The elephant in the room

Back in the Highlands. A wet 25 minute run along the loch-side. The peace and emptiness of the place made me reflect on the issue of over-population which is probably the biggest single planetary issue currently being largely ignored, at least in the British media, except by a handful of far-sighted individuals such as David Attenborough, John Burton, and Chris Packham  . Meta-history suggests that the planet as a living organism is quite adept at population reduction when necessary, but it would be comforting to think that we could do it on our own terms by controlled reproduction, rather than by apocalypse. The potential for controversy is enormous though. Experience with the energy debate suggests that many people feel they have an absolute right to burn as much fossil fuel as they wish, despite the consequential damage and the diminishing supplies. To suggest that perhaps we should also no longer be able to breed at will should generate enough heat in some quarters to power a small city.