TRUE OR FALSE. Is global warming linked to overpopulation?

Last September, Nicolas Sarkozy affirmed that “the first source of pollution is overpopulation“. “This observation is based on an unstoppable logic: the more of us there are on the planet, the more we will consume and the more CO2 we will emit, it is logical”explains Louis Augry, journalist at the “True or false” unit of Franceinfo, on the set of 19/20 info, Wednesday December 13.

Not the main cause of global warming

“But the problem is to think that this global overpopulation is the main cause of global warming”, he continues. According to the figures, “the countries with the largest demographics are often the poorest and they are not at all the countries that pollute the most”, indicates Louis Augry. An inhabitant of Nigeria, which could become the third most populous country in the world in 2050, emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per capita, compared to around 9 tonnes for a French person and almost 32 tonnes for a Qatari. “The drop in these emissions will mainly depend on how we produce and how we consume”concludes Louis Augry.