POPULATION, DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT

Population, development and environment are inextricably linkedand are critical to determining quality of life on Earth, now andfor generations to come. The 1994 International Conference onPopulation and Development (ICPD) must address these paramountissues together, with foresight well into the next century.Increasing poverty, overconsumption of resources in the North,low status of women, inappropriate economic policies, rapidpopulation growth and unsustainable use of natural resources areall interconnected. One quarter of the world's population -predominantly in the industrialized nations - consumes over 70%of the earth's resources and is responsible for most of theglobal environmental degradation. In addition, the implicationsof adding 95 to 100 million people annually to the world'scurrent population of 5.4 billion people are staggering and willplace tremendous stress on the earth's ability to provide forbasic human needs.
Clearly, current patterns of consumption and distribution ofpeople, wealth and natural resources are as much to blame forwidespread environmental degradation as is the sheer number ofpeople. Efforts to address population should focus on the rootcauses of poverty, migration and high fertility rates, such aslow status of women and girls, early ages of marriage, lack ofeducation and health care, high child mortality rates, lack ofaccess to family planning information and services for women, menand teenagers, etc. Addressing the consumption lifestyles ofpeoples and societies is equally important.

Alleviating poverty, empowering women, increasing access tofamily planning and health care, ensuring human rights,developing more sustainable lifestyles in the North and improvinginternational development policies are all critical to providinga decent quality of life for future generations, without causingirreversible damage to the environment.