The
Common Denominator
By Emily Spence
10 May, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Jared
Diamond, E. O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins and many other reputable scientists
from diverse fields cite human overpopulation as a root cause of many
seemingly disparate, catastrophic problems that our planet, currently,
faces. Whether the issue is extinction of an inordinate number of species
over a small period of time, warfare over resources, ruin of all oceans
through acidification, inevitable loss of major energy sources (i.e.,
oil and coal), massive migration by large segments of various social
groups, ozone layer depletion, global warming, worldwide loss of potable
water, large-scale increase in various kinds of poisonous pollution,
an overwhelming proliferation of waste materials or any number of other
severe myriad indicators, every one of these dilemmas point to one common
denominator -- too many people using up too much before it can be replenished
or before alternative sources are put in place (i.e., for oil, minerals,
coal, etc.).
However, the ever growing number of consumers represents only part of
the problem. The other concerns the amount of resources that each individual
uses during a lifetime, which wildly varies according to the economic
circumstances in which he lives. An excellent, brief analysis of this
latter matter can be found at:
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/diag/what.html.
All the same, governmental
and other world leaders are surprisingly silent when it comes to citing
overpopulation as an ultimate cause of sweeping planetary destruction.
In the same vein, they don't strive to find a workable solution. Indeed,
many, instead of expending lavish amounts of money on developing feasible
substitutes for oil and coal or encouraging universal access to birth
control, choose to spend funds in enormously expensive war efforts.
Deep down and whether it
is publicly announced or not, we all know the covert reason for these
actions. It is simply a bid to garner the last remaining vestiges of
oil or other resources for their own country's citizens at the expense
of others. How shortsighted and brutal is that?
Meanwhile, is there an absolute
limit to human growth -- a finite carrying capacity for earth? Yes.
How long can earth's natural support systems sustain exponential expansion?
This is not known and, to a certain extent, the answer is dependent
on the way that we want to live and the types of surrounding environments
that we want to have. Dystopian films, like "Soylent Green,"
point out this fact all too clearly -- presenting a warning that is
terrifyingly clear.
In any case, information
about and realistic solutions for the ravages of overpopulation desperately
need to be examined on a global scale. Attempting to address the symptoms
-- the assorted environmental dilemmas and social conflicts that are
signs of this larger crisis -- is simply not enough!
Emily Spence lives in Massachusetts and deeply cares
about the future of the world.
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