Prince William was the target of criticism last Monday (22) after saying that population growth in Africa would endanger wildlife on the continent, posing a global challenge. United Nations projections show that the African population, currently around 1.3 billion inhabitants, should double by 2050.
William, second in line to the British throne, attended a ceremony at the Tusk Conservation Awards, an award aimed at African leaders in forest conservation, in London. During his speech, the prince stated that the continent is at the forefront of forest conservation and has an inspiring diversity.
Then he amended: “The growing pressure on wildlife in Africa as a result of human population is a huge challenge for environmental advocates.” William’s speech, which soon aroused criticism on social media, was initially published by the British newspaper The Times.
The argument is recurrent in the prince’s public demonstrations on the subject. In 2017, while attending an event by the same organization, he said that the world’s rapidly expanding population would be ruining the environment. At the time, he was also promptly criticized, as his wife, Kate Middleton, was pregnant with the couple’s third child.
For some of the critics, the speech of the British has a colonialist background — Britain had several colonies in Africa. “Prince William needs to mind his own business and take his neocolonial mindset elsewhere,” wrote British journalist Nadine Batchelor-Hunt on social media.
Others say the declaration ignores the fact that most of the responsibility for climate change brought about by deforestation rests with more developed nations — many of them Europeans. Oxfam study released last year shows, for example, that it takes a person in the UK just five days to emit the same amount of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, as someone in Rwanda in a year.
Other researches, however, support in part the argument of the Duke of Cambridge. A survey carried out at Flinders University, Australia, and published in the journal Scientific Reports, by the Nature group, in 2019, for example, pointed out that rapid population growth will cause widespread environmental degradation in Africa.
The responsible researchers criticize the fact that the United Nations SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) do not contemplate the reduction of the human population size as one of the paths.
“Family planning and government policies that try to limit population growth and promote economic development that does not compromise environmental integrity are needed to support sustainability across Africa,” said lead researcher Corey Bradshaw of the Laboratory at the time. Global Ecology.
William and his family have sought to engage in environmental issues. The UK recently hosted the COP26 climate conference in Scotland. The prince and his father, Charles, attended the event. Queen Elizabeth had been personally involved in matters relating to the meeting, but canceled her participation on medical advice.
The Duke of Cambridge has also called for countries to step up environmental efforts and recently called for “more than words” and criticized the rush for space tourism.
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