Affluence

What actual number of people can Australia and other countries support?

The Optimum Population Trust is an environmental organisation in England whose concern is with the impact of population growth on the environment. Their research is based on climate change, energy requirements, impacts on biodiversity and other environmental factors. They recommend stabilisation and gradual population decrease globally and in the UK.

The Optimum Population Trust, determined that at the current standard of living (as determined by the WWF's Living Planet Report 2002), the optimum population for Australia is 10 million (rather than our present 20.4 million) and at a lower standard of living, it is 21 million.

Click the following link to download a spreadsheet that outlines the methodology for calculating sustainable population numbers for the earth and each country:

OPT Carrying Capacity spreadsheet (862Kb)