World population needs to be stabilised quickly and high
consumption in rich countries rapidly reduced to avoid "a
downward spiral of economic and environmental ills", warns a
major report from the Royal Society. Contraception must be
offered to all women who want it and consumption cut to reduce
inequality, says the study published on Thursday, which was
chaired by Nobel prize-winning biologist Sir John Sulston. The
assessment of humanity's prospects in the next 100 years, which
has taken 21 months to complete, argues strongly that to achieve
long and healthy lives for all 9 billion people expected to be
living in 2050, the twin issues of population and consumption
must be pushed to the top of political and economic agendas.
Both issues have been largely ignored by politicians and played
down by environment and development groups for 20 years, the
report says. "The number of people living on the planet has
never been higher, their levels of consumption are unprecedented
and vast changes are taking place in t