PERNILLA HANSSON

'A  large part of my childhood was spent exploring nature, and I lamented  the losses of natural land to the development of human-created  landscapes. Even then I had a basic understanding of the limitations of  population size, but it was not until I started working for The  Overpopulation Project that I began to grasp the extent to which human  population growth has impacted the planet. Humanity has pushed past  planetary boundaries at the expense of the natural world that we are  dependent on, the same nature that I love and grew up with. Yet it  amazes me how relatively simple means, such as limiting our consumption,  ensuring the human right of access to family planning, and proper  education, can do so much for protecting nature while simultaneously  leading to a more just society. The concept that we cannot have endless  growth on a finite planet is not a complicated concept. It was something  I could understand even as a child, and it is only when we seriously  discuss this reality that progress can be made.'