Optimum Population Trust: the return of 1970s survivalism, or something new

This article examines the discourse of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT). Using Dryzek’s (2005) discourse analysis of 1970s survivalism, I assess whether OPT’s work is simply a return to the survivalism described by Dryzek. I look to see how climate change has influenced survivalist discourse in recent years, and at the key role of women’s rights and fertility in OPT discourse. The first section gives an overview of discourse analysis and Dryzek’s own model, while the second summarises survivalist discourse according to Dryzek. The bulk of the piece is dedicated to OPT’s position on today’s ecological crisis – that overpopulation is the root cause – and its relevance to political and environmental discussion. I then look at how OPT conceptualises fertility and migration as causal factors of overpopulation, and the implications of their policy prescriptions for women and the majority poor in the global south. I use criticisms levelled at population discourse by feminists, Foucauldians and social justice advocates, arguing that OPT discourse reflects political reality in global capitalism, particularly the need for labour control. OPT produces a morally conservative discourse which simultaneously opens up new opportunities for enviro-discipline around power/knowledge in eco-managerialism, but on closer inspection provides no viable or just solutions to the crisis of global warming.