Abstract

The chapter focuses on the relationship between climate change and overpopulation, and it claims that such a thorny issue can be addressed only through a global agreement on limits to demographic growth. It draws on the assumption that overpopulation is a major cause of climate change. Indeed, the link between the growth of population and the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions has been ascertained since long ago. Section “Introduction” explains that the planet is experiencing a “population momentum” due to the tendency of the population to grow. Section “Overpopulation and Climate Change” shows how such a tendency contributes to climate change as it affects the intensification of economic activities and the combustion of fossil fuels. Section “The International Debate on Overpopulation: From the Kissinger Report to Reproductive Rights” illustrates how the international community has addressed the issue of overpopulation in international conferences on reproductive rights and world population. Finally, section “Conclusions” examines possible regulatory policies on family planning, arguing that reproductive rights shall be reconciled with regulatory policies that focus on the responsibility and independent choice of individuals.