Population Issues Network Newswatch

Looking at the world through demographics. This blog covers population in the news. Accelerating demographic growth is now the main factor driving biodiversity loss, growing resource scarcity, poverty and social conflict. Over-production and over-consumption are worsening this ecological crisis. 7 billion in 2011 - 9.3 or 10.6 billion (UN high estimate) by 2050. 80 million additional people a year at current rates! Is it not time to rethink population growth?

Monday, July 18, 2011

Beckhams a 'bad example' for families. With a fourth child, the couple have joined the ranks of the irresponsible, population experts say

David and Victoria Beckham with their sons (from left to right) Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Tracy McVeigh – The Observer

David and Victoria Beckham may have been overjoyed to welcome their new daughter, Harper Seven, last week but, according to a growing group of campaigners, the birth of their fourth child make the couple bad role models and environmentally irresponsible.

As the world's population is due to hit seven billion at some point in the next few days, there is an increasing call for the UK to open a public debate about how many children people have.

Now the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, has joined other leading environmentalists in calling for the smashing of what TV zoologist Sir David Attenborough has called the "absurd taboo" in discussing family size in the UK.

For full article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/17/population-control-beckham-family?INTCMP=SRCH