ACCORDING to United Nations demographers, world population will have reached seven billion on October 31. It would have increased by more than one billion in just 10 years, the same increase over the entire 19th century. 'The world's population hasn't fallen since the Black Death of the fourteenth century, but never before has it risen so sharply – there are people alive today who will have witnessed a trebling of the planet's human population within their lifetimes.'

 Although the trend is slowing down, it is far from abating: UN predictions indicate that by mid-century, the total number will have reached somewhere between 8 and 10.5 billion.

Whilst concerns over supply side issues such as energy and agricultural prices, and rise in atmospheric and water pollution, and climate change are headline news, demand side issues such as increasing consumption rates and populations across the world are not. The global economic engine is dependent on ever increasing numbers of people consuming ever increasing quantities of products and services.

It is generally accepted that that the earth's water, mineral and energy resources are finite. Technologically speaking once processed and converted to useable forms, the nature of materials and energy change entropy or their ability to be re-converted to their original usable forms.

Control of land, water, and mineral resources has formed the basis of human history and is already spawning military conflicts and social revolutions in many parts of the globe. The 'Ecological Footprint Atlas', based on 2007 UN data and produced by the Global Footprint Network (GFN) lists countries in order of population and external dependency.

Based on this index, the U.K is 22nd in the league of 169 countries being one of the most dependent with an index of 73 per cent. In terms of sustainable populations, our internal land and other resources would support a population of under 17million, not the 61 million we have at present or the 70 plus million anticipated in the coming decade. On a global scale, sustainable population today is around two billion. Although many countries with low populations in relation to land and natural resources have surplus indices, politically they too are at risk from the pressures outside.

The staple fix for economic downturns and rising unemployment is to increase money supply and expand consumption. Standing still and cutting back are not options in economic and political circles. Not unlike the Mafia's code of silence, no one wants to discuss population for fear of being branded a fascist or anti-Christ. Many believe donating to disaster relief abroad keeps the contagion at bay.

There are no votes in doom and gloom. People don't wish to hear that present prosperity is an illusion and sustainable development a myth. There is a failure to recognise all round that some problems just don't have elegant solutions and that to find longer term solutions; we need to think the unthinkable and not go back to sleep within our comfort zones.

We need to bring population numbers in mainstream discussion if we are to find workable solutions to this greatest threat to human existence. Future generations will thank us for that.

– Venk Shenoi, Blaisdon.