Observations about population still relevant

Three-year-old observations by a University of Melbourne lecturer appear as relevant today as when they were made.



Dr Robert Crawford.

A lecturer in construction and embodied energy, Dr Robert Crawford, said, in 2009: “The environmental consequences from a 60 per cent increase in people living in a country that is already showing significant signs of environmental degradation and climate change could be enormous.”

Dr Crawford, writing on the Melbourne Energy Institute’s website about the likelihood of Australia’s projected population growth of 13 million by 2049, said current demands for energy and other resources were already having a dramatic impact on our environment.

His opinion piece, headed: “Population growth and the environment” Dr Crawford said possible solutions such as reducing house size and using materials that last longer and use less energy to produce could significantly reduce energy needs.