David and Victoria Beckham have been criticised for setting a bad example by having a fourth child, as the world’s population is due to reach 7 billion. It’s unlikely that the Beckhams have considered whether the size of their family is anyone’s business but their own. Affluent parents who choose to have more than one or two children are likely to take exception to any criticism, perhaps feeling that if they can afford it, why shouldn’t they have a large family? In his speech at the Royal Society of Arts in March this year, Sir David Attenborough, patron of Population Matters, explains why population control should no longer be a taboo subject.

David Attenborough Talk on Population by populationmatters