with Dr. Frank Swiaczny, Federal Institute for Population Research
At 8 billion, world population is still growing, albeit at a diminishing pace. Global population growth is projected to peak at 10.4 billion during the 2080s. In the meantime, most growth is expected to take place in the poorest countries, most of them in Sub-Sahara Africa. Is there a sustainable future for a growing global population?
Fighting poverty and hunger, investing in quality of life for those most in need and reducing inequalities are key pillars of sustainable development. Achieving these goals without further increasing the ecological footprint beyond the earth’s carrying capacity is a joint global responsibility. “Overconsumption” of the rich is a major concern for reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The richest ten percent of world’s population is responsible for almost half of all CO2 emissions, while the contribution of the poorest half, which is still growing, is negligible at less than ten percent.
The course is designed for regular students and international exchange students from the social sciences and neighboring disciplines. It begins with an overview of global population trends and patterns, and their causes and consequences of demographic change across the world. Next, it elaborates on the interdependencies of population and sustainable development. In a small conference at the end of the course, all participants are given the opportunity to present and discuss a sub-topic they have chosen themselves and prepared with the help of the lecturer. Sign up here