Much is being said about climate change and there is debate as to how much of this is natural and how much is a result of our lifestyles.
We can see that analysing data shows the climate does indeed change over time. Historical evidence show that there have been cycles of change in planetary temperature and we are at some point in one of these.
Whilst we cannot determine how much change would have occurred without mankind, I think we can assume that we may have an effect on the climate, be it with our demand for electricity, heating, transport or even food (think methane from cattle for example).
Steps are being taken to reduce our impact by making vehicles more efficient, generating power from renewable energy sources, using heat from solar panels and ground heat systems.
One area however that has a significant impact but is not often mentioned to my knowledge is population growth.
If we kept the population of the planet fixed (impossible I know!) and reduced their energy requirements then the impact on climate could be reduced.
However the population of the planet continues to grow. As it does so there are more people requiring transport, using power and wanting to keep warm. Total energy requirements therefore will go up as a result of this.
Should we not be looking at controlling population growth as part of our attempt to minimise our impact on the climate. There are other ways in which growing populations impact upon the climate, such as clearing of trees to make room for housing or food growing.
We need to look at the total picture - not just pick the low hanging fruit.
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