Some years back, I decided to take a holiday in Austria. I'd never been there before but I'd watched The Sound of Music a few times, so I reckoned I knew what to expect.
Austria was exactly as I had anticipated and it didn't disappoint. Chocolate box scenery, hills, lakes, fresh, clean air, music and culture. But what I didn't expect was for it to become the catalyst for my concerns about overpopulation; something I'd never really given any serious thought to before my holiday.
Everywhere I went in Austria, left me with a feeling of relaxation, space and a peaceful sense of tranquillity. It wasn't that there were no people around; this was peak season and holidaymakers and locals alike, mingled in the cities, shops and coffee houses; as well as on the hills and around the lakes, but it felt very different.
Reflecting on a lovely vacation as I made my way back to London, I wondered what had felt so different about this holiday. All holidays should make you feel sublimely relaxed, but I'd never felt quite so chilled out after previous holidays in Europe. Then it came to me. Population. Austria, with a population of around 9 million and a land area of 32,390 miles, is a country without people density and overcrowding, and it was from that day on, I realised the health and wellbeing of a country is under grave threat from simply having too many people in it.
Obviously, this isn't an exercise in comparing world economies, the UK being a highly developed social market, as well as the sixth-largest world economy. And yes, of course, population plays a huge part in that, but we have now got to the stage where we have to take control of population growth. The truth is, politicians will always tell you there are advantages of having lots of people around, but the world simply cannot cope with any more bursts of population. There is a steep price to be paid for having too many people around you. The UK is already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and unabated population growth poses a real threat to remaining ecosystems. According to research by the University of Southampton, increased flooding can be explained by urban expansion and population growth.
We need to act now, before it's too late, and, as in the words of Sir David Attenborough,
"All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder - and ultimately impossible - to solve with ever more people."
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