Clinton is joined by Sustainable Population Australia’s (SPA) national president, Peter Strachan, about the rising water demand driven by population growth, as highlighted in SPA’s new report, Big Thirsty Australia: How Population Growth Threatens Our Water Security and Sustainability.

Dr. Peter Cook, a co-author of the report, explains that since 2010, household water use per person has remained stable, with most efficiency measures—like public education, appliance labeling, and smaller gardens—already implemented.

The report warns that population-driven demand is coinciding with climate change, which is drying water catchments across Australia, the world’s driest inhabited continent. Strachan highlights that government projections anticipate 13 million more people in Australia over the next 40 years, intensifying water challenges.

“Stabilising population growth could eliminate the need for costly desalination projects,” Strachan says. “Continuing to rely on desalination to support population growth will only increase vulnerabilities and harm our environment.”

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