Considering that the majority of emissions came from a select few countries(over half from the EU & USA) that don't make up the majority of the population, and they majority of those emissions have happened while there's been smaller population growth, I don't think it's unfettered population growth that's the problem.
We can't always get what we want. But which goals are attainable depends on policy choices.
Housing prices in suburban and rural areas have exploded across North America. People seem to want their own slice of land distant from others.
People want to be close to cities, but if it means giving up a single family home they’ll gladly live in the suburbs.
Correspondingly the price per square foot in Manhattan is about $1300, while Queens and Staten Island run not even half that.
People may choose to put the savings from less desirable environments into larger homes. But there’s no reason condos shouldn’t be as large as houses. Urban environments are just so scarce that the only way even pretty rich people can get them is to compromise on space.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1234783/average-sales-pr...