Why environmentalists avoid population issues

Overpopulation is at the root of most, if not all, environmental problems, from global warming to pollution. Any honest environmentalist would devote most of his efforts to reducing population and immigration.

But the vocal environmentalists are on the Left, and one of them explains:

I’m an environmental journalist, but I never write about overpopulation. Here’s why.
Since you asked (many times).
Updated by David Roberts@drvoxdavid@vox.com Sep 26, 2017

I thought I would explain, once and for all, why I hardly ever talk about population, and why I’m unlikely to in the future. …

When political movements or leaders adopt population control as a central concern … let’s just say it never goes well. In practice, where you find concern over “population,” you very often find racism, xenophobia, or eugenics lurking in the wings. …

History is replete with examples, but perhaps the most germane recent episode was less than 20 years ago, at the Sierra Club, which was riven by divisions over immigration. ..

These members advocated sharply restricting immigration, saying the US should be reducing rather than increasing its population. …

The article goes on to say that it is more politically acceptable to advocate educating Third World girls so that they won't want to have babies. Or to attack wealthy inequality, as it is popular to blame wealth ppl for everything.