A public lecture by Professor Roger Jeffery on Tuesday 19 October 2010. This is the fourth lecture in the Our Changing World series. Roger Jeffery is a Professor in Sociology in the School of Social and Political Science at the University.
The lecture
When people mention population growth, or the absolute size of the world’s population, they usually go on to claim that ‘the Third World’ must limit their population size, in the interests of limiting the demand on global resources.
On the other side of the debate are those who point to the highly unbalanced current levels of consumption, and suggest that ‘the problem’ lies with the rich, each of whose children represents a much greater and more unsustainable resource use.
This lecture will contextualise such positions within current demographic knowledge, and look at linkages to issues of food security, migration, economic development and human rights - and how a historical perspective helps with a better understanding of today’s concerns.