Abstract

There is increasing evidence that humans are not living sus tainably. There are three major drivers o f unsustainability: overpopulation, overconsumption and the growth economy. There is widespread denial about these issues, especially about overpopulation. The ‘World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity’ highlights the problem of increasing human population, as do the IPCC and IPBES reports. However, all have been largely ignored by policymakers and much of academia. The size of an ecologicallysustainable global population is considered in this article, which then discusses the reasons why society and academia largely ignore overpopulation. The claim that discussing overpopulation is ‘anti-human’ is refuted. It is argued that denial of overpopulation is leading society towards collapse, and solutions are suggested.