STATEMENT ON POPULATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

SGR and the PCV study group have agreed the following statement, which expresses a consensual overview on some topics within PCV's remit ...

PCV supports the efforts and achievements of the United Nations and its agencies in creating declarations, educational writings and action plans which command near unanimity, world-wide. PCV encourages the UN member states to do their utmost to deliver on the relevant commitments into which they have entered as part of their UN membership. These commitments concern aspects of education, health and economic justice, as well as population directly. In particular, PCV calls on the member states of the UN to ensure that, as a minimum, they keep to the schedules of funding and action to which they have subscribed in Agenda 21 (the action program of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio De Janeiro 1992) and the 20 year Programme of Action adopted at the UN Conference on Population and Development, Cairo 1994.

PCV endorses the Cairo conference's recognition of the importance of education, economic justice and health care for all in abating the unsustainable current increase of the world's population. It supports the attention given to reproductive and sexual health, family planning and justice for women.

PCV works for a reduction in the global human birth-rate. It also works for wider recognition of the danger of the unwise use of modern biological and medical technology to prolong the lives of humans excessively. Such prolongation can, technically, be achieved at very great economic and environmental cost to the world, while being of little or no true benefit to the individual for whom a natural end to life is pointlessly postponed. This statement in no way contradicts the use of medical resources to provide for everyone, as far as is possible, a healthy, full and enjoyable life.

PCV recognises that the values of nations, institutions and individuals, world-wide, are varied. PCV aims to be tolerant of all such values, provided they are compatible with a global trend towards improved welfare for all. 'Welfare' here  embraces education, health, food, water, shelter, fair working conditions, freedom from oppression, freedom of thought and speech, reproductive rights, access to justice, and an inspiring natural environment. This trend should also be a long term one, so that future generations may live in a better world.

PCV is opposed to compulsory sterilisation as a means of population restraint, considering it to be incompatible with the above welfare aims. 

PCV works for a wider understanding that the 'justice' route to a sustainable future, which is indeed the only practical and moral route, requires three factors to be pursued, all with the utmost resolve. These are

 -- a significant increase in the technical efficiency with which the necessities of a good life are provided for all

 -- a major reduction in all production and consumption which has an adverse environmental impact and is beyond what is sufficient for a materially and spiritually fulfilling life

 -- reduction of the rate of global population increase, followed by stabilisation of the global population, followed by reduction of the global population.