Issues raised in population boom

THE UNITED Nations has presented ways by which countries can address poverty issues in the face of a steadily increasing population that is projected by demographers to reach seven billion by the end of this month.

“The issue of population is a critical one for our humanity and for the Earth. But let us be clear: It is not a matter of space. The population question is one of human equity and opportunity,” Ugochi Daniels, Population Fund (UNFPA) representative to the Philippines, said at yesterday’s launch of “The State of the World Population 2011” report.

The report basically states that while the fast growth of the global population means more children survive and people live longer, this presents challenges such as lack of employment opportunities, gender inequality, dwindling resources and environmental degradation.

It then listed “seven opportunities for a world of seven billion,” or issues facing countries, namely:

• reducing poverty and inequality can slow population growth;

• unleashing the power of women and girls can accelerate progress on all fronts;

• energetic and open to new technologies, young people can transform global politics and culture;

• ensuring that every child is wanted and every childbirth safe can lead to smaller and stronger families;

• each person depends on a healthy planet, so everyone must all help protect the environment;

• promoting the health and productivity of the world’s older people can mitigate the challenges faced by ageing societies; and

• the next two billion people will live in cities so we must plan for them now.

With 94.9 million people, UNFPA noted that the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world.

Ms. Daniels said the effects of high population growth on growth manifest in three ways.

The first concerns women who cannot determine their fertility with population outstripping the ability of health services to serve the people.

In the Philippines, she said, “Filipino women in the poorest quintile have an average of six children, two more than they desire, because of lack of access to reproductive health information and services.”

The second effect is migration to urban areas for those seeking better opportunities and avoiding natural disasters in rural areas. Such internal migration, Ms. Daniels said, poses problems such as environmental degradation and higher risk of human trafficking for women.

In addition, the UN official said, population growth has been slowing down, as in Japan’s case, thus the occurrence of shortages in labor and productivity.

Ms. Daniels, however, said that since the Philippine population is still relatively young — with 54% of the population composed of people aged 25 years old and below — the challenge is equipping the youth with “life skills including proper information about their sexuality that will allow them to better plan their lives and contribute to nation building.”

In the same event, Ernesto M. Pernia, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines (UP), said that the Philippines will be overtaken by Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos which have faster falling fertility rates coupled with higher investment rates.

“Slowing population growth and reducing fertility rate, assisted by an RH (reproductive health program), in addition to good governance, faster economic growth and reduced inequality will raise living standards and dignity for the poor,” he said.

On the environment, Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection Juan Romeo Nereus O. Acosta said the government should provide greater protection to the forests.

“We’re down to 3% of our primary growth forests,” he said. — A. E. Barrameda, Businessworld