventually making the country their home but now face an uncertain future with their work permits set to expire by December 2024. They came from places like India, China, and the Philippines, and sold their land and belongings in their home countries, took out loans, or made other enormous commitments to get themselves to Canada.

EVMs: Govt must prove beyond reasonable doubt it's upholding mandate for free, fair polls

By Jerald D’souza  With the growth of India’s population, concerns about electoral fraud associated with ballot papers, also began to escalate. In 1989, the People’s Representation Act was amended to enable EVMs to prevent electoral fraud. In 1998, EVMs made their debut during legislative assembly elections and for the first time for general elections in 2004. However, criticisms against the EVMs and questions about their integrity have been raised by political parties, civil society and the general population. On 2 February 2024, there was a noteworthy demonstration of dissent where numerous individuals, including Ambedkarite advocates, legal professionals, and other members of civil society  convened at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the prohibition of EVMs. In 2024, the Supreme court had slapped down a petition to return to paper ballots on the basis that machines give “absolutely accurate results” unless human bias maligns them. The court stated that it was open to testi...

This Indian British Marxist blamed USSR's collapse in 1991 on Khrushchev's 'revisionism'

By Harsh Thakor*  Harpal Singh Brar, British Indian Marxist scholar and communist leader, has passed away in Chandigarh. He was 85. He was a lifelong supporter of socialism, Marxism, and the working class. He will be remembered among British Communists.

A groundbreaking non-violent approach: Maharishi’s invincible defense technology

By MajGen (R) Kulwant Singh, Col (R) SP Bakshi, Col (R) Jitendra Jung Karki, LtCol (R) Gunter Chassé & Dr David Leffler*  In today’s turbulent world, achieving lasting peace and ensuring national security are more urgent than ever. Traditional defense methods focus on advanced weapons, military strategies, and tactics, but a groundbreaking approach offers a new non-violent and holistic solution: Maharishi’s Invincible Defense Technology (IDT). 

Chalapathi's death in encounter suggests Maoists' inability to establish broader mass support

By Harsh Thakor* The Maoist movement experienced a significant loss during the Ramagudem encounter on January 21, with the death of Chalapathi (Pratap), a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). His death, along with 15 others, marks a major setback for the movement. Reports suggest that his location was revealed to security forces through a selfie with his wife.

Why do we mostly resist and refrain from communicating on sanitation topic?

By Nikhil Kumar, Mansee Bal Bhargava* According to UN SDG Progress report (2022), at the present moment no targets for SDG 6 are expected to be met by 2030. In 2022, 2.2 billion people had no access to safe drinking water and 3.5 million lacked safe sanitation. Approximately 50% of the world’s population was reported to have been under resourced in enough water for part of the year and a quarter of that population was living under “extremely high” water stress. Add to it, droughts have affected over 1.4 billion people between 2002 and 2021.

CCG raises concerns over Indian State of Forest Report 2023 in open letter to environment minister

By A Representative  The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a collective of former civil servants, has expressed serious concerns over the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 in an open letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change. The group has criticized the report's delayed release, flawed methodology, and misleading claims regarding the state of India's forests.

Govt of India asked to work for release of 217 Indian fishermen detained in Pakistan since 2021

By A Representative  Members of the fishing communities from Gujarat and Diu, Union Territory, held a press conference in Ahmedabad, urging the Union Government to take proactive measures to secure the release of Indian fishermen currently detained in Pakistan. Presently, 217 Indian fishermen, mostly from Gujarat and Diu, are held in Pakistan’s Malir Jail. Of these, 53 have been incarcerated since 2021 and 130 since 2022.

Operation Kagar represents Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism: Resistance continues

By Harsh Thakor Operation Kagar represents the Indian state's intensified attempt to extinguish Maoism, which claims to embody the struggles and aspirations of Adivasis. Criminalized by the state, the Maoists have been portrayed as a threat, with Operation Kagar deploying strategies that jeopardize their activities. This operation weaves together economic, cultural, and political motives, allegedly with drone attacks on Adivasi homes.