Charles Bulman is right (Podium, February 18, 'Growth in population of Earth must be addressed').

Increasing human population does, indeed, affect almost every aspect of life yet little notice or action is taken by individuals or governments.

Don't we already have enough evidence of the disastrous effects of global overpopulation? Consider: international poverty, scarcity of water, scarcity/unequal distribution of food, the destruction of wildlife habitats, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, polluted & overfished oceans and climate change, to name but a few.

Global emancipation of women, education of children around the world, and universal access to family planning services would have a massive positive effect.

Here in the UK, the Government’s own Office of National Statistics has predicted the UK population will rise in the next 11 short years to 70.0 million, an increase of 5.4 million. That’s five new Birminghams!

Imagine the effect this is going to have on our infrastructure - NHS services, schools, road and rail congestion, airport runways, land pollution, demand for affordable housing, etc.

Consider also the effect on the UK’s biodiversity. As David Attenborough famously summed up: all environmental problems become harder - and ultimately impossible - to solve with ever more people.

Politicians both here in the UK and abroad appear to be unwilling to even think about addressing the causes of overpopulation.

David Evans

Crooklands