Most people I talk to support “sustainability” and “social justice” goals. Ecology teaches us that we need to frame these human aspirations in relation to the biological capacity of the earth: the energy, and resources that support our burgeoning populations and economies. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office">

As human society sets out to achieve ecological sustainability and social justice on earth, we face two serious challenges: One, humanity already over-consumes the biological capacity of the planet; and secondly, humanity suffers from a vast gap between rich and poor.

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In 1972, the world’s first UN Conference on the Human Environment, in Stockholm, failed to even discuss human population. During the meetings, Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb, urged the delegates to consider ways to mitigate human population growth, as a driving force of ecological destruction.

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