Councillor mocked for suggesting there are “too many” people in the world

A South Lanarkshire councillor was mocked by his colleagues for suggesting there are “too many” people in the world.

Bothwell and Uddingston councillor Jim McGuigan made the remarks during a climate change debate in council chambers last Wednesday.

Cllr McGuigan said that “the crux of the issue [climate change]” was that “there are too many of us”.

The comments unsettled a few councillors and Provost Ian McAllan was forced to call order to allow other councillors to speak.

In his comments about the climate emergency, Cllr McGuigan had also called for the council to boycott goods from America and China - two of the worst polluting countries on earth.

He felt a boycott could help “bring them back to the table”.

Cllr Richard Lockhart (Clydesdale North) took a novel view of Cllr McGuigan’s comments about “reducing the global birth rate” before Janine Calikes, councillor for Rutherglen Central and North, reminded Cllr McGuigan that “Scotland has an ageing population” and would therefore require the birth rate to remain high.

The Crew Of Apollo 17 Took This Photograph Of Earth In December 1972 While The Spacecraft Was Traveling Between The Earth And The Moon. The Orange-Red Deserts Of Africa And Saudi Arabia Stand In Stark Contrast To The Deep Blue Of The Oceans And The White Of Both Clouds And Snow-Covered Antarctica. (Photo By Nasa/Getty Images) (Getty Images)