An independent councillor has made a controversial call for “population control” to tackle the global climate crisis.
David Shopland, who represents Clevedon East, made his surprising comments amid debate over the need for the council to declare a climate emergency.
North Somerset Council unanimously voted to recognise “a serious global climate challenge emergency” and to take steps to address it on Tuesday, February 19.
It resolved to determine how North Somerset could become carbon neutral by 2030 and to seek government funding for the actions identified.
Debate on the motion, put forward by Green and Liberal Democrat councillors, was dominated by discussions about carbon emissions, global warming and its potentially catastrophic consequences, and the moral obligation of the council to take action.
Various practical suggestions included tackling waste and pollution and stopping the expansion of Bristol Airport.
But councillor Shopland said the real problem was population growth and it needed to be tackled, no matter how unpopular.
“I feel we’re only tinkering with the problem,” Cllr Shopland said. “We are not getting to the root cause of the problem.
“And the root cause of the problem is that this world’s resources cannot last forever and cope with increasing demand.
“So maybe we should be looking at population control as well as this measure, because it is people who are using these resources, the number of people who want resources, and that is a problem that can never be solved unless we limit the number of people requiring resources.
“I know that won’t be popular, but it’s a fact.”
Cllr Shopland’s comments drew gradual then steady applause from the chamber.
Summing up at the end of the debate, Green councillor for Congresbury and Puxton Tom Leimdorfer said population size needed to be considered alongside average carbon emissions.
Cllr Leimdorfer said the UK produces an average of 5.8 tonnes of carbon per person per year, compared with a figure of 0.24 for Ghana.
“So yes, population is an issue,” he said. “But it isn’t just population, it is really what each of us are doing.”
Cllr Leimdorfer, who proposed the motion on climate along with Mike Bell, the Liberal Democrat representative for Weston-super-Mare Central, said his personal “carbon budget” for this year was 4.0 tonnes.
