Injustices, not sheer numbers of people, are the main cause of poverty and hunger

By Bharat Dogra
We will soon be 8 billion on Planet Earth.
Is this good news or bad, happy or sad?
Well, the answer is not such a simplistic one, it is more nuanced. We can examine more than one side of various arguments.
Some well-intentioned persons concerned with the present-day inability of very significant numbers of people to even meet their most basic needs say that in such conditions of large-scale deprivation and the related distress, the population of our world should not keep on increasing.
To this others may reply that this is not so much a problem of any inherent inability to meet the basic needs of all people. This is more fundamentally a problem of the enormous inequalities, injustices and the related huge wastages of the present system that so many people are denied their basic needs.
Again a lot of people feel even more strongly that keeping in view the very serious environmental crisis, the earth should not have any further population increase as growing numbers of people increase the environmental burden on the planet.
To this others are likely to reply that it is more a question of proper utilization of the inherent capabilities of all people as all people have the capacity ( if only this can be properly utilized) of contributing more to protecting earth compared to their environmental footprint.
What comes out clearly from these debates is the great importance of reducing inequalities so that the available resources are distributed much more equally to meet basic needs of all people, of minimizing all wastage so that resources are available for priority needs and of increasing the capacity of all people for creative contributions (while at the same time curbing wasteful luxury and misuse of resources). If all this is taken up most sincerely and in addition all armaments and weapons can be reduced drastically, our planet can provide for the basic needs and small joys of 8 billion plus on a sustainable basis while avoiding serious environmental harm. So what we need really at the most basic level is an agenda, a mutually consistent and thoughtful agenda, of justice and equality, peace and disarmament, environment protection and sustainability.
At the same time, it is reasonable to agree that the overall thrust of development and health policies should be to create situations in which most people opt for smaller families rather than larger ones so that sooner rather than later world population can stabilize without any coercion being required for this. Increasing female literacy, better opportunities for education and employment of women, better health facilities and reduction of child mortality are widely believed to be the conditions considered important for moving in this direction. As proper development policies lead to such conditions in more and more societies, there will be better conditions for stabilization of population at present levels. Making available better contraception facilities and improved education for safe sexual behavior will also help. Abortion rights should be well protected, and safe medical conditions for abortion should be easily available.
On the other what should be completed avoided are any curbs on abortion rights. Various forms of coercion for reducing birth rate should also be avoided. Any child who has already arrived in this world should never be treated as unwelcome, she should always feel welcome. It is nicer to have a smaller family, but once a child has arrived beyond the small family norm, she should always be welcome.
We will do well to remember all this a few weeks or months from now when it will be announced that the world population has reached the 8 billion mark. Several commentators will no doubt use this news as a peg for making various doomsday projections for future. It will be important to remind such people then that while a very serious environmental and resources crisis undoubtedly exists in our world, the primary cause of this is not that that there are too many people on our planet, but that there are too many injustices.
The richest and most powerful people as well as their mouthpieces have made it a habit to divert their guilt to others, and as a result there is an entire industry, with partners in academia and media, devoted to blaming the poor for their poverty. It is due to the lies and myths propagated relentlessly by this industry that even development strategies based on increasing inequalities and domination have managed to get propagated as solutions for poverty, while in reality these worsen poverty. Post-World Population Day (July 11), it is a good time to remember and re-emphasize that it is injustices, and not sheer numbers of people, which are the main cause of most poverty and hunger in our troubled world. Solutions must be sought in increasing justice and equality at all levels, including of course gender justice and equality, and this by itself will contribute much to the conditions needed for stabilizing population.
---
The writer is Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include ‘A Day in 2071’, ‘Man over Machine’ and ‘Planet in Peril’

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Saffron Kingdom – a cinematic counter-narrative to The Kashmir Files

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* “Saffron Kingdom” is a film produced in the United States by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, positioned as a response to the 2022 release “The Kashmir Files.” While the latter focused on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and framed Kashmiri Muslims as perpetrators of violence, “Saffron Kingdom” seeks to present an alternate perspective—highlighting the experiences of Kashmiri Muslims facing alleged abuses by Indian security forces.

From lazy to lost? The myths and realities behind generational panic about youth

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak Older generations in many societies often describe the young with labels such as “lazy, unproductive, lost, anxious, depoliticised, unpatriotic or wayward.” Others see them as “social media, mobile phone and porn addicts.” Such judgments arise from a generational anxiety rooted in fears of losing control and from distorted perceptions about youth, especially in the context of economic crises, conflicts, and wars in which many young lives are lost.

Counterview

Search This Blog