It should not be controversial to say a population of 8bn will have a grave impact on the climate

It’s time to ditch the generations-long argument between those who blame overpopulation and those who worry about consumption

There will be no attempt by countries at Cop27 to connect the inexorable growth of human numbers with the seemingly unstoppable rise in temperatures. Picture: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

By a remarkable coincidence, just as governments, campaigners and business owners are meeting in Egypt to address climate breakdown today, the world is officially crashing past the symbolic 8bn population milestone. This means global population is on its way to 10bn or more by the turn of the century.

But there will be no attempt by countries at Cop27 to connect the inexorable growth of human numbers with the seemingly unstoppable rise in temperatures.