Colcom Foundation Links Population Growth to Environmental Decline
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the environmental movement has recorded meaningful wins cleaner air, stricter regulations on polluters, and more efficient technologies. Yet one foundational goal from that landmark moment remains unfinished: stabilizing human population size. Colcom Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based philanthropic organization, has built its mission around this uncomfortable truth.
Colcom Foundation supports several special programs, including the Conservation Catalyst Fund, which grants conservation organizations working to protect threatened species and habitats. By offering financial support and resources, this foundation allows these groups to make significant strides in conservation efforts.
Per Capita Progress Undone by More People
Between 1970 and 2021, the United States reduced its per capita CO2 emissions by 35%, dropping from 21.33 metric tons per person to 14.04. That is a substantial achievement. But over the same period, the U.S. population expanded by 62%, growing from 205 million to 332 million residents. The net result was a 15% increase in total CO2 emissions roughly 0.67 billion additional tons. Individual efficiency gains were absorbed, and then some, by population growth.
Colcom Foundation points to this pattern as one of the defining failures of modern environmentalism. The same math applies across virtually every environmental metric: urban sprawl, habitat destruction, nitrogen pollution, and species loss. As the foundation frames it, environmental advocates are taking one step forward and two steps back.
Wildlife Pays the Price
The consequences for wildlife have been severe. The North American bird population fell from 10 billion in 1970 to approximately 7 billion in recent decades a loss of 2.9 billion birds. Wild vertebrate animal populations have roughly halved during the same period that the human population doubled. Where wild animals once made up nearly all vertebrate land animal biomass 10,000 years ago, today humans and livestock account for 99% of that biomass, with wild animals comprising just 1%. Colcom Foundation’s research underscores that reversing these trends requires addressing population growth alongside consumption, a combination the environmental movement has historically been reluctant to tackle head-on. Refer to this page, for related information.
More about Colcom Foundation on https://waterlandlife.org/land-conservation/colcom-revolving-fund-for-local-land-trusts/