In Memory of Jane Goodall, Outspoken on Overpopulation
“To not talk about it and face it head-on is crazy.”
The world lost Dame Jane Goodall yesterday, at age 91. She first gained fame in the 1960s for her research work with chimpanzees in the wild. She, her work, and the chimpanzees were the subject of numerous National Geographic articles and photo essays, and network television documentaries. The image above was captured by Hugo van Lawick for her early National Geographic coverage (he and Jane later married).
She established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which today has offices in 35 nations and teaches youth about conservation in 120 countries. Her contributions to science were so impressive early in her career she was accepted into a doctoral program at University of Cambridge without an undergraduate degree.
I’m choosing to stop and honor Dame Goodall because, during her lifetime of devotion to science and conservation, she spoke intelligently, factually and fearlessly about human overpopulation. Why was this “fearless?” Because for over three decades there has been an effort by some to silence discussion of the subject – so much so that this “cancellation” campaign earned the moniker, “population taboo.” Jane Goodall never caved to that taboo.
“We can’t go on like this. We can’t push human population growth under the carpet.“ – Jane Goodall in 2019
The pressure to silence such discussion may well have just been a reaction to some efforts to “control” human population that ran from questionable to horrific – forced sterilizations and abortions, and family planning efforts specifically targeting people of color, the disabled, or the impoverished. But quashing the discussion perpetuates misconceptions, depriving us of the opportunity to educate and enlighten about better solutions. Jane would say there was no need for “population control.”
“It’s absurd really to think that there can be unlimited economic development on a planet with finite natural resources, and the fact that human populations are still growing on this precious planet of ours is something that everybody should be aware of.” – Jane Goodall in 2019
One example of the ignorance caused by the taboo on discussion of overpopulation is that many today believe the world’s population is already contracting. It is not. Some projections expect our numbers to peak in 20 to 40 years, but the latest United Nations report estimates we won’t see the peak until early in the next century. This is important to know, as today we are in ecological overshoot, the product of both our numbers and our overconsumptive behaviors. The sooner our population peaks, and begins to contract, the better the chances our children can live decent lives on a healthy planet.
“…there’s these three huge problems that we have to solve and one of them is population growth, one of them is reducing the unsustainable lifestyle of millions of us. Most of us have more than we need. Some people have way, way, way more than they need.” – Jane Goodall in 2021
I firmly believe that every couple that is well-informed about our ecological crisis and the impact their family-size decision will have on the quality of life of their children, will voluntarily make the most loving decision possible. So Jane Goodall is a hero for contributing to overpopulation literacy.
“It’s been politically Incorrect for a very long time. If you go to a global conference on those issues and I’m there you will hear me talking about the mushrooming human population growth that’s led to deforestation, that leads not just to harm for the for the animals in the environment, but the people living there, too.” – Jane Goodall in 2007
At the extreme, some assume the cure for overpopulation is to exterminate some of the living. Of course, that’s absurd. But the existence of bad remedies doesn’t make the ill any less real. And there are very humane, beneficial strategies for encouraging voluntary, informed, responsible family-size decisions - respectful of human rights.
“It’s been shown all around the world that as women’s education improves family size tends to drop.“ – Jane Goodall in 2019
If more scientists had the courage and confidence of Jane Goodall to educate about our overpopulation crisis, we might well be at the peak of human population today, looking forward to a humane contraction toward a sustainable number that the planet can sustainably support. It’s astonishing how many people are unaware that human overpopulation is preventing us from solving numerous environmental crises – climate destabilization, deforestation, rampant species extinction, drying aquifers and dropping reservoir levels, fisheries collapse, fertile soil depletion, and toxification of our planet among them.
“We cannot hide away from human population growth, because it underlies so many of the other problems. All these things we talk about wouldn’t be a problem if the world was the size of the population that there was 500 years ago.” - Jane Goodall, at the World Economic Forum in 2020
Some critics of sustainable population advocacy complain that discussing overpopulation “distracts” from what they feel are “the real” causes of ecological destruction. But Jane knew that overpopulation rightly belongs right alongside the other contributors – economic growth and overconsumption.
“I would encourage every single conservation organisation, every single government organisation to consider the absurdity of unlimited economic development on a planet of finite natural resources.” - Jane Goodall
Thank you, Jane Goodall, for your lifetime of devotion to science, the natural world, the animal friends who share it, and to a better-informed public on overdevelopment, overconsumption, and overpopulation.
Dave Gardner is founder and executive director of GrowthBusters.
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Thank you Dave for making it so concise and clear.
Our overpopulation, including here in the USA, is the multiplier of virtually every problem we face.
We LIKE having our attention gently turned toward considering the top-of-the-list MOST IMPORTANT matters that we have before us calling for solution. Thank you for doing exactly that. :-)