Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich, who died March 13, 2026, in Palo Alto, California, was never your typical academic.

Ehrlich was an environmental crusader, a ‘public scientist’ who was just as comfortable in front of an audience or a television camera as he was writing academic papers.

But his regular talks and TV interviews never felt motivated by ego or personal gain. If they were sensationalist, it’s because they were driven by personal passion and the need to deliver a message that Ehrlich fundamentally believed the world needed to hear; that human overpopulation was a serious threat to mankind and to the planet it inhabits.

In 1968, Paul Ehrlich published his bestselling book The Population Bomb, which predicted that hundreds of millions would starve by the end of the twentieth century due to food shortages resulting from overpopulation.

Ehrlich received much criticism over subsequent decades as his predictions about mass starvation appeared inaccurate. But in response to his detractors he argued that humanity had simply deferred the disaster by the use of more intensive agricultural techniques. He claimed that continued population growth and affluence were increasingly stressing the global environment, specifically in the form of biodiversity loss, overfishing, global warming, urbanisation, chemical pollution and the depletion of raw materials. Ehrlich maintained that reducing consumption and human population was critical to protecting the environment and maintaining living standards, and that current rates of population growth remained unsustainable.

The Population Bomb polarised the public, creating conversation around the issue of human overpopulation and regularly placing Ehrlich on television screens around the world.

Paul Ehrlich made over twenty appearances on The Tonight Show throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including this interview with host Johnny Carson on January 31, 1980.

Click the video below to watch the interview.

One of the interesting things to reflect on from this interview is Ehrlich’s numerous mentions of the increasing demands on energy resources resulting from population growth, and the conflicts that this could trigger.

Turn on a news channel today and Ehrlich’s predictions feel more plausible than ever.

Paul Ehrlich’s passing is certainly a loss for a world that needs visionaries more than ever. The timelines may have shifted ever so slightly, but his warnings about overpopulation have lost neither importance nor urgency.

Paul R. Ehrlich, May 29, 1932 – March 13, 2026.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about overpopulation and the near future of earth.

The BBC is to honour Sir David Attenborough with a landmark 100th birthday week.

It will air a range of new shows, live events, and classic documentaries, across multiple BBC platforms, to celebrate the legendary broadcaster’s centenary and his profound impact on nature storytelling.

The celebration of Attenborough’s 100 years on the planet, which falls on May 8 2026, will be marked by week-long programming across TV, radio, and online media platforms.

During this special week, the BBC will premiere a new documentary Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, exploring the making of the original 1979 Life on Earth series.

The Corporation will also launch the Secret Garden series, in which he will be examining the incredible wildlife in Britain’s backyards.

The BBC will also host David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth live event at Royal Albert Hall, with musical performances from the BBC Concert Orchestra and a variety of special guests.

The celebration is particularly poignant given how much the natural world has changed over the 100 years of his life.

In the past, Attenborough has been publicly vocal on the dangers of human overpopulation, which he has cited as the fundamental driver of global environmental destruction, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

In 1926, when David Attenborough was born, global population was approximately 2 billion.

When he began his career in the 1950s, the population was around 2.5 billion.

On his 100th birthday, the Earth’s human population will be over 8.2 billion.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

The African economy is set to outgrow Asia for the first time in 2026 according to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

As the median age in Europe, the United States, Australia, and other parts of the world, continues to rise, Africa’s youth population explosion is reshaping the global demographic balance.

Some African countries, such as Guinea, are forecast to grow at double-digit rates, while average growth in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to reach 4.6 per cent.

Over the same period, according to the IMF’s latest economic outlook, the combined economies of Asia will slow to around 4.1 per cent.

Analysts claim that Africa’s “key advantage” lies in its youth, which is rising faster than other global regions, but caution that investment is needed if the continent is to live up to its economic potential.

According to France’s development bank, the French Development Agency (AFD), by 2050, one in four people worldwide will be African.

In its annual review of Africa’s main macro-economic indicators, published this month, the AFD pointed to a surging workforce following years of accelerated population growth. And whilst the AFD highlights the strong potential for innovation and creativity, there is also concern over whether there will be sufficient jobs available for the number of young people reaching working age.

High numbers of births continue in East Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. West Africa, and particularly the Sahel, currently has the highest fertility rates in the world.

The AFD concedes that very high fertility rates can harm economies. And whilst countries such as Rwanda and Malawi have reduced fertility rates through family planning programmes, they are currently still at an unsustainable 3.6 children per female.

The danger, according to the AFD, is having insufficient quality employment available for the surge of young people reaching working age.

Where there are limited employment opportunities available, due to high demand for jobs, women are typically overlooked in favour of male employment. Limited employment opportunities for women outside the home generally means that their primary role becomes child-rearing.

Africa is facing what many believe is a difficult paradox. Years of rapid population growth have resulted in a wave of young people approaching working age. And whilst this translates into potential for huge economic growth for the continent, African leaders are concerned that the youth population will far outstrip the number of jobs available.

At the time of writing, the population of Africa sits at approximately 1.572 billion, a huge 89 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) across Africa currently averages 3.89.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

Türkiye surpassed the 87 million mark in 2025 as the country’s population growth continues to accelerate.

According to official data, Türkiye (formerly Turkey) grew by 427,224 in 2025 compared to the previous year, reaching an all-time high of 87.8 million people.

TurkStat, Türkiye’s statistical authority, announced that the country’s annual population growth rate rose to five per thousand in 2025, up from 3.4 per thousand in 2024.

The male population represented 50.02 per cent of the total, while women made up 49.98 per cent last year.

And Türkiye’s trend towards increased urbanisation appears to be in line with most other countries. According to TurkStat, the proportion of the population residing in province and district centres increased from 93.4 per cent in 2024, to 93.6 per cent in 2025.

Istanbul, Türkiye’s commercial capital, is the largest city by population. The city saw an increase of 52,451 people in 2025, pushing its total population to 15.75 million.

It was followed by the county’s official capital Ankara with 5.9 million, the Aegean city of Izmir with 4.5 million, the industrial hub of Bursa at 3.26 million, and the Mediterranean resort of Antalya with 2.77 million.

The median age of the population in Türkiye increased to 34.9 in 2025, from 34.4 in 2024.

In response to concerns over declining fertility rates, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had previously declared that 2025 would be ‘The Year of the Family’.

At a public event held in Ankara on January 13, Erdoğan announced new family-centred measures including interest-free loans for newlyweds, increased birth assistance, streamlined housing aid, counselling services, and policies promoting part-time and flexible work for parents. He stressed the importance of the family’s vital role in preserving national identity, calling it a “survival issue” for Türkiye’s future.

At the time of writing, the population of Türkiye sits at approximately 87.825 million, a 34 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 1.62.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

The world is now in water bankruptcy say United Nations scientists, and here’s what it means.

According to a new study by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), the world is now using so much fresh water as a result of the consequences of population growth and climate change that it has entered an era of water bankruptcy, with many regions no longer able to bounce back from frequent water shortages.

Currently about 4 billion people – almost half the global population – live with severe water scarcity for at least one month a year, without access to sufficient water to meet all of their needs. And many more people are seeing the consequences of water deficit: dry reservoirs, crop failures, water rationing and more frequent wildfires and dust storms in drying regions.

Water bankruptcy indicators are everywhere, from Tehran, where droughts and unsustainable water use have depleted the reservoirs the Iranian capital relies on, to the United States, where water demand has outstripped the supply in the Colorado River, a vital source of irrigation and drinking water in seven states.

Water bankruptcy is not just a metaphor for water deficit. It is a chronic condition that develops when a place or region uses more water than nature can reliably replace, and when the damage to the natural assets that store and filter that water, such as aquifers and wetlands, becomes hard to reverse.

The UNU-INWEH’s latest study concludes that the world has now gone beyond temporary water crises. Many natural water systems around the world are no longer able to return to their historical conditions and these systems are now in a state of failure – water bankruptcy.

In financial bankruptcy, the first warning signs often feel temporary and manageable: borrowing money, late payments, selling things you’d hoped to keep. Then the problem begins to feel inescapable.

Water bankruptcy has similar stages.

At first, we pull a little more groundwater during dry years. We use bigger pumps and deeper wells to access more water. We transfer it from one basin to another. We drain wetlands and straighten rivers to make space for farms and cities.

Then the hidden costs begin to reveal themselves. Lakes shrink year after year. Wells need to go deeper. Rivers that once flowed all year become seasonal. Salt water creeps into aquifers near coastal regions. And the ground itself starts to sink.

Sinking, or subsidence, often surprises people, but is a clear signature of water bankruptcy. When groundwater is overpumped, the underground structure, which holds water like a sponge, can collapse. In Mexico City, land is sinking by about 25 centimetres per year. And once the pores become compacted due to the subsidence, they can’t be refilled.

The following infographic shows which regions are the most water-stressed. The darker the colour, the higher the water-stress, and the more likely that region is in or approaching water bankruptcy.

Published by the UNU-INWEH last week, The Global Water Bankruptcy report documents how widespread water bankruptcy is becoming. Groundwater extraction has contributed to significant land subsidence over more than 6 million square kilometres of the Earth, including urban areas which are home to a quarter of the planet’s population.

Agriculture is the world’s biggest water user, responsible for about 70 per cent of the global freshwater withdrawals. When a region goes water bankrupt, farming becomes more difficult and more expensive, threatening economic stability and global food supply chains.

About 3 billion people and more than half of global food production are concentrated in areas where water storage is already declining or unstable. More than 1.7 million square kilometres of irrigated cropland are under high or very high water stress, threatening food security around the world.

Droughts are also increasing in duration, frequency and intensity as populations continue to grow and global temperatures rise. Over 1.8 billion people – almost 1 in 4 humans – have been exposed to drought conditions at various times since 2022.

These numbers translate into real problems for the inhabitants of affected regions: higher food prices, hydro-electricity shortages, health risks, unemployment, migration pressures, unrest and conflicts.

Yet despite these problems, nations continue to increase water withdrawals to support the expansion of cities, farmland, industries and now data centres. All to provide for an ever increasing global population.

Climate change is undoubtably exacerbating the problem, but human overpopulation is at the root cause.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

Australia’s population is predicted to grow by a further four million people over the next ten years.

The federal government’s Centre for Population, which has produced this latest statement, predicts the current Australian population of 27.5 million will grow to 31.5 million by the end of 2035.

And despite falling migration from overseas, coupled with a slowing birth rate, the Centre for Population estimates that this figure is likely to exceed 40 million by 2065.

Net overseas migration is continuing to ease after reaching record highs in recent years, according to the report. It is expected to total 260,000 people in 2025-26, well below the peak of 556,000 recorded in the 12 months to September 2023.

The decline has been driven largely by fewer arrivals of temporary migrants, particularly those holding visitor and student visas.

While two-child families remain the most common family size in Australia, smaller families are becoming more prevalent, while larger family sizes continue to decline.

The country’s total fertility rate is projected to fall to 1.42 in 2025-26, remaining well below the ‘replacement level’ of 2.1 children per female.

So why is Australia’s population continuing to spiral upwards?

Australia continues to rank amongst the countries with the highest life expectancy. By 2035-36, average life expectancy is expected to reach 87.1 years for women and 83.4 years for men.

The number of very elderly Australians is projected to grow rapidly according to the latest report. By 2065-66, the Centre for Population predicts that there will be 1.9 million people aged 85 and over – more than triple the current figure.

The median age of Australians is also expected to rise by 1.8 years to 40.2 years by 2035-36, about half the rate of ageing experienced during the 1990s.

Population growth and ageing patterns differ significantly across Australia.

Western Australia is projected to record the highest population growth rate at 1.8 per cent in 2025–26. And major cities are projected to grow nearly twice as fast as regional areas, with Sydney and Melbourne both expected to surpass 8 million residents in the 2050s.

At the time of writing, the population of Australia sits at approximately 27.5 million, a 44 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 1.64.

The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

Pakistan has begun 2026 as the world’s fifth most populous country according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The UNFPA also notes that, with a population exceeding 257 million, high population growth, high fertility rates, persistent gender inequality, and rising climate vulnerability, the urgency for addressing population dynamics in Pakistan has intensified.

Looking beyond 2026, the UNFPA called for a paradigm shift in how population is reflected in Pakistan‘s national planning and financing.

The UNFPA believes that, moving beyond population size as the primary det­e­rminant, a forward-loo­k­ing appro­ach would be to rew­ard provinces for measurable progress in gender equ­ality, climate resilience, bal­anced population outco­mes, and improvements in the quality of education and health services.

Such reforms would align financial incentives with human development res­ults, encourage innovation and accountability, and help translate population policy into tangible improvements for people and communities, the statement said.

The UNFPA also urges the implementation of the recommendations of the Council of Common Interests, with a clear accountability structure, defined timelines, and sustained domestic financing, supported by evidence-based planning built around strong population data.

Despite some gains, significant challenges remain across Pakistan, the agency said. High maternal mortality, lack of family planning, early marriages, gender-based violence, and unequal access to quality reproductive health services, particularly in remote communities, continue to demand improvement.

Many observers believe, however, that the United Nations Population Fund’s statement places far too much emphasis on mitigating the effects of population growth in Pakistan, when it should be stronger on encouraging the country to focus on dealing with the root cause.

Without a significant and immediate reduction in the fertility rate, it seems unlikely that Pakistan’s overpopulation emergency will ease any time soon.

At the time of writing, the population of Pakistan sits at approximately 257 million, a staggering 64 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 3.5.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

Sir David Attenborough’s 2011 RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) President’s Lecture remains one of the most defining speeches on the topic of human overpopulation.

Delivering the address to Society members, and in the presence of the late Duke of Edinburgh, the revered British naturalist explained why human population growth is at the root of almost every environmental problem that exists.

Claiming ‘sustainable growth’ to be an oxymoron, Attenborough pointed out there were only two ways the human population would be controlled in the future: “We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so… either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us”.

The naturalist, famous for his award-winning documentaries including Planet Earth and Blue Planet, stated: “All environmental problems become harder – and ultimately impossible – to solve with ever more people”.

Click the video below to watch Sir David Attenborough’s 2011 address to the RSA.

Adopting wry humour to deliver an obviously weighty message, Sir David went on to say: “Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist”.

He added that: “Instead of controlling the environment for the benefit of the population, perhaps it’s time we [should] control the population to allow the survival of the environment”.

Born in 1926, Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer. His comments on the dangers of human population growth have been echoed by other leading voices on the subject, including Professor Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about overpopulation and the near future of earth.

Pakistan’s overpopulation crisis is deepening, according to experts, with the country facing national collapse.

The warning was delivered at the end of last week’s Pakistan Population Summit, where it was made clear that the country’s unchecked population growth is rapidly outpacing its available resources.

The two-day event was attended by government officials, scholars, and civil society leaders, who described the issue as an “existential crisis”, demanding urgent national attention and coordinated reform if demographic disaster is to be avoided.

According to Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, speakers at the summit called for a unified, cross-institutional approach to population management, emphasising that the crisis now threatens the country’s healthcare system, food and water security, education infrastructure, labour market, and overall urban sustainability. They insisted that without decisive action, the population surge would soon render many development efforts meaningless.

In his address, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar admitted that: “the constitutional right to life is being eroded by an unsustainable population increase that heavily burdens maternal, neonatal, and reproductive health services”.

Minister Tarar proposed the formation of a parliamentary committee, a national charter on population control, and a multi-stakeholder working group dedicated to pursuing comprehensive reforms.

Tarar also highlighted that: “religion does not obstruct family planning”. The Minister urged that mental health issues, including postpartum depression, be addressed as part of reproductive health discussions, a point that resonated strongly with attendees. Religious and legal scholars echoed this sentiment, offering rare consensus. Dr Raghib Naeemi, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, stated that: “protecting life and lineage is a core objective of Shariah”. He also went on to endorse birth spacing within Islamic principles.

Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad described population management as: “a collective moral duty”.

And legal expert Humaira Masihuddin called for: “greater inclusion of women in decision-making positions”, stressing that empowerment and education of women were central to managing Pakistan’s population challenge.

At the time of writing, the population of Pakistan sits at approximately 257 million, a staggering 64 per cent increase since 2000. The fertility rate (average number of births per mother) is currently at 3.5.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”

Since 1975, the amount of built-up land across the planet has grown almost twice as fast as the global population, according to a new United Nations (UN) report.

The new report, World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 (WUP25), reveals a dramatic shift in how humanity now occupies the planet and raises further concerns over sustainability.

This continued expansion means the average amount of constructed space per person has risen from 44 m² to 63 m², highlighting significant inefficiencies in land use worldwide.

For the first time in history, more people now live in cities than in towns or rural areas. The global population has become increasingly urbanised, with 45 per cent of people now living in cities, a sharp increase from only 20 per cent in 1950. Towns currently house 36 per cent of the population, while only 19 per cent remain in rural areas.

This latest analysis is made possible by combining satellite imagery with census data using the new harmonised Degree of Urbanisation methodology. This approach classifies settlements into cities, towns, and rural areas in a consistent way across all countries, providing unprecedented detail on population growth and physical expansion.

By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population growth will occur in cities, according to the report. This surge is projected to be highly concentrated in just seven countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia, which together are expected to add over 500 million new urban residents in the next two and a half decades.

Overall, the number of cities globally has already doubled since 1975 to over 12,000, including 37 megacities (cities with a population in excess of 10 million).

The rapid, uncoordinated spread of built environments, often referred to as urban sprawl, poses a significant sustainability challenge. This continued expansion encroaches on farmland and natural ecosystems, creating long-term environmental risks. Furthermore, rapid urbanisation in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia necessitates a huge growth in infrastructure in order to keep pace.

The UN report notes deep inefficiencies in land use, particularly in rural areas where built-up land per resident has doubled since 1975, despite slower population growth. Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand have seen land use per person rise considerably. At the same time, those in Central and Southern Asia remain the most land-efficient.

In order to address these challenges, the report emphasises the urgent need for better land management, encouraging more compact and connected developments. Strategic planning is crucial to managing rapid urban expansion effectively and efficiently, especially in regions with high population growth.

Utilising open, detailed data from sources such as the Joint Research Centre’s Global Human Settlement Layer is presented as being essential for policymakers to make evidence-based decisions and build more sustainable urban-rural systems.

Submitted by Friends of Retha


The Message is the ground-breaking debut novel by Yan Vana, a thought-provoking and critically acclaimed book that will change the way you think about the human population and the near future of earth.

“What a book! Such an eye opening perspective, utterly true… compelling and extremely accurate. Heaven help us.”