Our population can be an asset against climate change

This World Population Day, let us critique the proposition that population growth is inherently bad for the planet.

- HISHAM MUNDOL

The notion that more people inevitably means more emissions, higher degradation and a greater drain on resources is arguably one-sided and might obscure where real solutions lie.

India, now the world's most populous country, sits at the confluence of two big shifts: climate vulnerability and demographic opportunity. Could this deliver not a contradiction, but indeed a strategic advantage? What we do with our population and not just how many we are will shape not only India's future, but also the world's climate trajectory.

A global population puzzle: Population trends are disparate. Many countries—like China, Japan and some in Europe—are wrestling with falling birth rates and ageing populations. There is an increasing chorus actively encouraging citizens to have more children.

At the same time, quite a few entire nations or specific population segments still contend with large family sizes and poor access to reproductive healthcare. The dilemma here is not the number of people alone, but their agency and access to planned parenthood—choices shaped by societal norms, education, healthcare, financial independence and physical access, plus the affordability of birth control.

So, yes, population still matters. But not in the shrill tones sometimes employed. It matters because well-being, equity and sustainability are interwoven, and that's where India's size and scale come to the fore.