Now, I find that very difficult to reconcile with notions about a merciful God.

In the West, that's what's happening. The birth rate has been dropping steadily and still is. But there is still a vast amount of the world where that's not the case. And that is where the big population growth is taking place.

Nothing in the natural world makes sense - except when seen in the light of evolution

Dealing with global warming doesn't mean we have all got to suddenly stop breathing. Dealing with global warming means that we have to stop waste, and if you travel for no reason whatsoever, that is a waste.

All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder - and ultimately impossible to solve - with ever more people.

Nature isn't positive in that way. It doesn't aim itself at you. It's not being unkind to you.

Can a growing human population still leave space for wildlife?