Population

If you want to put seven million people in a box, it should probably look like Hong Kong.  The question is really why should you want to?   Hong Kong is a highly compact, efficient, safe, healthy city, and by and large we live comfortable, balanced lifestyles.  But we are only able to do so by importing materials, water and energy from distant territories.  Our ecological and water footprints are huge, and unseen.  Despite what we might like to think, the HK population is supported by a vast territory.

Are there too many of us for the area we occupy?  The answer has to be ‘yes’.  We are unable to support ourselves form what we can produce (nothing), and with population growing rapidly in surrounding territories (in excess of 100 million in the Pearl delta area) our ability to support the HK population from the region is rapidly diminishing.

So it is a mystery as to why Government policy is to increase population, both in terms of number and density.  This may support economic growth in the near future, but increases consumption in a way that will ultimately result in a catastrophic decline.

Population is an issue that underpins all other considerations about sustainable communities and futures.  Addressing population is very difficult, the level of fear about population management is extreme.  Even issues of aging and birth control have no sensible common discourse at present.   It is only by addressing the number of us, and developing rational plans for a managed population based on the capacity of the planet to support us going forward, however, do we stand any chance of surviving as a species.